Pre-game fun for all, Super Bowl fan or not

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Updated: February 27, 2012 8:47AM

One place where Bears and Colts fans can find common ground, besides in their shared disappointment this season, is at all the pre-Super Bowl fun in Indianapolis and beyond. You don’t need to have a game ticket, or necessarily even be a football fan, to enjoy the pre-game special events, activities and concerts.

The fun will be centered around Super Bowl Village, downtown Indianapolis along Georgia Street between the Conseco Field House and the Indiana Convention Center. Super Bowl Village will open at 2 p.m. CST Friday, Jan. 27, and host 10 days of what is described as a family-friendly “interactive festival of football,” most of it free.

Kids of all ages can play whole body, controller-free games in the Kinect NFL Play 60 Fandome, or run their fastest 100-yard dash in the Super Dash, where two human hamster wheel-like contraptions will pit Giant fans against Patriot boosters in a race to see which division can generate the most “energy.” At Tailgate Town fans can interact in a variety of games and competitions.

Two concert stages will offer a lineup of free concerts by local talent plus shows by nationally known artists including Bret Michaels and Patti Labelle. ESPN will broadcast many of their shows live from the Village beginning on Monday, Jan. 30.

There will be some cool entertainment in the Village as sculptors from the television show “Ice Brigade” work their ice-carving artistry, then you can heat things up in any of the more than a dozen warming zones scattered along Georgia Street. Most evenings will also include a pyrotechnics show at 8 p.m. CST.

Another highlight of the pre-game festivities is the NFL Experience, described as an interactive football theme park. The $25 admission, or $20 for children under 12, gives fans access to more than 75 football exhibits and attractions, including autograph sessions, referee and youth player clinics, and a memorabilia show.

While serious football fans may want to zip through the Village to get to the NFL Experience, they might not want to pass up the ZIpLine. Starting from a 96-foot high tower, this will carry harnessed riders 800-feet over some of the downtown festivities. Advance tickets are sold out, but more $10 tickets will be available daily.

The festivities aren’t limited to downtown, or even to Indianapolis. Organizations around the city and beyond have planned unique events celebrating Indiana’s first time hosting the big game.

The Super Bowl related activities include the uniquely Indiana display of Super Cars, Indy 500 cars painted with NFL team motifs with a social media game for prizes, and events as varied as the Science of Football exhibit at Conner Prairie, live tapings of “Late Night” with Jimmy Fallon, and an exhibit of the connections between football and various presidents at the Benjamin Harris Presidential Site. There will also be many charity fund-raising events with celebrity appearances.