NEW ORLEANS — From his booth perched high above the football field in the Caesars Superdome, New Orleans Saints announcer Mark Romig feels a tremendous sense of civic pride seeing thousands of cheering fans reap the rewards of a $557 million renovation to one of the city’s most recognizable landmarks.
The four-year makeover to the home of the New Orleans Saints was completed in September, and the venue has already held several events, including Taylor Swift’s Eras tour in October. But it makes its big debut on Feb. 9 when it hosts the Super Bowl, the most watched televised event in America.
Super Bowl LIX will be the eighth Super Bowl held at the Superdome, and the 11th hosted in New Orleans, tying Miami for the most ever.
In many cities, football stadiums were built on the outskirts of town, creating a long drive from fans’ accommodations, a traffic bottleneck and a parking nightmare. The Superdome is right in the heart of the Central Business District and is within walking distance of several hotels and top tourist attractions, making New Orleans an attractive Super Bowl host city.
Credit: Justin Williams
Credit: Justin Williams
“It’s almost 50, but it looks like new,” Romig said of the Superdome. “It speaks to the genius of the original architects (Curtis and Davis Architects and Engineers) that it could be revised and refreshed to look like it was built yesterday.”
Trahan Architects led the recent renovation with an elevated, streamlined fan experience top of mind.
The venue’s iconic “spaceship” exterior has been preserved, but the interior refurbishment wows fans the moment they pass through one of three new light-filled atriums at the entrance gates. The removal of the original ramp system used to access the upper levels of the dome reclaimed 100,000 square feet of space without expanding the structure’s footprint. This made way for new express escalators that whisk fans to their seats in less than three minutes and wider sideline concourses that can accommodate more concessions and fan gathering areas.
Credit: New Orleans and Company
Credit: New Orleans and Company
Two 40-yard bars, Crown Royal Tchoupitoulas Bar and Bud Light Pontchartrain Bar, provide fans with a panoramic view of the field as they sip domestic and craft beer and specialty cocktails.
Another upgrade is the addition of two club lounges on the 200 level for suite holders — the Caesars Legends Club on the east sideline and the Champion Club on the west sideline. Both boast a sleek, modern bar and expansive concession space.
Romig has a tradition of munching on chicken fingers before every game, but those looking for regional specialties can bite into a Cajun meat pie from 504 Eats or a fried shrimp po’boy sandwich from Dressed or Not New Orleans PoBoys.
Romig, a lifelong New Orleanian, was in high school when the Louisiana Superdome, as it was originally called, was built in the 1970s. He remembers the local news televising the last steel girder being placed in 1975, signaling the completion of the largest fixed-dome structure in the world.
Romig’s father Jerry was the Saints announcer from 1969 to 2013 — a 44-year run. When the Saints came marching into the new architectural marvel, Romig and his family followed. He has fond memories of being in the booth with his siblings as his dad called Saints games, and he’s proud to continue his father’s legacy.
Even non-sports fans developed a deep, abiding love for the Superdome.
Credit: New Orleans and Company
Credit: New Orleans and Company
It was built not only as a sports venue, but as a civic center. It’s where Pope John Paul II addressed thousands of devout Catholics, where Liza Minnelli belted out, “New York, New York” and where the first annual Essence Music Festival was held.
The Superdome has been a part of the fabric of the city for decades, but that fabric started to fray with time. By the turn of the 21st century, the 1970s relic started to feel as irrelevant as disco and bell bottoms.
With the 2005 arrival of Hurricane Katrina, one of the deadliest storms in U.S. history, the Superdome was pummeled. It served as a shelter of last resort for some of New Orleans’ most vulnerable citizens, but the media images of the water-damaged venue with a gaping hole in the roof was a black eye for the city. Some thought it may have hosted its last event.
Like the ruins of the Colosseum, the battered dome almost felt like a symbol of a lost civilization.
But Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco wasn’t having it. Miraculously, the Superdome was repaired and reopened one year later — a beacon of hope.
Thanks to the most recent renovation that began in 2020, the dome continues to be a beloved sports venue and an economic generator capable of hosting major events like the Super Bowl.
But the Superdome isn’t the only landmark to get a makeover ahead of the big game, nor is it the only one with a new “Caesars” sign out front.
Caesars New Orleans Hotel and Casino, formerly Harrah’s New Orleans casino, has undergone a $430 million renovation completed in October following a five-year construction project. The addition of a second hotel tower has added 340 rooms, for a total of 790.
Credit: Ryan Fleisher
Credit: Ryan Fleisher
The Nobu Hotel, sort of a hotel within the hotel, offers 54 rooms on two floors in the new tower. The hospitality brand that started at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas in 2013 is known for understated Japanese elegance — an antidote to the garish luxury so prolific in casino hotels. Naturally there’s a Nobu restaurant on site, serving James Beard Award-winning chef Nobu Matsuhisa’s black cod in miso, rock shrimp tempura and other Japanese delicacies.
Those without coveted Super Bowl tickets can still be part of the action at Caesars Sportsbook, a 5,700-square-foot gambling venue where fans can bet on their favorite team and catch the game on jumbo TVs.
Guests who are ticket holders can walk the mile to the Superdome. The hotel is also within walking distance of the French Quarter, the famous historic district that is one of the city’s top attractions.
Speaking of the Quarter, head down there on Feb. 8 for the first Super Bowl Host Committee Parade. It’s Carnival season, and this parade combines a little pre-Mardi Gras magic with the excitement of the biggest game of the year. Think of it as “Super Gras.” Parade goers will catch NFL-themed beads and throws from Super Bowl floats.
As for Mark Romig, he will be there announcing the parade.
The NFL has its own Super Bowl announcer, but Romig plans to be in the stands cheering on his team and celebrating the rehabilitation of the stadium that has been part of Romig family life for nearly 50 years.
“Any time I’m at the Superdome, it’s like coming home,” Romig said.
IF YOU GO
Super Bowl LIX. Feb. 9. Kendrick Lamar performs halftime show. Sold out; resale tickets $7,000 and up. Caesars Superdome, 1500 Sugar Bowl Drive, New Orleans. 800-756-7074, caesarssuperdome.com, www.nfl.com/super-bowl.
Super Bowl Activities
Super Bowl Experience. Family-friendly NFL festival where fans meet current players and retired legends. Feb. 5-8. $20 and up. Kids 12 and under free. Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, 900 Convention Center Blvd., New Orleans. www.nfl.com
Super Bowl Host Committee Parade. Free. Feb. 8. 10 a.m.-noon. Kicks off at the corner of Esplanade Avenue and Decatur Street.
Taste of the NFL. A culinary extravaganza and philanthropic event featuring top chefs. 4-7 p.m. Feb. 8. $750. National WWII Museum. 945 Magazine St., New Orleans. www.tasteofthenfl.com
Stay
Caesars New Orleans Hotel & Casino. Newly renovated hotel near the Superdome. $350-$549 per night. $3,995 per night during Super Bowl. 8 Canal St., New Orleans. 800-427-7247, caesars.com
Eat
Nobu. Contemporary Japanese restaurant at Caesars New Orleans Hotel & Casino. Entrées $24-$150. 8 Canal St., New Orleans. 504-533-6646, caesars.com
