Super Bowl 50 Aims to Dazzle the Bay Area
Unless you were away deeply engrossed in the newly unveiled photos of planet Pluto or maneuvering the land rover on planet Mars, you must have heard by now about the National Football League’s (NFL) Super Bowl 50 Championship Game, America’s biggest annual sporting event taking place on February 7 at the Levi’s Stadium in Santa […]
Unless you were away deeply engrossed in the newly unveiled photos of planet Pluto or maneuvering the land rover on planet Mars, you must have heard by now about the National Football League’s (NFL) Super Bowl 50 Championship Game, America’s biggest annual sporting event taking place on February 7 at the Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
Seventy-thousand ecstatic ticket holders are paying over $7,000 per person to attend the Super Bowl 50 grand event, including airfare, hotel accommodations, and the game’s ticket, which covers its spectacular half-time show featuring performances by the superstars Beyonce, Bruno Mars, and Coldplay. Personally I would have liked to see the addition of icons from the Bay Area’s classic rock scene such as Santana, Journey, Sammy Hagar, Tower of Power, and Bonnie Rait among others.
I must confess: I am an authentic fan of American football and the Super Bowl experience. After attending four previous Super Bowl games with my family in Palo Alto, Miami, New Orleans, and Pasadena – you get the picture. However, paying only $60 for a face-value ticket in 1985 compared with today’s cost of $800 face-value per ticket, well, let’s just say I am planning to watch the 2016 Super Bowl 50’s exhilarating game in the comfort of my family room. Dressed in my sweats and surrounded by beer (it would have been champagne if the Niners were playing in this championship game) and all the finger-licking delicious food I should not be eating (convincing myself that, after all, it’s only once a year). I hope my Jump Start dietician and my waistline will forgive me.
No tickets to the Super Bowl 50? Don’t despair! There are plenty of fun and exciting programs waiting for you to enjoy and partake. The Bay Area Super Bowl Host Committee in partnership with the NFL has created a lavish array of free and some very reasonably priced “Beyond The Big Game” public events, concerts, and celebration elements featuring many extraordinary activities and memorable performances to entertain over 1 million out-of-town visitors descending on our turf.
“Super Bowl 50 provides us with an opportunity to shine a light on the entire region,” said Keith Bruce, CEO of the Super Bowl 50 Host Committee. “We’re excited for the City of San Jose and Team San Jose to join us in Super Bowl City and celebrate the festivities with fans from around the world.”
While Super Bowl tickets fetch super prices, there are plenty of events to enjoy and get the taste of this mega event for free. And though Super Bowl 50 will be played at Levi’s Stadium in the geographically smaller town of Santa Clara, the neighboring San Jose, known world-wide as the capital of Silicon Valley, will host the visiting NFL teams at its downtown hotels, and will host a number of memorable events, proving once more that it’s not all about chips and technology in the third largest city in California. “San Jose is home to a number of world-class attractions and a truly unique innovative spirit,” said Mayor Sam Liccardo. “This is a great opportunity for Super Bowl visitors, and other Bay Area residents, to explore many of the things that make San Jose such a great place to live, work and play.”
Borrowing the “Late Show” host David Letterman’s concept of his iconic and extremely popular Top Ten List I’d like to highlight some of the fabulous and unique events included in the January 30 through February 7 Super Bowl 50 Experience repertoire:
Super Bowl 50’s Top Ten Events
1. Alicia Keys, One Republic, The Band Perry, Matt Nathanson, and Chris Isaak will headline free shows in Super Bowl City. With more than 35 free performances by Grammy-winning headliners, community performers, and local Bay Area favorites, Super Bowl City will showcase two stages, the City Stage and the Fan Stage. «Over the course of nine days, visitors to Super Bowl City will be treated to free concerts by some of the world’s most notable artists and the Bay Area’s finest performers,» said Keith Bruce, CEO of the Super Bowl 50 Host Committee. «Whether it’s local groups like Loco Bloco or musicians like the Bay Area’s Chris Isaak, the culture and fabric of the region will be well-represented.»
