2012 Super Bowl: 10 Things to Know About Indianapolis and the Super Bowl Village

If you’re coming to Indianapolis this is a list of things to know before you come. And if you live here it's an updated list of things going on around the city.

Most people think Indianapolis is a small, cold, and dreary city. For the most part, you’re usually right, but the Super Bowl is one of the biggest events, if not the biggest event to come to the city.

Indianapolis has hosted 95 Indianapolis 500 races in which is the most comparable event to the Super Bowl. The track also has hosted 18 Brickyard 400’s for the NASCAR side in late summer.

Every year, over 350,000 people cram into Speedway, Indiana, a tiny suburb of Indianapolis on the west side, for the annual races in May and at the end of July. The way the events are built up each year proves that the city is ready for the crowds.

To go along with the big races, the city also has hosted men’s and women’s Final Fours, men’s and women’s Big 10 tournaments, and countless conventions.

Nothing of this magnitude has hit the city yet, and the Super Bowl committee has done a great job organizing things to do over the next two weeks with the events starting as early as this Friday.

This is a slideshow of 10 things you should know about Indianapolis.

Climate

Usually, early February is a cold, dark, and dreary month in Indianapolis. The last few years we’ve actually had ice storms hit the capital city, and that has caused havoc.

This year though, we’ve had unseasonably warm weather so far. Usually temps are in the 20-30 degree range this time of year, and in some years it’s been below zero. So far this winter, we’ve had temps in the 50’s and 60’s and, outside of a mini ice storm we got last Friday, the weather has been pleasant. Temps this weekend will be in the upper 40s and low 50s, so it will be enjoyable to be outside.

If there is a big snow/ice storm, the city will be well prepared so don't fret. There will be plows and salt trucks from all the major surrounding cities (Chicago, Cincinnati, and Cleveland) to help clear off roads to make sure people are safe.

Let’s hope the weather is like what it has been, and it won’t be a factor like it was last year in Dallas.

Small Downtown Area

If you do venture downtown to enjoy the Super Bowl festivities, you must expect large crowds and difficulty getting in places.

Indianapolis is different than most Super Bowl cities in that everything is so centralized downtown. Most stadiums are on the outskirts of downtown, or not even downtown at all. Lucas Oil Stadium is right in the heart of all the festivities, and an easy 10-15 minute walk from just about anywhere around the Super Bowl village.

There was a large problem during the Big 10 football Championship Game in December of overcrowding happening in bars/restaurants with them being at over capacity. I don’t expect that to change.

Many restaurants/bars can’t expand in that short amount of time, and there’s just going to be tons of people downtown. Many restaurants are charging $300 to put your name in for reservations due to the high demand for seats. If you don’t show you will be charged that $300. If you do end up showing up, you get that money back.

Expect long lines outside of bars to get in, and it could take a while.

The committee set up host cities for the surrounding towns/suburbs of Indianapolis, and I would recommend checking them out. Greenwood, Castleton, Carmel, and Plainfield just to name a few that will have deals and stuff going on the next few weeks, and it won’t be as crowded to enjoy a nice dinner and drink somewhere. They have the same restaurants as any other city, and it’s extremely easy to get there.

Indianapolis is set up in a big circle with downtown being just a big square. There’s going to be so many signs up pointing you in the right direction that it will be a easy if you don’t let the traffic bother you.

Parking

To go along with the previous slide about the city being small, parking is going to be a nightmare. The roads with a 3-block perimeter surrounding Lucas Oil Stadium will be closed, so that will force everyone to the east side of downtown.

I’ve heard of parking spaces costing at least $99 to park with some as high as $350-$400.

Indianapolis’ public transportation is usually horrendous. There have been multiple times I’ve called for cabs and they never showed up. It’s also not like most cities where you can flag a cab down and hop in. Usually, you have to call to get a cab.

Because of the Super Bowl I do expect it to be different and maybe a bit easier to actually get a cab to show up. I do recommend calling at least a couple of hours ahead of time just to make sure you secure one.

I honestly recommend using one of the free shuttles that the city is offering. They will pick you up and drop you back off for free without having the hassle of the traffic and paying outrageous amounts just to park.

Super Bowl Village

The Super Bowl Village will be the main part of Super Bowl 46 in Indianapolis. It will be the spot with the most action, including concerts, food, drinks, and even a zip line.

The zip line will be similar to the one used in Vancouver for the Winter Olympics a few years ago and will be an 800 foot line that goes across Capitol Avenue towards Lucas Oil Stadium. Many people are saying this could be the most popular thing to do in the city. It will only cost guests $10.

