Super Bowl Then vs. Now
On Feb. 4, 2018, the Bold North played host to the big game for the first time since 1992, welcoming the world to our doorstep.
More than one million people came out to attend the ten-day Bold North festival ahead of the game. Visitors from 130 countries experienced a city transformed since we last hosted the Super Bowl in 1992. Learn more about our 52 weeks of celebration that lead up to the game and get a glimpse at how Minneapolis has reinvented itself since the 1992 Super Bowl:
A City Transformed
Since Minneapolis last hosted the Super Bowl in 1992, the city has undergone a wave of change that’s brought major new facilities, dramatic new parks, a boom in hotels and nationally-known restaurants, and a METRO rail transit system that ties it all together for visitors.
The Minneapolis Big Build pushed that transformation even farther, remaking the center of our city. It was all on display in time for the Super Bowl crowds in February, 2018. Major projects included:
![Nicollet mall](https://minneapolis-2021.imgix.net/images/imported-page-images/nicollet_mall.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=320&s=017f6e84a564f36117f97ddb95cc7eb7 320w, https://minneapolis-2021.imgix.net/images/imported-page-images/nicollet_mall.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=540&s=012c5a7c6e02f258d4a34b38e6ecccb3 525w)
![The commons](https://minneapolis-2021.imgix.net/images/imported-page-images/the_commons.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=320&s=bf06a70192cd47c36ca87ebbdf09ff31 320w, https://minneapolis-2021.imgix.net/images/imported-page-images/the_commons.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=540&s=28d6c776c0647d040321f65434e885c4 526w)
![Us bank stadium1](https://minneapolis-2021.imgix.net/images/imported-page-images/us_bank_stadium1.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=320&s=d3eea4ee2674a49a2c44ac3bab2da23c 320w, https://minneapolis-2021.imgix.net/images/imported-page-images/us_bank_stadium1.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=540&s=f6774642c0db7f29662972c5a2978edf 540w, https://minneapolis-2021.imgix.net/images/imported-page-images/us_bank_stadium1.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=768&s=f6de86b3631e07cd1b3e95eace7161d2 768w, https://minneapolis-2021.imgix.net/images/imported-page-images/us_bank_stadium1.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1024&s=960c2f4c3dcac9e184def75da4284c2d 1024w, https://minneapolis-2021.imgix.net/images/imported-page-images/us_bank_stadium1.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1200&s=30bec7b9e11e250f35fded505baef192 1200w, https://minneapolis-2021.imgix.net/images/imported-page-images/us_bank_stadium1.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1440&s=ac4fd257c6424ea6a4dfbbcdfbfab3c0 1440w, https://minneapolis-2021.imgix.net/images/imported-page-images/us_bank_stadium1.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1920&s=9eb1a924cf9851ad8729c6136b6b18e4 1920w, https://minneapolis-2021.imgix.net/images/imported-page-images/us_bank_stadium1.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=2560&s=4b4c8e73e7d9003d251828cd85ba9eec 2560w, https://minneapolis-2021.imgix.net/images/imported-page-images/us_bank_stadium1.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=3840&s=91b0a841b42903def554acd74b9d2411 2800w)
![Walk the Line - Walker Art Center to The River](https://minneapolis-2021.imgix.net/images/Slideshow-Images-1920-1080/things-to-do/Walker-Sculpture-Garden-%C2%A9Krivit-Photo_02.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=320&s=ba91cc07aa18ddc5a10ceaf52d379f12 320w, https://minneapolis-2021.imgix.net/images/Slideshow-Images-1920-1080/things-to-do/Walker-Sculpture-Garden-%C2%A9Krivit-Photo_02.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=540&s=911b8442cbcbaecee27ad4da09078efc 540w, https://minneapolis-2021.imgix.net/images/Slideshow-Images-1920-1080/things-to-do/Walker-Sculpture-Garden-%C2%A9Krivit-Photo_02.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=768&s=7eceb386aaee7a0c8d919ce5fd1da015 768w, https://minneapolis-2021.imgix.net/images/Slideshow-Images-1920-1080/things-to-do/Walker-Sculpture-Garden-%C2%A9Krivit-Photo_02.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1024&s=9837df365a2c7845f016f9aa793b693f 1024w, https://minneapolis-2021.imgix.net/images/Slideshow-Images-1920-1080/things-to-do/Walker-Sculpture-Garden-%C2%A9Krivit-Photo_02.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1200&s=ad58ae07f8528a9515bde59f4281da59 1200w, https://minneapolis-2021.imgix.net/images/Slideshow-Images-1920-1080/things-to-do/Walker-Sculpture-Garden-%C2%A9Krivit-Photo_02.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1440&s=3000ab545b04407e700b3fa55702b876 1440w, https://minneapolis-2021.imgix.net/images/Slideshow-Images-1920-1080/things-to-do/Walker-Sculpture-Garden-%C2%A9Krivit-Photo_02.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1920&s=87bf460c12bb05ec75116cca7c919c29 1920w)
Then and Now
The Super Bowl has changed dramatically since Minneapolis hosted Super Bowl XXVI in 1992. Today, it’s much more than the big game, featuring a ten-day festival and other activities for residents and visitors to celebrate. Check out some of the big differences between then and now:
1992 Super Bowl - XXVI
Minneapolis Population
364,459
Metro Area Population
2,500,000
Super Bowl economic impact on the region
$120 million
Hotel Rooms in Minneapolis
4,460 downtown hotel rooms
Cost of a 30-second Super Bowl commercial
$850,000
Stadium size
Metrodome: 900,000 square feet
Stadium seating capacity
Metrodome: 64,121 for football
2018 Super Bowl - LII
Minneapolis Population
410,939
Metro Area Population
3,524,583
Super Bowl economic impact on the region
More than $400 million, per the Minnesota Super Bowl Host Committee
Hotel Rooms in Minneapolis
8,612 downtown hotel rooms
Cost of a 30-second Super Bowl commercial
$5 million
Stadium size
U.S. Bank Stadium: 1,750,000 square feet
Stadium seating capacity
U.S. Bank Stadium: 66,200 for football (expandable 70,000)
Fun facts that show just how big the Super Bowl is today:
- More than 1 million people will attend the ten-day Bold North festival
- People from 130 countries will travel here
- $500 million in earned media for Minneapolis
- 150 broadcast outlets will attend from all over the world
- 5,000 media will be in town
- 10,000 volunteers will keep things running smoothly