New Orleans is ready to host the Super Bowl with its signature energy, even after a recent tragedy on Bourbon Street. Locals remain resilient, welcoming thousands for the big game and celebrations.
New Orleans is rolling out the red carpet this week for the biggest party in American sports, welcoming thousands of visitors just weeks after a tragic attack on Bourbon Street.
Metal barriers have been set up around the French Quarter, where National Guard soldiers stand near a memorial with flowers and Mardi Gras beads. This honors the 14 people who lost their lives when a U.S. Army veteran drove into a crowd.
The attack led to a congressional review of security plans for the Super Bowl on February 9, where the Philadelphia Eagles will take on the Kansas City Chiefs. But despite the tragedy, locals are ready to host the big game for a record-tying 11th time.
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“That’s how New Orleans is. We’re very resilient and we always come back,” said Stephanie Lewis, a lifelong local who picked up a part-time job at Jester Mardi Gras Daiquiris on Bourbon Street. She wanted to be in the heart of the action for both the Super Bowl and Mardi Gras celebrations.
“There was a general, overall pause because of the severity and the gravity of the situation. But it was like a collective pause and then ‘let’s regroup,’ you know?”
Tourism officials expect around 200,000 visitors to flood into the city for the week-long celebration, which is about double the usual number of tourists.
The party will include a “Mardi Gras-style” Super Bowl parade through the French Quarter on Saturday morning, featuring the famous Budweiser Clydesdales, plus plenty of concerts, parties, and other big events.
“There is truly a cultural thing that happens in our community where people truly and warmly welcome people in. And it’s a strength of ours,” said Walt Leger, President and CEO of New Orleans & Company.
“So it is very natural for us to cling to each other and others when things are difficult and challenging. And it’s healing, I think, in a way to be able to open your arms and welcome someone in.”
The last time New Orleans hosted the Super Bowl in 2013, it brought in an economic boost of $500 million. Leger expects this year to surpass that, with hotels packed throughout the region.
On Tuesday morning, Bourbon Street was buzzing with life again. Frozen daiquiri machines were humming in open-air bars, and volunteers were at the airport greeting visitors as they arrived.
New Orleans sports legend Drew Brees, the quarterback who led the Saints to their first Super Bowl win, will be in town throughout the week with sponsor Bounty to help get the party started.
Brees has no doubt that New Orleans will deliver.
“The way that the city always responds to any type of tragedy or any type of natural disaster, whatever, is they just come together and they say ‘How can we support one another? How can we protect one another?’,” Brees told Reuters.
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