Also in the Super Bowl Village will be "Fire and Ice" Lounges where you can get food and drinks. Another place to get food and drinks will be Papa John's stands, and Food Network booths.

There will also be a tailgate area within the Village, and also a big dome blown up for XBox Kinects. It will be called the Kinect NFL Play 60 in the dome.

The concerts will be more talked about more in the next slide, but the Village will feature two stages for free concerts running from Friday of this week until next weekend.

Concerts

The city will have a ton of concerts going on everyday starting this Friday leading up to the Super Bowl. Most of them will be free with the main street through the Super Bowl Village (Georgia Street) having two free stages set up for some big name acts.

Big acts like Bret Michaels, Patti LaBelle, Dierks Bentley, Fuel, Darius Rucker, Edwin McCain, LMFAO, and En Vogue will take to the free stage to go along with local acts, and smaller bands.

Another free concert will be the VH1 Pepsi Super Bowl Fan Jam at the Pepsi Coliseum in the Indiana State Fairgounds. Gym Class Heroes, BoB, All-American Rejects, Adam Levine, and Neon Hitch will all be featured in the free concert on the Thursday before the Super Bowl.

On the same night in Bakers Life Fieldhouse, Mike Epps, Snoop Dogg, and Wiz Khalifa will perform a concert for fans. This event isn’t free, but tickets can be bought for it through ticketmaster or the Fieldhouse box office.

If you’re into music, then there’s going to be plenty of it going on around the city.

Big Parties/Events

Usually with a big event, you get big parties or events. This year for the Super Bowl in Indianapolis will be no different.

The big parties/events start this weekend with a new night club opening in the old Nordstrom’s in the downtown mall. It will be half vendor related stuff during the day and at 10 P.M. turn into a bar.

There’s also a few events besides the concert at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

The Road & Worship Roadshow will be at Bankers Life on Saturday, and Match for a Cure with some big named tennis players on Sunday.

Another big event coming to the city will be the taping of Jimmy Fallon’s late night show. Tapings are at 4 P.M. at Hilbert Circle Theater from Wednesday-Friday.

As far as parties go, many of them are pricey, but worth it if you can afford the admission.

Colts center Jeff Saturday will host a Celebrate the City party in the One America Tower downtown on Wednesday February 1^st.

On Thursday February 2^nd, Colts punter Pat McAfee will host a Laces Out Party at Vogue in Broad Ripple which is just north of downtown. Sasha Grey will dj the event.

Also on Thursday will be the EA Sports Madden Bowl, Tazon Latino VI Celebrity Flag Football game in the Convention Center, and former NFLers Jim McMahan and Ron Jaworski will be hosting parties downtown.

On Friday, ESPN will be hosting an invite only event with Drake as the musical entertainment, and the magazine Playboy will be hosting a party downtown as well.

The day prior to the Super Bowl’s biggest party will be the Direct TV Beach Bash at Victory Field. Victory Field is just north from Lucas Oil Stadium, and this party will feature some A-list celebrities.

NFL Experience

Another week long event leading up to the Super Bowl is the NFL experience. The NFL experience will feature plenty of exhibits and interactive things to do.

It will be a virtual theme park inside the Convention Center, which is right down the road from Lucas Oil Stadium, and right in the heart of all the Super Bowl festivities.

Guests will be able to get autographs and meet current and former NFL player's and take part in clinics.

Prices are $25 dollars for adults, $20 for kids 3-12, and free for anyone under two.

Stadium Tours

If you don’t have tickets to the big game or just want to see Lucas Oil Stadium early, you can take part in the stadium tours beginning this week.

The dates for the tours run from January 23^rd-February 2^nd, then again from February 6^th-7^th.

The tour takes you on the actual playing field, to both teams locker rooms, and to the media center.

Tickets are $30 dollars and the hours are 8-8 on the dates above.

Indianapolis Motor Speedway

If you’re here for an extended weekend, I recommend taking a trip out to Speedway, Indiana which is about only 15 minutes from downtown, and visiting this historic landmark.

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway has been here since 1909 with the exact same layout. Due to the history, it’s a must see.

Everyone is amazed on how big the track actually is. It doesn’t look as big on TV as it does in person. You can fit Vatican City, the Rose Bowl Stadium, and Yankee Stadium all in the infield of just turn three.

It will be open everyday while visitors are here, and you can drive right into the track by the museum. It’s definitely a must see.

