1 week Ago By Green Bay Press-Gazette
GREEN BAY – NFL construction crews are working around the clock to build the draft campus at Lambeau Field. On Wednesday, they raised the roof over the Draft Theater."(The draft campus) actually will be being built up until the day before we have the lockdown to sweep the area," said Gabrielle Dow, Packers vice president of marketing and fan engagement.
That lockdown day is April 23.The Draft Theater, the part under the roof, has room for 2,000 people. The parking lot between the theater and Lambeau Field can hold 25,000-plus.
"This is the focal point of the draft," Dow said. Total attendance of 250,000 is expected for the three-day event, scheduled for April 24-26. Economic impact is projected to be $95 million statewide and $20 million locally.
Fans also can watch draft picks from inside the Lambeau Field bowl, where it will be broadcast on the football field's giant video scoreboards.Dow said registrations on the NFL's OnePass app are strong. Fans must register on OnePass to enter the free draft campus.
"They’re holding strong; we’d love to see more. I’m hoping for Packers fans to come out, but I think it’s a bucket list for any football fan to come and visit," Dow said. "And don’t be scared about the traffic or the driving.
There’s plenty of parking. We have places to stay. Our businesses are all open.
"As of Wednesday, large parts of the Lambeau Field parking lots are fenced off, mostly on the east and northwest sides of the stadium. People who want to visit the Packers Pro Shop, Packers Hall of Fame museum or 1919 Kitchen & Tap can enter the parking lot from South Ridge Road and drive around to the Pro Shop parking.For now.
As construction progresses, additional areas will be closed."To have the announcement, it's going to be here, then it's 2D plans and then it's 3D plans and then you look behind us here and it's starting to come to life. It's pretty incredible, pretty exciting.
Definitely a once in a lifetime event to be part of," said Nick Meisner, vice president of digital marketing and communications for Discover Green Bay.Closed streets around Lambeau include South Oneida Street from Lombardi Avenue to Stadium Drive, and Armed Force Drive. More streets will be closed as the draft draws near.
"It's a lot of excitement, and we also understand it comes with a lot of sacrifices from our community, road closures and things we have to deal with," Meisner said. "And we are super appreciative of the greater Green Bay area, they've kind of persevered ..
. and said this is going to be super cool, we'll deal with this for a few weeks."Dow said a transportation plan was the biggest challenge of draft planning.
"It is going to be a driving draft, so we want to make sure all the thoroughfares are open, and really people should follow the NFL OnePass, or iHeartRadio. We’re going to have traffic updates at the top of every hour or even every 15 minutes as we get closer. We want people to get here," she said.
The draft campus schedule is:April 24, noon to 10 p.m.April 25, noon to 10 p.
m.April 26, 9 a.m.
to 6 p.m. Contact Richard Ryman at rryman@gannett.
com. Follow him on Twitter at @RichRymanPG, on Instagram at @rrymanPG or on Facebook at www.facebook.
com/RichardRymanPGThis article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: NFL 2025 draft stage roof, key part of event, raised at Lambeau Field.
