Vikings' Success Could Cause Difficulties For Super Bowl Prep
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The Minnesota Vikings' successful season could throw a wrinkle in plans for the Super Bowl.
The big game comes to the Twin Cities in just 47 days now. With all the advance work, that may seem like plenty of time to get U.S. Bank Stadium ready for an event that's in a league of its own.
But now the hometown team is in playoffs.
The NFL championship game will be played at U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday, Feb. 4. But oddly enough, the longer the Vikings perform well and stay in the playoffs, the less time the organizers of the Super Bowl have to get the stadium ready for the big game.
"This is a good challenge. It's not a problem, it's a challenge, and we will gladly take it," Andrea Makros with the Minnesota Super Bowl Host Committee said.
While the Vikings focus on what they need to do to win their next game, those in charge of U.S. Bank Stadium are focused on what could be a history-making game.
"In 52 years of the Super Bowl, the home team has never played in the game. And so I think there is a sense of excitement about not only getting that close to the big game, but possibly having it in our own backyard," Makros said.
A five-week schedule to reconfigure the stadium to make room for thousands of members of the media, as well as a stage for the half-time performance that can quickly be taken down, could suddenly shift to two weeks. It would happen if the Vikings play through January.
"It just means the same amount of work needs to get done in more compressed amount of time," Makros said. "We do have 51 years of executing these Super Bowls and a team that has done many of them, so hopefully we can get this all done."
As for ticket prices, some think if the Vikings are playing in their home stadium, it will drive up the price. That's because there will likely be a higher than usual demand by fans who can drive to the Super Bowl rather than fly.
"It's never happened so there is no precedent to know how it would affect things like prices," Makros said. "Already there is a ton of interest so if you are interested in coming down to things like Super Bowl Experience, buy your tickets now so you don't miss out."
There is a free 10-day festival on Nicollet Mall leading up to the Super Bowl. It's open to the public, you don't need tickets for that. It will feature concerts, all of them outdoors.
As far as ticket prices, there is a wide range. The lowest price was $3,000 and it went all the way up to $13,000. Be sure to be careful who you buy tickets from -- choose a reputable dealer.
