Super Bowl 53 is upon us.
The game will be held on Sunday, Feb. 3 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. And while the teams for the game won't be decided until Sunday, plan now for a little disruption around town.
From road closures to parking, the game will cause a few inconveniences as hundreds of thousands of visitors descend on town.
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Here are a few things you should know:
Transportation
There’s just no getting around it: anyone traveling to the Super Bowl will need to take MARTA. The Atlanta Super Bowl host committee is urging people to take transit system to the game due to space, road closures and increased security in the area.
MARTA is selling its commemorative Super Bowl Breeze cards for $2 in addition to the cost of a fare or day pass. Riders can purchase a one-day pass for $9, a three-day pass for $16 and a four-day pass for $19. One-way fare is $2.50.
The transit system will also expand its bus and rail schedules during Super Bowl week: From Jan. 29 to 31, bus service will run from 5 a.m. to 1 a.m. and rail service will begin at 4 a.m. to 1 a.m. From Feb. 1 to 4, bus routes 15, 39, 83 and 196 will run continuously.
MARTA trains will run 24 hours from 4 a.m. Feb. 1 to 2 a.m. Feb. 5. The street car will also operate every 9 minutes on Feb. 3.
If you're not near a MARTA rail line, parking is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Free daily parking for customers who park for fewer than 24 hours is available at the following stations: Brookhaven/Oglethorpe, Chamblee, College Park, Doraville, Dunwoody, East Point, Lakewood/Fort McPherson, Lindbergh Center, Medical Center, North Springs, Sandy Springs and West End.
Long-term parking is available for customers who park longer than 24 hours at the Brookhaven, Dunwoody, Lenox and Sandy Springs stations for $5.
Customers can also pay $8 for every 24-hour period for long-term parking available for at the following train stations: College Park, Doraville, Lindberg and North Springs.
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Parking and Ride Shares
Riders taking a Lyft or an Uber will be dropped off in the yellow lot near the stadium. For post-game pickup, patrons will need to go to the downtown corridor or take MARTA to the Georgia State University train station.
If you insist on driving to the game, it’ll cost you. Patrons driving cars or SUVs will have to pay $100 for parking. Those traveling in a limousine, luxury or sprinter van must pay $200. Those driving in a mini bus or bus must pay $250 and $300, respectively.
Parking is only available to Super Bowl ticket-holders.
Drivers will have 11 designated parking lots: 4 (100 Ted Turner) 5 (101 Marietta), 7 (123 Marietta), 8 (130 Luckie), 9 (157 Luckie), 11 (248 Trinity), 17 (CNN Deck), 22 (Georgia Aquarium), 26 (Gulch Lot A), 34 (Ruby Deck) and 35 (Sapphire Deck).
There are no shuttles to or from any of the parking decks.
[ For more information on parking, check out the Super Bowl Transportation Center here. ]
Road Closures
Another reason why MARTA may be “smarta:” road closures — the first begins Monday.
The Georgia Department of Transportation will close a portion of Northside Drive and Martin Luther King Jr. Drive for two weeks and the day of the Super Bowl.
Martin Luther King Jr. Drive will be closed between Northside Drive and Centennial Olympic Park Drive beginning Monday, Jan. 21. The closure will last until Feb. 8.
One southbound lane on Northside Drive will be closed from Jan. 26 to Feb. 2 so contractors can build a security fence surrounding the perimeter of Mercedes-Benz Stadium in preparation for the game.
Northside Drive between Ivan Allen Jr. Blvd and Martin Luther King Jr. Drive will be closed from Feb. 2 to Feb. 4.
After game day, another southbound lane on Northside Drive will be closed until Feb. 7 while contractors breakdown and remove the security fence. Two more southbound lanes will also close each night during that time period.
In the meantime, GDOT had advised motorists to use Joseph E. Lowery Boulevard and Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway as detours.
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Tailgating
If you planned to do traditional tailgating at Mercedes-Benz Stadium’s typical spots, think again.
“You don’t quite have the same experience of fans driving up to the game and tailgating in the back of car like you would for a regular season game,” chief operating officer with Atlanta Super Bowl host committee Brett Daniels told the AJC.
Daniels said parking lots generally reserved for tailgating will be used by Super Bowl personnel.
That doesn’t mean there won’t be any tailgating-like experiences. The host committee has put on a bevy of week-long Super Bowl-related events for fans looking for fun. Fans will get a taste of tailgating events starting at 5:30 p.m. Jan. 26 with Super Bowl Opening Night at State Farm Arena. The media event allows fans to meet Super Bowl players and coaches and get autographs.
Other events include the Super Bowl Experience at the Georgia World Congress Center. Described as the the NFL’s interactive “theme park,” fans can train like an NFL player with a mock combine and have access to the NFL Network’s player interviews. Attendees will also get to take a picture with the Vince Lombardi Trophy and get autographs from NFL players and legends.
Adult tickets are $20, and children 12 and under, $5. Attendees who purchase an adult ticket between Jan. 28 and 30 will get three complimentary tickets for children.
The fan experience will be held between Jan. 26 and Feb. 2 with varying hours each day. Those with a ticket to the game will have access to the Super Bowl Experience from 2 to 5 p.m. on game day.
Football fans can also enjoy some tailgating fun for at the Super Bowl LIVE. The event held at Centennial Olympic Park is free and requires no ticket.
If you’re looking for a pricier pre-game experience, ticket packages can be purchased through On Location Experience, the official hospitality partner of the NFL. The company partners with each team to host pregame events that are attached to the ticket packages.
But that's if you have $3557.50 just lying around. And that's just the starting price. Tickets for those events can be purchased here.
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