While Angelenos are excited for the upcoming hometown Super Bowl, Santa Monicans can take extra pride as that a portion of the country’s largest annual sporting event will take place in their own backyard.
This year’s Super Bowl Pregame show will be broadcast live from the Pier on Feb. 13 with NBC Sportscaster Maria Taylor making her Super Bowl hosting debut. She will be joined on the Pier by Former NFL quarterback Chris Simms, whose father was MVP of Super Bowl XXI as quarterback of the New York Giants.
“With the Super Bowl returning to Los Angeles for the first time in nearly three decades, we will highlight the host city and scene for viewers across the country,” said Tommy Roy, Coordinating Producer, NBC Sports. “Beginning early in the Super Bowl LVI Pregame Show on NBC and Peacock, we will showcase Santa Monica Pier — an iconic destination, with its breathtaking views, sounds, and atmosphere.”
The Pregame show will kick off at 10 a.m. and run for five hours in the lead up to the 3:30 p.m. game. NBC, Telemundo and Peacock will be showing the day’s programming, which will include a record breaking total of 27 hosts, analysts and commentators participating from eight locations in Los Angeles and the SoFi Stadium. Other parts of the Pregame show will be filmed at SoFi Stadium, the NFL tailgate, the AFC and NFC team hotels and several LA landmarks.
"The Super Bowl is a premier, iconic event, and for NBC Sports to choose the Pier for the pregame broadcast really validates the Pier's status as a premier, iconic venue," said Pier Corporation Executive Director Jim Harris. "The last time the Super Bowl was played in Los Angeles, back in 1993, the Pier was in the early stages of being rebuilt and reimagined. While we all had hopes back then of some sort of recognition as a souther California landmark, the Pier simply wasn't ready. Now, almost three decades later, the Pier has certainly arrived, and we're proud to be on the worldwide stage."
In the lead up to the big day there are several additional exciting Super Bowl events taking place in Santa Monica.
First up is an NBC Sports activation in Santa Monica Place, where on Jan. 31 the popular outdoor shopping area will be transformed into a winter wonderland complete with real snowmaking machines. This is part of NBC’s “Once in a Lifetime” campaign, which highlights the fact that for the first time ever the Winter Olympics and Super Bowl will both take place on the same day and be screened on the same network. Olympic coverage will take place before the pregame show, and after the game.
Santa Monica Place will also be the site of the 21st Annual Off The Field NFL Wives Association Super Bowl Charity Fashion Show. The OTF fashion show is a ticketed event that will benefit the HollyRod Foundation and OTF scholarships and family programming. The event will take place at 2:30 p.m. on Feb. 11.
The HollyRod Foundation is a non-profit founded by actress Holly Robinson Peete and her husband, former NFL quarterback, Rodney Peete. The organization raises awareness about Parkinson’s disease and autism and provides resources to families who have a loved one affected by these diseases.
On Super Bowl weekend the Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers are helping host a special football festival on the 3rd Street Promenade to celebrate the Super Bowl’s long awaited return to LA. The festival is organized by NFuse 360 Entertainment along with its partners iHeartMedia (AM 570 and KFI), Fox Sports Radio and KTLA-TV Channel 5.
The festival will feature live broadcasts from several famous LA sportscasters as well as a range of family friendly games including field goal kicks, blocking and tackling skill challenges, corn hole and football throws. This free public event will run from 12 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Feb. 10, 11 and 12 on the 1300 and 1400 block of the Promenade.
“Downtown Santa Monica is ready to kickoff celebrations for this year’s Super Bowl,” said Mackenzie Carter, acting executive director, Downtown Santa Monica, Inc. “Whether it’s the Rose Bowl or the Los Angeles Marathon, this community knows how to be a great host, which comes from decades of welcoming people from all over the world to our beautiful beaches, iconic Pier and Promenade.”
Clara@smdp.com
