Each year more than 100 million people gather in crowded bars or sit on comfortable sofas to enjoy what is by far the most-watched broadcast event in America ‒ the Super Bowl. Across the US, major cities compete to host the NFL final and in 2019 Atlanta is home of Super Bowl LIII. This time the Big Game got even bigger, launching the commemorations for the 100th season of the National Football League. During the weeks preceding the game, the host city typically transforms its appearance and disrupts its everyday dynamics. As expected, broadcast booths then accommodate a myriad of networks and provisional infrastructures support the demanding operations for the Super Bowl.

An ephemeral “city” gets built within the permanent urban fabric, with temporary structures popping up both in the area surrounding the stadium and in the downtown streets.

Global attention and the significant influx of fans into town also present a fertile ground for collateral entertaining activities. Exhibitions and music performances are in fact the main attractions during the nine days leading to the competition. This time in Atlanta the Directv Super Saturday Night event takes place on the Atlantic Station neighborhood, a couple of miles from the Mercedes-Benz Stadium ‒ the innovative retractable-roof arena where the February 3rd final is played. The centerpiece is a three-level hybrid and custom steel structure with a capacity of 10,000 people and over 100,000 square-foot large, half the size of a typical indoor concert venue such as the Madison Square Garden in New York or the Pala Alpitour in Turin. The venue was conceptualized by executive producer Jack Murphy, the creative mind of large-scale Super Bowl shows for almost three decades.

By combining experimental spatial explorations with cutting edge technological solutions the project expands beyond musical performances, incorporating augmented and virtual reality as well as interactive video walls and hologram displays.

In Atlanta a sequential setup has been designed that explores a diversified user engagement, from both a visual and acoustic point of view. The exterior of the structure is animated with double-sided projection mapping that unfolds over the main entrance, pinpointing the event as a temporary landmark in the city.

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