NASHVILLE – On Tuesday, the NFL awarded Nashville with Super Bowl LXIV.
On Wednesday, the city and its leaders, the Titans, and football fans in Music City ramped up the celebration.
A press conference was held at Nissan Stadium this morning, and a Super Bowl Community Celebration is scheduled for tonight on Lower Broadway, which will include live music, a drone show, fireworks, and appearances from special guests.
"What a glorious day this is for our state, and all Nashvillians," said CBS broadcaster Jim Nantz, a Nashville resident who emceed this morning's event. "It's an important day in the history of our great city. It's almost impossible to quantify just how big this moment is.
"I know, and I have a little hometown bias on this, we're going to do it better than anyone, of all time."
NFL owners approved Nashville as the host for Super Bowl LXIV in 2030 during the NFL Spring League Meeting in Orlando.
Titans controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk was in Florida for Tuesday's big news, along with Kenneth Adams IV from the ownership group. Deana Ivey, President and CEO of the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp, and Burke Nihill, President and CEO of the Titans, were in Orlando as well.
All four were also at the hour-long ceremony this morning at Nissan Stadium, with the city's skyline in the background. There was important company on stage: Peter O'Reilly, Executive Vice President, Club Business, International & League Events for the NFL, was on hand, along with Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell, and former Tennessee governor and chairman of the board of Music City Major Events Inc. Bill Haslam.
Musician Eric Church sat in the front row.
"On behalf of the NFL, and Commissioner (Roger) Goodell, it is an honor to be here," said O'Reilly, who has raved about the 2019 NFL Draft in Nashville. "We could not be more excited. The NFL owners unanimously voted to bring Super Bowl 64 to the city of Nashville, Tennessee.
"When I look ahead, I do think Super Bowl 64 will be another game changer for Nashville, Tennessee. I also believe, in my heart, having worked with this team and so many of you, Super Bowl 64 in 2030 is going to be a game changer for the Super Bowl. Super Bowl 64 in 2030 is going to be a game changer for the NFL. … Let's make it epic."
The event will take place in February 2030 at new Nissan Stadium, which is scheduled to be completed in February 2027.
"It's been a long time coming," Governor Lee said. "We have magic in this city, and it has been happening for a long time. This is a culmination about what is great about Tennessee, what is great about Nashville.
"It wouldn't have happened without the NFL believing in us, first with the Titans, with the draft, and today. We will make you glad you believed in us. … (We want) to make the 2030 Super Bowl the best one anyone has ever seen."
Nihill reflected on the franchise's past, from Bud Adams founding the team, to the move to Nashville.
It's what made this day, and a 2030 Super Bowl, possible.
"There is no doubt that Nashville is going to reinvent the game for the Super Bowl," Nihill said. "And redefine what a great Super Bowl means, the same way we did as a community for the 2019 NFL Draft."
With a smile, O'Connell offered one thing that could make it really great for Titans fans.
"To coach (Robert) Saleh, GM Mike Borgonzi, Amy," O'Connell said of Titans brass, "we know we want our home team running out of the tunnel at the Super Bowl in 2030."
Just like they did in Orlando on Tuesday, Nihill and Ivey talked more on Wednesday about the ways Nashville can pull off a spectacular Super Bowl.
The city's walkability will be a part of it.
In the week leading up to the February 2030 game, there will be league events and festivities tied to the game all over Nashville.
The NFL Experience, Super Bowl Opening Night, NFL Honors, Radio Row and Media Center and the Media Party are expected to be held in the downtown area, along with parties leading up to the game.
Ivey said the city sent two or three recommendations for each event, and all of them are located downtown except for one venue, The Grand Ole Opry. The Music City Center, Bridgestone Arena, Schermerhorn Symphony Center, the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, the Ryman Auditorium, and Pinnacle Nashville are among those in consideration. All of the honky tonks on Broadway will be in play for parties, and events.
The Titans practice facility, and Vanderbilt University, could be in consideration to host the Super Bowl teams during the practice week. As for which hotels the two Super Bowl teams will stay in, the city has given the NFL four options, two for each team.
The NFL will send officials to Nashville on a regular basis in the coming months to gather additional information, and make decisions, on sites for some of the big events leading up to the game.
And, of course there will be music. And lots of it.
It will all be part of the celebration, which will continue until February 2030.
"We are celebrating this announcement to bring the largest event in the world, the Super Bowl, to Nashville. Can you believe it?" Ivey said with a smile, which drew an ovation. "And I can say with complete confidence, Nashville is ready. We have been preparing for this for years, and we are going to put on the best show. This is going to be an epic moment in Nashville, in Tennessee, and in the NFL's history. We can't wait to welcome the world to Nashville in 2030."
