Super Bowl 53 is 200 days away and a lot has already been accomplished before 71,000-plus pack into Mercedes-Benz Stadium for the NFL’s marquee event.
The Feb. 3, 2019, game culminates a 10-day celebration that will feature an array of ancillary events.
A security plan for the game, involving federal and local agencies, is already being set into action. Other plans are coming together, too:
» Follow: AJC's Complete coverage of the 2019 Super Bowl in Atlanta
Around town
The NFL plans to set up the massive Super Bowl media center in the GWCC.
Super Bowl Live (a fan festival with concerts and other activities) will be held at Centennial Olympic Park and Super Bowl Experience (an interactive theme park) at the Georgia World Congress Center.
The “NFL Honors” show — the league’s annual awards show — will be held at the Fox Theatre the night before the Super Bowl and nationally televised on CBS.
Massive volunteer effort
More than 25,000 applications have been received for the 10,000 volunteer slots to help welcome the 1 million guests expected in the 10 days leading to the game.
Volunteers will be stationed at the airport, hotel lobbies, Centennial Olympic Park, the Georgia World Congress Center, downtown street corners, MARTA stations and other places where Super Bowl visitors might need assistance.
Applications for the volunteer program, dubbed Team ATL, are being accepted until July 31. In-person interviews began in mid-July and will run through August. In order to be selected, all applicants must complete their in-person interview.
Getting into game
Super Bowl tickets will be difficult and/or very expensive to obtain. The NFL controls the tickets and divvies up the inventory.
The NFL’s official hospitality partner has begun to sell bundles of about 9,500 Super Bowl tickets with various perks – such as night-before-the-game concerts, pregame parties, postgame field access and the like.
The packages from On Location Experiences range from $5,000 to $17,500, with nine price points in between.
The next best chance at a ticket is in the secondary market as the game approaches.
Still to come?
• Who's singing? The game's halftime and pregame entertainment is typically announced closer to the game. It has been as late as the Thanksgiving window.
• Who's playing? No team has played a Super Bowl in their home stadium, but the Falcons are among the early favorites to play Feb. 3 in Atlanta.
