TAMPA — Outside Raymond James Stadium work is underway on some of the temporary structures for pre-game events.
And soon we’ll see the NFL Experience set up begin along the Riverwalk.
The pandemic will no doubt mean a scaled-down Super Bowl.
But the host committee president says there is still a lot to look forward to.
“This isn’t about some events that may not be taking place that has happened in previous years. Or hotel rooms that may not happen or actualize that could happen in a previous Super Bowl. This is about the ones that are taking place," said Rob Higgins.
Plans for the NFL Experience seem to be going forward.
But unlike the event, we saw in Miami last year, this interactive football festival will be completely outside.
It’s also free, but with limited capacity.
“And to think about this really as the first outdoor festival taking place since the pandemic started and taking place in a really safe fashion is an exciting opportunity for our community," said Higgins.
Many other events are still up in the air, with corporate sponsors still hesitant to make big plans with so much unknown.
The NFL still hasn’t even announced the number of tickets that will be available for the Super Bowl itself.
There has been talk of 20% capacity.
But some playoff games around the country are being played without any fans at all.
“Obviously some things will be tailored. The good news is we have great weather. A lot of things will be outdoors. It’s always tough to balance lives and livelihood which is really the theme of the pandemic," said John Bennett, City of Tampa Chief of Staff.
City leaders say they want businesses to benefit from the big events.
But they are also making sure there aren’t any large unsafe gatherings during Super Bowl week like we saw in Ybor City on New Year’s Eve.
“Of course, if we see anything that’s placing our guests, our community at risk, all government will take the appropriate action as necessary," said Bennett.
Organizers have started training some of the 8000 volunteers who will be working at Super Bowl Events.
And they say to keep up with what’s happening download the NFL One Pass app on your smartphone.