2. A roster of stars will be joining the TBS late night talk show host and comedian Conan O’Brien, who will serve as an MC for one of my favorite events on the Super Bowl schedule – the “NFL Honors” awards show on February 6 – the night before the Super Bowl, taking place at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco. The two-hour special recognizes the NFL’s best players and performances from the 2015 season. The show will also air on CBS at 9PM.
3. The City of San Jose announced that during Game Week, the free-to-the-public fan village will include the San Jose Pavilion, a cultural space showcasing attractions and activities found only in San Jose. The village includes local cultural treasures, city concierges, hack-a-thons, innovation stations, and robot wars. The booth will include performances from San Jose Jazz Festival, Silicon Valley Ballet, and plants from Hakone Gardens.
4. The Super Bowl City Stage, located at Sue Bierman Park on Drumm Street in San Francisco includes a full performance program featuring ballet, taiko drumming, and the Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir following the kick-off festivities of the relighting of the “Bay Lights” and a fireworks show.
5. Taste of the NFL – Food, Fun and Football on Feb. 6 at Cow Palace. For details and tickets visit www.tasteofthenfl.com. Enjoy the 25th Annual Super Bowl “Party with a Purpose” – a fabulous food and wine pairings from more than 40 of the nation’s top chefs. Mix and mingle with NFL legends and special musical guest San Francisco Alt-rock icons Third Eye Blind, all united in the fight against hunger in the Bay Area and around the country.
6. Super Bowl Opening Night festivities fueled by Gatorade on Monday, Feb. 1 at SAP Center, San Jose. This will be the first time the players and coaches address the media while in the Bay Area. The event begins at 5:00 p.m. Tickets are available to visitors through Ticketmaster starting at $27.
7. Get Inside the Game at Moscone Center in San Francisco: Run the 40-yard dash against NFL players on a giant LED screen; Experience NFL games using virtual reality technology; Get free autographs from NFL players; Take a photo with the Vince Lombardi Trophy.
8. Super Bowl City at Justin Herman Plaza in San Francisco, January 30 – February 7 is the Host Committee’s free-to-the-public fan village designed to celebrate the milestone Super Bowl 50 and to highlight its unique place in the Bay Area. Super Bowl City will be the hub of fan energy and excitement leading up to game day at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.
9. The San Francisco 49ers did not make it to the 2016 Super Bowl 50 championship game, but the rich history of the local football scene is chronicled in the amazing exhibit “From Kezar to Candlestick: The Photography of Frank Rippon” at the San Francisco International Airport (SFO) Museum in Terminal 3, post security level 2. The exhibit is on view through February 28 and it depicts the dramatic photographs of early stars like Hugh McElhenny and Bob St. Clair playing at Kezar Stadium, to Joe Montana and the generation of players who brought home the team’s first Super Bowl trophy in 1982 and earned the moniker “Team of the ‘80s.” While at SFO, check out “The Nation Game” special exhibit.
10. Check out the European-inspired Santana Row shopping promenade known for high-end shopping, dining, nightlife, and spas. Visitors might want to snap a selfie behind the wheel of the latest Tesla models inside Tesla’s showroom.
Have fun and enjoy the Super Bowl 50 Experience in the Bay Area! For more information, visit www.sfbaysuperbowl.com. For the latest information on all “Big Game” events and activities visit: https://www.sanjose.org/maps-more/san-jose-is-a-super-community
Lina Broydo immigrated from Russia, then the Soviet Union, to Israel where she was educated and got married. After working at the University in Birmingham, England she and her husband immigrated to the United States. She lives in Los Altos Hills, CA and writes about travel, art, style, entertainment, and sports. She hardly cooks or bakes, with no borsch or piroshky on her home cooking menu. Therefore, she makes reservations and enjoys dining out, mostly sushi.
By Lina Broydo
