Eagle Era

A look at pre-Super Bowl events in the Bay Area

By Keithav Sivashanker

As anticipation for the Super Bowl built momentum in early February, excitement spread across the Bay Area. As the Super Bowl took place at Levi’s Stadium this year, students and community members alike celebrated with watch parties and other interactive events to get people excited before the day of the game. 

For some students at AHS, the Super Bowl is different from regular football games. Gaurav Vijaykumar (11) said, “I don’t watch every game of the season or anything but the Super Bowl feels much bigger. It’s more of an event than just a weekly game.” 

With the championship happening locally this year, Vijaykumar said that the atmosphere felt different. “It’s actually really cool knowing that it’s happening near us. It makes it feel closer to home, and it also brings a lot more attention to the Bay Area.” 

The Super Bowl LX Experience was among many interactive events hosted in preparation for this year’s game, featuring decades of NFL memorabilia. Community members like Zach Miller, an attendee of the Super Bowl LX Experience, described the event as unforgettable. “I watch the Super Bowl almost every year,” Miller said. “I’ve never been able to go to an event that displayed all of the trophies; this was the first time,” he said. “Usually whenever I watch, it’s just at home on my TV, chilling with a bowl of nachos, but this time it felt real. The crowd, the noise—everything felt so real.” 

Miller has followed football for most of his life. “I grew up watching it with my family, so I’m pretty familiar with the rules and strategies. It gives you a better understanding of the game when you know the rules,” he said. “I watch during the regular season and playoffs too. The Super Bowl feels like a climax after months of buildup.” 

According to Miller, hosting the event locally had a very noticeable impact. “It’s huge for the Bay Area. I live in San Jose, so I could hear all the parties that were happening for the Super Bowl.”

In the weeks leading up to the game, Miller attended several other Super Bowl events. “I went to a fan fest downtown and some other community events. From my house, I could also hear some of the raving block parties that happened on some nights. I didn’t attend them, though.” 

He described these events as essential to building anticipation. “They really hype you up before the actual game. All these massive events get everyone excited; it’s all about building to that climax point, which is the actual game.”

Caption: A picture of the official logo for the 2026 Super Bowl (Photo Credit: Alex Tran).

Caption: A look inside the Super Bowl LX Experience at the Moscone Center (Photo Credit: Chris Daniels).