Swifties and ‘celebration hair’: Chiefs fans pack Power & Light Super Bowl watch party

Before Super Bowl LVIII kicks off Sunday, a watch party in the Kansas City Power & Light District welcomed fans to cheer on the Chiefs as they go up against the San Francisco 49ers.

The KC Live! Block hosted a daylong celebration at the Red Kingdom Block Party starting at 11 a.m. It featured giveaways, photo opportunities and two stages with LED screens to watch the game. At 2 p.m., dance music duo Loud Luxury was scheduled to perform.

Kickoff at the Super Bowl in Las Vegas is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.

The block party is open to anyone ages 18 and up. Tickets can be purchased at powerandlightdistrict.com/events. General admission tickets cost $40.

‘I love chaos!’

Paula Spielmann, 70, drove from South Dakota to visit her daughter in Kansas City and joined the crowd in the watch party at Power & Light.

Sporting a yellow quilted Chiefs jacket, the self-proclaimed senior Swiftie danced on the steps and said she was excited about being with family and “enjoying the hype” with everyone else.

“I love chaos!,” she said.

‘Swiftie’

Sean Clark, 58, recently moved to Kansas City from Tulsa, where he had been a Chiefs fan for more than 25 years.

Clark said he watches every game, preseason scrimmage and spring training. Being in Kansas City to watch the Super Bowl has made his experience as a fan even more rewarding, Clark said.

“I wouldn’t miss it,” Clark said.

Clark’s friend Brett Corvell, 53, joins Clark to watch the games but he’s also hoping to see Taylor Swift.

As part of his Chiefs fan gear, Corvell wore a red fedora that read “SWIFTIE” across the back.

If the Chiefs win Sunday, he said, he’ll be watching the victory parade with a Swift poster and scouring the crowd to see if she’s there.

“What she’s brought to the football world is awesome,” Corvell said.

‘Celebration hair’

Lifelong Chiefs fan Sabrina Gerdes, 23, wore a football shaped hat, Chiefs pajama pants and shoes customized with the numbers 87, 15 and 13 to support Travis Kelce, Patrick Mahomes and Nazeeh Johnson.

She wore her Chiefs gear throughout the week at Warrensburg Christian School, where she’s a teacher. And she dyed her hair red and yellow a week ago to prepare for the game, she said. It will stay like that for around three months.

“We’re gonna win today,” Gerdes said. “So it’s gonna be celebration hair.”

Gerdes, who lives in Independence, goes to at least one game at Arrowhead Stadium each year and watches the others with friends. Supporting the team, she said, is one way she can remember her late father.

Chiefs watch parties at Power & Light

Fans are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance, as the Power & Light District expects the event to sell out. Guests will enter the block party at the Fresh Karma entrance on Walnut Street.

Answering your Super Bowl questions

Have more questions about Chiefs vs. 49ers and fan celebrations around KC? Send them to kcq@kcstar.com.

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Last year, more than 10,000 fans attended the block party in Kansas City’s Power & Light District to watch and celebrate Kansas City’s victory over the Philadelphia Eagles.

The venue hosts watch parties for every Chiefs game and other sporting events throughout the year.