Los Angeles finally got a football stadium that it deserves when the SoFi Stadium was completed in September 2020. It might not have had the expected grand opening due to the pandemic, but it's serving up major headlines this week with Global Citizen’s Vax Live: The Concert to Reunite the World. The television taping, which happened on Sunday night, will air on Saturday, May 8, and showcase the best of what the stadium has to offer.
Not only is it the official home of the NFL's Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers, but it will also be the site of Super Bowl LVI in February 2022, the LA Bowl for NCAA football teams from the Mountain West Conference and Pac-12 Conference and WrestleMania 39 in April 2023. If that wasn't enough excitement, SoFi Stadium will host the opening and closing ceremony for the 2028 Summer Olympics. Los Angeles finally has a prestigious event location that matches the great weather, fantastic restaurants and desirable locale for A-list occasions.
The stats
It's hard to believe it's the first football stadium built within the city limits in 100 years, so that tells you how needed the space was. The project took four years to build and 17,000 people worked on the planning and construction of the $5 billion site to make it a reality. SoFi Stadium prides itself on being "the largest stadium in the NFL at 3.1 million square feet, and the first open-air, indoor-outdoor venue to be built," according to the official press release.
What makes this venue so impressive is its ability to host 70,000 sports fans and up to 100,000 audience members for special events — that's going to add considerable traffic to the area, so plan ahead when you attend your first game or concert. If you're looking for a first-class experience, SoFi Stadium is catering to the one-percent crowd offering "more than 260 suites, seven suite concepts, 12 club spaces, and more than 13,000 premium seats."
“This is an iconic project, anchored by an iconic stadium, that will not only redefine the City of Inglewood, but it will also redefine the landscape of greater Los Angeles for the next century and beyond," Los Angeles Chargers Owner and Chairman of the Board Dean Spanos said in a statement before the grand opening last September. "This has been a long time coming, and we cannot wait to usher in a new era of Chargers football on what will undoubtedly be the grandest stage in all of sports.”
Major technology
If the seating capacity isn't selling you on the new stadium, the technology should. The state-of-the-art LED digital video board spans 70,000 square feet, making it the largest one in sports. It's considered "the first of its kind and the only 4k end-to-end video board in sports." Not only should that make a game impressive, but it should take concert-viewing to the next level as well.
While SoFi Stadium is considered the focal point of Hollywood Park, there are close to 300 acres that will be developed within the complex. As "the largest mixed-use development under construction in the Western United States," the grounds will eventually host 5 million square feet of creative office space, an exceptional 500,000-square-foot retail district, up to 3,000 residences, 25 acres of public parks and a hotel.
And if you haven't caught any of the NFL games this past season to get a sneak peek at SoFi Stadium in all of its glory, then be sure to check out Vax Live: The Concert to Reunite the World on Saturday, May 8 on various networks. Hosted by Selena Gomez, the concert will feature Jennifer Lopez, the Foo Fighters, recent Oscar winner H.E.R. and an appearance by Prince Harry. It is the first large public event in California since the pandemic began and while the stadium wasn't filled to capacity due to current state regulations, 20,000 fully vaxxed essential workers and first responders enjoyed the event in person.
To learn more about SoFi Stadium and take a tour once it's open to the public, visit their website.
Before you go, check out: The World Choreography Awards Bring a Much-Needed Boost to the Los Angeles Dance Industry