Arizona Super Bowl: 1st ever watch party and festivals around metro Phoenix among upcoming events

A festival at Tempe Beach Park, a gospel music celebration at the Mesa Arts Center, a "Game On" block party in Goodyear, two fan experience events in downtown Phoenix and the first-ever official Super Bowl watch party are part of the lineup when the 2023 Super Bowl rolls into town.

The Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee revealed the first lineup for Super Bowl festivities on Monday, featuring activities around the Valley leading up to the game at State Farm Stadium in Glendale on Feb. 12.

Lineup of Super Bowl events in metro Phoeni

“This is a true testament to collaboration and big thinking,” Jay Parry, president and CEO of the Super Bowl Host Committee, said of the lineup. “All of Arizona helped build a solid foundation.”

Events include:

• A “5K-9” fun run — open to people and dogs — hosted by PetSmart at Mesa's Riverview Park on Jan. 7.

• An Old Town Scottsdale Main Street Tailgate on Feb. 8. ESPN selected Scottsdale as its filming location for Super Bowl coverage.

• Fox Sports will be filming in Glendale for the week leading up to Super Bowl.

• CBS and CNN will be filming in downtown Phoenix for their Super Bowl coverage.

• A Super Bowl Experience at Margaret T. Hance Park will have free concerts and events. The concert lineup has not been announced, but committee members said the national acts will span a variety of genres.

• In conjunction with the free Super Bowl Experience at Margaret T. Hance Park, a ticketed Super Bowl Experience will take place at Phoenix Convention Center with activities for fans, interactive games and autograph opportunities. Tickets go on sale Dec. 17.

• A FanDuel party will take place at Tempe Beach Park with a festival-like atmosphere. The ticketed event will be open to the public and is in the permitting process now, said Michael Martin, Tempe Tourism Office's president and CEO.

• After a two-year hiatus during the pandemic, the Super Bowl Opening Night is back and will be hosted at Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix on Feb. 6. Players from the participating teams will be in attendance and the event is a media night with fan activities. Tickets will be $20 and go on sale Dec. 17.

• Also at Footprint Center, the Bud Light Super Bowl Music Festival will take place over three nights and will feature artists from different genres.

• The NFL Awards Show will be hosted at Symphony Hall in downtown Phoenix on Feb. 9. The season’s MVP, Rookie of the Year and other awards will be presented that night.

• A “Game on Goodyear” block party will be Feb. 11 at Goodyear Civic Square.

• The Taste of the NFL culinary event will be at Chateaux Luxe in north Phoenix on Feb. 11.

• The Super Bowl Gospel Celebration will be at the Mesa Arts Center on Feb. 8.

• Margaret T. Hance Park also will host the first-ever official watch party on game day, which will be free and have capacity for “tens of thousands” of fans.

Parry said the committee is on track for fundraising for the Super Bowl but said there is still room for more sponsorships and the committee is working to add more corporate partners.

The committee worked to spread events around the Valley and schedule events that worked well for the venues available, she said.

“I think we are unique in that we have a really strong business and municipality community that really sees the benefit of the Super Bowl,” she said.

Peter O’Reilly, executive vice president of the NFL, said league employees are in Phoenix for the second-to-last planning trip before the game. He said the events showed how regional the Super Bowl has become and gives residents throughout the Valley an opportunity to attend game-related events.

Reach the reporter at cvanek@arizonarepublic.com. Follow her on Twitter @CorinaVanek. 

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Super Bowl: First-ever watch party, festivals among metro Phoenix events