This week in Northern California, the tailgating will begin long before Super Bowl Sunday, long before 70,000 fans park up around Levi’s Stadium and crack open a can. Few cities clog up like San Francisco: the roads around here are more congested than anywhere else in America – except Los Angeles and, curiously, Honolulu.
Over the next few days, traffic in the sky will swell too, with airports across the Bay Area braced for an influx of VIPs ahead of Sunday’s clash between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots.
The cheapest seat inside Levi’s Stadium – on one resale site – is currently going for around $5,000. Others, down near the field, are going for 10 times that. Some of the arena’s 174 luxury suites, meanwhile, cost as little as $40,000 for a regular season game in the NFL. But as early as May 2025, they were on the market for record prices of up to $3million.
It has been 10 years since the Bay Area hosted a Super Bowl. Levi’s Stadium has undergone a $200m facelift since then and over the past decade, the demand for luxury hospitality has changed, too.
In the past, fans might have paid extra for a comfortable seat and a few treats either side of kickoff. ‘That is completely outdated now,’ Deanna Forgione of On Location tells the Daily Mail. ‘We’re trying to make sure they’re programmed from the minute they drop into the city until the transportation to the airport on the way home.’
These days, some high rollers won’t jet in for anything less than a long weekend of luxury. ‘[An] experience that’s once in a lifetime, beyond anything you could ever imagine,’ Forgione says.
Levi’s Stadium has 174 suites, with some costing up to $3million for the Super Bowl LX
VIP guests can also pay for all-inclusive trips to play golf at the iconic Pebble Beach links
Some luxury packages include performances by The Killers or Tiger Woods-inspired meals
So ahead of Super Bowl LX, packages include golf at Pebble Beach and meals inspired by Tiger Woods. Others offer fans a chance to sample Napa Valley’s finest wines and a live show by The Killers. The starting price for these packages was $6,500 and, until recently, some were still available for $34,500. The most expensive options sold out some time ago.
At the end of the week, there is also a game to enjoy. Up in the posh seats of Levi’s Stadium, VIPs can enjoy $600 tequila, $500 burgers or caviar and gravlax worth $2,250.
A lucky few will even head down to the field for a champagne toast as confetti falls on the winners of Super Bowl LX. Provided they are willing to pay for the privilege, of course. Top-tier hospitality tickets, one insider revealed, are going for upwards of $70,000 – and that’s without any accommodation or weekend experiences.
Last February, around 800 private jets are believed to have descended on New Orleans for the Eagles’ win over the Chiefs. Twelve months on, insiders expect considerably more to fill up the parking lots of airports in San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose.
Many flights have been organized by Monarch Air Group in Fort Lauderdale; many fans expect luxury from the moment they step on board.
Some want Michelin-starred meals mid-flight, others prefer the plane to feel like a pregame tailgate. Several groups asked for an entire cabin makeover, so the interior is decked out in Patriots or Seahawks colors.
Those flying coast to coast from New England are filling up 15-seater jets such as the Gulfstream G650, the Daily Mail has been told. A round trip costs between $80,000 and $100,000. It is rather quicker and cheaper coming south from Seattle, where fans are booking are renting smaller jets – such as a Phenom 300 – for $15,000 to $20,000.
The Seahawks ended the Rams’ hopes of Super Bowl glory in last month’s NFC Championship Game but, according to Monarch, that hasn’t halted traffic between Los Angeles and San Francisco.
Cardi B, girlfriend of Patriots star Stefon Diggs, is among the celebrities expected at the game
The view from a suite at Levi’s Stadium, which will host the end-of-season showpiece
High rollers can spend Super Bowl week in Napa Valley before heading to Levi’s Stadium
‘There’s still heavy celebrity “commuter” movement,’ one source said. And all this demand leads to another spike in costs: for events such as the Super Bowl, fuel prices are higher and jet setters are also forced to pay a ‘special event fee’ of between $5,000 to $15,000.
For companies such as Monarch, there is an annual stampede in the wake of championship weekend – once the Super Bowl is set, fans face a two-week rush to book their trip.
But many of the week’s most lavish deals sell out well in advance. On Location is the NFL’s official partner for plush packages and this year their offerings include an all-inclusive four-night stay near Pebble Beach.
Guests will play one of golf’s most iconic courses, 90 minutes south of San Francisco, and enjoy a ‘reception boasting a menu inspired by Tiger Woods’ family recipes.’ Curiously, the grub on offer is Mexican style, with dishes including short rib taquitos.
Those who would rather sip their way towards Super Bowl Sunday can head to Napa Valley for private winery tours. Or stay in San Francisco and enjoy a ‘gifting suite,’ where guests are showered with high-end products in exchange for posing for photographs.
Some fans will arrive to treats in their hotel rooms or notes signed by NFL legends; Forgione says the producer of On Location’s gifting suite – which comes with their ‘On The Fifty Elite’ package – is used to running ‘high-end entertainment gifting lounges, which are akin to a Golden Globes or an Oscars.’
Team-specific packages are available, too, with prices reportedly ranging from $8,105 to $28,455 – per person. For top dollar, fans will enjoy three nights at the Fairmont San Francisco and various perks including a ticket to see Sting.
Some lucky fans can pay to enjoy a champagne toast on the field following Super Bowl LX
The Palace of Fine Arts is hosting ‘Studio 60,’ a new Super Bowl music festival headlined by Sting and the Killers. An access pass for Saturday night starts at $2,000.
And the luxury continues at Levi’s Stadium. On Sunday afternoon, there will be VIP tailgate parties inside the stadium perimeter before the 174 suites – which typically hold around 20 people – will be served fresh sushi and dishes including ‘Silicon Valley Grande Nachos’ and ‘Bay City Roller Dogs.’
Those with a more expensive appetite can add ‘enhancements’ such as Don Julio 1942 tequila ($600), a ‘Tsar Nicoulai Caviar and Gravlax Bar’ ($2,250) or ‘Norcal Steakhouse Burgers’ worth $500.
Beyond the four quarters, fans can pay to mingle with NFL legends, stand beside the tunnel as the teams leave the locker rooms and even join in the postgame celebrations with a glass of champagne on the field.
Not a bad way to end Super Bowl Sunday.
