After months of planning and preparation, NFL Draft weekend is set to begin in Music City as 300,000 people are expected in downtown Nashville over the course of the event.
Most fans will be spread out throughout the downtown footprint with some on Lower Broad and some across the Cumberland River at Nissan Stadium.
For the city, safety and security are a priority with extensive cooperation from local, state and federal agencies.
Metro police said 400 officers per day will be devoted to ensuring safety during the NFL Draft weekend.
The Nashville Convention and Visitors Corp. will have entry points around downtown to check for prohibited items like backpacks and coolers.
The NFL will have “grabbers” on hand 24-7 who can remove concrete barriers to make room for emergency vehicles as needed.
A hotline has been established by Metro police to report anything suspicious as part of the “
See something, say something” campaign. The number is 615-880-1515.
MORE: SNEAK PEEK: NFL Draft Experience opens to fans Thursday
The NFL Draft Experience outside Nissan Stadium will open to fans at noon Thursday.
The experience is two-million square feet of fun — and, according to organizers, Nashville’s NFL Experience will be the biggest footprint in its history.
There are several interactive games at the Experience, so you can practice your touch pass or race against your opponents on a giant, 40-yard-long LED wall.
NFL officials say the goal is to offer something for everyone, NFL fan or not.
For families that want to come and be part of the action, but not the party downtown, the NFL Experience is for you. You can watch the Draft live on dozens of screens while you play games and have fun.
Everything is free, but to take part in any of the interactive games, you will need to download the free NFL Fan Mobile Pass app.
MORE: Bars and Honky Tonks: What’s open, what’s not during NFL Draft
If you’re planning on heading to the bars and honky-tonks along Nashville’s Lower Broadway during the NFL Draft, you should know, not all the bars will be open to the public.
Tootsies, Acme Feed and Seed, Hard Rock, and others have already been rented out. But as that list grows, other Broadway bars have committed to staying open to the public during the days of the Draft.
Some other bars open during the Draft — Second Fiddle, Layla’s, Legends Corner, and Robert’s Western World.
Likewise, TC Restaurant Group, which includes Tequila Cowboy, Jason Aldean’s Kitchen + Rooftop Bar, Luke Bryan’s 32 Bridge Food + Drink, FGL House, Crazy Town, and Sun Diner, will all be open to fans during the Draft.
Around 2,000 volunteers have stepped up to help with the NFL Draft.
Officials with the NFL say more volunteers applied to help than needed.
Some 800 volunteers went through training Thursday, which was called “FANS FIRST!”
The 90-minute session included new renderings of the Draft layout, details about The NFL Fan Mobile Pass app, the Draft Experience, and an overview of the entire event.
MORE: Parking survival guide for the NFL Draft
MORE: Road closures in effect for NFL Draft
With about 300,000 visitors expected in Nashville for the NFL Draft weekend, there will be lots of traffic.
With that traffic, parking will likely get tricky.
Thursday through Saturday, you can park for free at several NFL Draft designated lots:
- Nissan Stadium Lots A, B, C and D
- Main Event Parking Lot at James Robertson Parkway and Main Street, 14 James Robertson Parkway
- CrossPoint Church at 299 Cowan Street
- After 5 p.m. on Thursday and Friday and all day Saturday, the State of Tennessee lots No. 16, 28 and 29 located off James Robertson Parkway by Rosa Parks Boulevard
On Saturday, there will be more closures:
- Boyle Garage at HCA in North Gulch
- Vanderbilt University Parking lot on Chestnut Street across from Greer Stadium (free shuttle runs 8 am – 11 pm)
- State Employee Parking Lot at 400 10th Circle North (free shuttle runs 5 p.m. through 12 a.m. on Thursday, April 25; 5 p.m. through 12 a.m. on Friday, April 26; and 5:30 a.m. through 11 p.m. on Saturday, April 27)
The catch is free parking is first-come, first-serve.
For those who live outside of downtown, there’s WeGo Transit buses and the Music City Star.
Regular rates will apply, meaning you’ll spend $1.70 one way by bus, or up to $5.25 one way by train.
Because the Riverfront Station is closed due to Draft construction, starting Wednesday, Star riders will be picked up and dropped off at a temporary pick-up and drop-off location, right behind Ascend Amphitheater.
According to WeGo Transit, all service times will run on regular schedules during the days of the Draft, but trains won’t be held past those times to accommodate bus connections.
