Super Bowl LII is inspiring extra events during the 2018 St. Paul Winter Carnival — from the Ice Palace in Rice Park to the giant slide at CHS Field in Lowertown.
And the Big Game is bringing loads of concerts, events, celebs and even a zipline across the Mississippi River to Minneapolis.
The Art Shanty Project is setting up on Lake Harriet, and the Great Northern Festival includes the City of Lakes Loppet events on Lake of the Isles and the U.S. Pond Hockey tournament on Lake Nokomis. And if you’re looking for Super Bowl players and media in town for the football championship, head to the Mall of America, headquarters for the participants and their observers.
Here’s a look at some of the Super Bowl festivities and other winter celebrations taking place across the river. The two major locations for public events connected to Super Bowl LII are Nicollet Mall for Super Bowl Live and the Minneapolis Convention Center for the Super Bowl Experience.
SUPER BOWL LIVE
Six blocks of Nicollet Mall will have concerts and attractions starting Jan. 26 and continuing through Super Bowl Sunday. The bridge from the American Birkebeiner cross-country ski race in Hayward, Wis., has been moved to Minneapolis and spans Ninth Street. It will be covered with snow and feature demonstrations of cross-country skiing, fat-tire biking, skijoring (cross-country skiing with a dog) and more.
There are giant snow globes for photo ops and huge ice sculptures during the 10-day festival, along with food trucks. On Feb. 3, Polaris will feature snowmobile stunts on the mall. (mnsuperbowl.com)
SUPER BOWL EXPERIENCE
Check out some virtual reality NFL, get autographs from players, pose with the Vince Lombardi trophy, shop and more at this interactive fan experience taking over the Minneapolis Convention Center from Jan. 27 to Feb. 3. Tickets are $35 for adults, $25 for kids 12 and younger. Express tickets are $55 for adults and children. (mnsuperbowl.com)
BOLD NORTH ZIP LINE
Though all of the 10,000 tickets to ride are sold out, the 800-foot zip line across the Mississippi should be quite the spectacle. The line will run from Jan. 26 through Game Day along the historic Grain Belt bridge (Hennepin Avenue).(boldnorthzipline.com)
U.S. POND HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIPS
Some call this hockey the way nature intended: outdoors and on a frozen lake. Locals and players from around the world will bring their sticks and pucks to Lake Nokomis on Jan. 26-28. It’s billed as the premier outoor hocky tourney in the nation. Tickets are free, and food and beverages will be available. (uspondhockey.com)
LUMINARY LOPPET
The City of Lakes Loppet from Jan. 27 to Feb. 4 is a series of races for cross-country skiers, fat-tire bicyclists and speed skaters. The big public event is the Luminary Loppet (Feb. 3) that puts 1,200 candle-lit ice luminaria on Lake of the Isles. Visitors ski or walk around the twinkling spectacle, which also features an ice pyramid, fire dancers and an enchanted forest. (loppet.org/cityoflakesloppet)
ART SHANTY PROJECTS
Fish houses become mini-art galleries and art experiences at the annual Art Shanty Projects, which opened this week on Lake Harriet and continues through Feb. 11. Past artist-designed shanties have included a life-size music box and an imaginative elevator. This year, there’s a shanty that takes visitors into the belly of a whale, a half-submerged plaid shanty and a kinetic piece with four giant wings. There’s storytelling, relaxation spaces, creative experiences, beautiful spaces that make you say “aww” and wacky ideas that make you say “huh?” The on-ice festival will feature a parade on ice, tours and even an opera. The art shanty village will be on the shoreline if the ice isn’t thick enough. (artshantyprojects.org)
Also on Lake Harriet on Jan. 27, the Lake Harriet Kite Festival from noon to 4 p.m. will bring out kites of all shapes, sizes, colors and themes, plus ice fishing, horse-drawn wagon rides, snowshoeing, fat-bike riding, Wild Rumpus storytime and a marshmallow roast. (minneapolisparks.org)
Copyright 2018 Pioneer Press.
