Even if you don’t have a ticket for the big game, the Bold North will welcome you to St. Paul.
St. Paul may not host a humongous ice castle this winter — as many originally hoped — but plans for a giant snow slide at CHS Field are still solid. Plus, the St. Paul Winter Carnival will be extended a week for a total of 17 days of fun.
And, the Pioneer Press Treasure Hunt will offer a chance for intrepid medallion hunters to get acquainted with many areas of the city. The first clue will come out Sunday, Jan. 21.
In fact, the number of St. Paul-based festivities surrounding Super Bowl 52 in February keeps growing.
On Thursday, St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman joined officials from Visit St. Paul, the city’s tourism partner, to unveil a list of Super Bowl- and Winter Carnival-related events intended to delight the locals and out-of-towners coming to the game.
“No one celebrates winter better than we do,” Coleman said.
When two National Football League teams face off at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Feb. 4, an estimated 1 million visitors will flock to the Twin Cities to network, to help set up, attend related events or just be near the action.
The St. Paul-based activities include a Feb. 3 concert by the Dave Matthews Band at the Xcel Energy Center titled “The Night Before” and a “Taste of the NFL” evening at the RiverCentre to raise hunger awareness.
The events kick off on the evening of Jan. 29 with “Super Bowl Opening Night” media interviews with players at the Xcel, which is already sold out.
Coleman and Visit St. Paul unveiled a list of activities at the Securian Club Room at CHS Field, which will be the starting point of a 40-foot giant snow slide onto the ball field.
An area adjacent to the ball field will host the “Bold North Winter Night Market” Feb. 2 and 3.
Visit St. Paul maintains a calendar of Super Bowl-related events online.
UNKNOWN SPILLOVER
With the Super Bowl in Minneapolis, it’s uncertain how many visitors will cross the river to partake in St. Paul activities, but organizers are optimistic.
“I don’t know how you would guesstimate that,” said Adam Johnson, vice president of marketing and media relations for Visit St. Paul, in an interview near the area where the CHS slide is already beginning to take shape. “Thousands is what you hope for when you invest in this infrastructure. It’ll be extra unique for visitors who aren’t from a cold climate — ‘I went down a 40-foot snow slide!’ It’s kind of a bucket-list kind of thing.”