Another option: grab a rideshare.
Be aware of prices surges with the influx of people in town for the Draft.
When that happens, Lyft told News 2, riders will be alerted and they’ll have to confirm they accept the multiplier before requetsing a ride.
But if you Lyft to or from a ‘Ride and Scoot’ location, you can get a 30-percent discount.
According to officials, prohibited items, or ones deemed inappropriate for entry into the secure perimeter, will be the “responsibility of the fan and cannot be accepted, stored or checked by the NFL, Nissan Stadium or the Nashville Police Department.”
BAG POLICY
NFL officials “strongly urge” fans not to bring ANY type of bag to the Draft.
Bags permitted inside the NFL Draft Fan Experience and Selection Square cannot exceed 16″ x 16″ x 6″. No backpacks, briefcases, computer bags, fanny packs or luggage of any kind will be permitted.
Certain bags that follow the NFL’s clear bag policy will be allowed at the NFL Main Stage, ACME and Hard Rock Cafe. Those bags must be clear plastic, vinyl or PVC and do not exceed 12” x 6” x 12”. You can also carry items in a one-gallon, clear plastic freezer bag or a clutch-style purse/bag smaller than 4.5” x 6.5”, with/without a handle or strap.
The only exception to this policy is medically necessary items. Only one entry point, which is located in Nissan Stadium Lot R South, will be checking those items.
CAMERA RULES
Small cameras and binoculars are permitted. However, fans will not be allowed to carry a spectator camera or any cameras with a lens larger than 6 inches.
Camcorders, tripods and selfie sticks are also not permitted.
ALL PROHIBITED ITEMS
- Animals (except assistive animals)
- Backpacks, briefcases, computer bags, fanny packs or luggage of any kind
- Banners, signs or any item that may obstruct the view of others
- Battery-operated clothing (socks, jackets, etc)
- Beach balls, balloons or any inflatable devices
- Bottles, cans, thermoses, cups, and beverage containers of any kind *except* reusable water bottles that are empty and anything purchased from the NFL venue
- Chairs, stools, and other seating devices
- Cigarettes, e-cigs and any smoking devices (non-smoking venue)
- Coolers and containers of any type (aerosol cans, bottles,ect)
- Camcorders, tripods and selfie sticks
- Electric Scooters and skateboards
- Firearms weapons, knives, and explosives of any kind
- Fireworks or pyrotechnics of any kind
- Frisbees
- Illegal substances
- Large golf umbrellas
- Mace, pepper spray and other disarming agents
- Noisemakers, whistles and horns
- Poles, sticks or missile-like objects of any kind
- Pom poms, shakers and stick handles
- Seat cushions that have pockets, zippers, compartments or covers
- Strollers
Security checkpoints at the NFL Draft Experience open at 12 p.m. CT on Thursday, April 25 and Friday, April 26, and at 9 a.m. CT on Saturday, April 27.
Security checkpoints open at the NFL Draft Main Stage open at 4 p.m. CT on Thursday, April 25, at 4:30 p.m. CT on Friday, April 26, and at 9 a.m. CT on Saturday, April 27.
Security checkpoints at NFL Selection Square open at 5 p.m. pm Thursday, April 25, at 4 p.m. on Friday, April 26, and at 10 a.m. on Saturday, April 27.
MORE: Hundreds of portable toilets expected in downtown Nashville
But exactly where will everybody ‘go’ when nature calls?
Nashville’s biggest party will be epic, and so too may be the bathroom lines.
The Nashville Convention and Visitors Corp. told News 2 there will be at least 880 additional bathroom units.
Expect 400 ‘flush-able seat toilets’ around Nissan Stadium for the NFL Draft Experience. Another 400 porta-potties will be found around the stage on Broadway.
There are also 40 porta-potties currently located in Walk of Fame park.
For those in need, there is a map on the official draft app which includes bathroom locations.
Tim McGraw will perform a free outdoor concert to help kick off the NFL Draft festivities in Nashville.
The concert will be Friday on the Draft main stage in downtown Nashville, which is where the player selections will take place.
His performance will begin at conclusion of selection activities on Friday.
Gospel legend CeCe Winans will sing the National Anthem to help open the NFL Draft on Thursday.
MORE: What you need to know about the 2019 NFL Draft in Nashville
Click here for complete coverage of the 2019 NFL Draft in Music City.