Hostile Environments

It’s going to be a bit of a hostile atmosphere at times downtown. I know people from New York and Boston already don’t get along, but add Indianapolis citizens that are angry Patriots fans are coming to town, and you have trouble.

I’m not saying that it’s going to be uncontrollable, but add a bunch of alcohol to a few bad eggs, and you have bad scenarios, especially when a fan base is severely outnumbered.

I don’t expect huge problems, but I have seen a lot on social media sites that Indianapolis people are going downtown just to mess with Patriots fans. Usually, this isn’t a problem in Super Bowl cities with most of the time the cities being neutral, but there’s little that Hoosiers hate more than New England,Tom Brady, and Bill Belichick.

I think the city will overall be fun, but be very cautious of dangerous situations that can arise as the nights go on.

Event Schedule

Here's the event schedule for the Super Bowl broken down by each day.

Friday January 27th

3:30-11 P.M. Concerts Super Bowl Village- Headliner Bret Michaels

10 P.M.- 3AM Huddle House- Night Club in Circle Center

Saturday January 28th

12:30-11PM Concerts Super Bowl Village- Headliner Patti LaBelle

6:00PM Road & Worship Roadshow- Bankers Life Fieldhouse

10PM-3AM Huddle House

Sunday January 29th

1:30-11PM Concerts in Super Bowl Village- Headliner Dierks Bentley

7PM Match For a Cure- Bankers Life Fieldhouse

7PM-1AM Huddle House

Monday January 30th

3:30-9PM Concerts in Super Bowl Village- Local Bands

Tuesday January 31st

NFL Media Day

3:30-9PM Concerts in Super Bowl Village- Headliner Fuel

Wednesday February 1st

3:30-11PM Concerts in Super Bowl Village- Local Bands

4PM Taping of Late Nite with Jimmy Fallon- Hilbert Circle Theater

4PM Fan Jam - NFL Experience

8PM Celebrate the City Party hosted by Jeff Saturday- One America Building

Thursday February 2nd

11:30-1PM Concerts in Super Bowl Village- Headliners Darius Rucker and Edwin McCain

1PM Tazon Latino VI Celebrity Flag Football Game- NFL Experience

4PM Taping of Late Nite with Jimmy Fallon- Hilbert Circle Theater

7PM Vh1 Pepsi Super Bowl Fan Jam- Pepsi Coliseum (Gym Class Heroes, All-American Rejects, Adam Levine, Neon Hatch)

7PM Jaws Cigar Party hosted by Ron Jaworski- Nicky Blanes

7PM Jim McMahon's Swang n Super Bowl Bash hosted by Jim McMahon- Rathskeller

8PM Laces Out Party hosted by Pat McAfee- Vogue Nightclub

8PM Mike Epps Party- Bankers Life Fieldhouse (Mike Epps, Snoop Dogg, and Wiz Khalifa)

EA Sports Madden Bowl XVII- Bud Light Hotel

Friday February 3rd

ESPN's Next Party- Invite Only

11:30-11PM Concerts in Super Bowl Village- Headliner LMFAO

Playboy Party- Bud Light Hotel

4PM Late Night with Jimmy Kimmel Taping- Hilbert Circle Theater

GQ Magazine Party

Leather and Laces Party featuring JWOWW, Carmen Electra, and Jenny McCarthy- Regions Bank Tower

Aces and Angels Party featuring Leeann Tweeden and Brande Roderick- Ice Lounge

Coors Light Silver Bullet Lodge Party featuring Ice Cube, Travie McCoy- Vogue Nightclub

10PM-3AM Huddle House

7:30PM Celebrity Poker Tournament featuring LeSean McCoy and Devin Hester- Indianapolis Zoo

Saturday February 4th

DirectTV Beach Bash and Night Party featuring Mark Cuban, Peyton Manning, Katy Perry, and other A-Listers- Victory Field

8:30PM Rolling Stone Party- LMFAO, Lupe Fiasco, Gym Class Heroes, Cobra Starship

9PM NFL Awards Show- Murat Theatre

11:30-11PM Concerts in Super Bowl Village- Headliner OAR

6PM CMT Crossroads Fan Jam featuring AeroSmith and Carrie Underwood- Pepsi Coliseum

Bud Light Concert- 50 cent, Pitbull, Lil Jon- Bud Light Hotel

9PM Shaquille O'Neal Comedy Jam- Clowes Hall

7PM Gridrion Celebrity Hoops featuring Terrell Owens- Hinkle Fieldhouse

9PM Leather and Laces Party featuring the original Girls Next Door- Regions Bank Tower

10PM-3AM Huddle House