Top 5 NFL Stadiums - Fan Experience
These five stadiums offer the best fan experience in the NFL.
Each NFL stadium offers a unique fan experience. Some venues are outdoors, feature great tailgating and have that old-school feel. Others are indoors, provide robust pre-game and in-game programming and offer high-end amenities.
One’s personal preferences in the categories mentioned above determine which venues are most appealing. But as someone who was in every NFL stadium multiple times over 15 seasons while working for the Vikings, I have a feel for which provide the best fan experience.
Below is a definitive list of the Top 5 NFL stadiums for fan experience.
NOTE: The following article was originally written and published on this substack on Tuesday, February 18, before the NFL released its results from a league-wide fan survey on Thursday, February 20. The league-wide survey ranked the Vikings No. 1 in the Overall and Game Entertainment categories, and it ranked the Vikings No. 2 in the Game Day Staff category. Click here to read more about the Vikings’ specific results in the survey.
5. Acrisure Stadium – Pittsburgh Steelers
What it lacks in modern amenities and architectural refinement it makes up for in atmosphere and tradition. One of the coolest and, frankly, competitively practical customs in the NFL is when Renegade by Styx is played right before the opponent’s first drive of the 4th quarter. That moment whips the crowd into a frenzy and gives the Steelers some juice as the final quarter begins. The Terrible Towels wave fiercely but walking out of that building with a win is a feeling worth the fight.
4. SoFi Stadium – Los Angeles Chargers / Los Angeles Rams
The newest of NFL stadiums, SoFi takes the cake when it comes to technological amenities that enhance the fan experience. The Samsung Infinity Screen and the one-million square foot translucent canopy which covers the stadium, plaza and performance venue are just two state-of-the-art features which demonstrate the building’s priority on fan experience. SoFi knocks another beautiful and sensational building – the Dallas Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium – out of the top five only because it’s newer and its modern design components trump the retractable roof in Dallas. At SoFi, tailgating is lacking and the building is essentially indoors, but the novelty is there and you can’t help but have an entertaining and positive experience when visiting.
3. GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium – Kansas City Chiefs
This is the loudest open-air venue in the NFL and it’s not close. Rarely do opposing fans have a significant presence and that creates a sea of red and a significant home-field advantage for the Chiefs. Plus, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better tailgating experience in the NFL than what you get at Arrowhead.
2. U.S. Bank Stadium – Minnesota Vikings
Arguably the loudest environment in the NFL, U.S. Bank Stadium picked up right where its predecessor, the Metrodome, left off. Every year there are opposing offenses who simply cannot operate normally because of the crowd noise - and Skol Chants - generated by the fans and, truthfully, by the expert game production staff in the building. It has unique structural features with pivoting glass doors at the main entrance and a clear roof overhead. On top of all that, the building is tastefully branded for the Vikings, something that’s taken for granted with the modern construction tendencies of sports venues. When you’re inside U.S. Bank Stadium, there’s no mistaking you’re in the Vikings building. If tailgating was better, this building would be No. 1 by a landslide.
1. Lambeau Field – Green Bay Packers
If you’re a football fan, if you appreciate the history of the NFL, if you go to one stadium – go to Lambeau Field. It starts before you enter, with the tailgating, bars and restaurants only steps away from your seat. Once inside the gates, you’re greeted by passionate yet friendly Packers’ fans. There’s not a bad seat in the house. You’re either enjoying a beautiful autumn day or awestruck by the frozen tundra as you take in a game at the same place where Vince Lombardi, Bart Starr and Reggie White once roamed.
Honorable Mention
Gillette Stadium – New England Patriots
Nestled in a friendly Foxborough, MA neighborhood, Gillette Stadium is a perfect blend of modernized amenities with old school feel. The outdoor venue allows fans to experience the elements of the Northeast, tailgating is more than decent and the experiences includes the End Zone Militia, a group of Revolutionary War re-enactors who engage with fans and fire muskets after Patriots’ touchdowns.
AT&T Stadium – Dallas Cowboys
The epitome of state of the art. It has grandeur and size, class, space, a retractable roof…everything. It’s a tad cavernous and over the top in some respects, but it offers an elite viewing experience for football fans and unmatched pleasure for entertainment snobs.
Highmark Stadium – Buffalo Bills
There is something romantic about watching a NFL game at a venue that has the sensible and modest feel of a Division III atmosphere. That is Highmark Stadium, a building the Bills are currently replacing but that has served them well. Fans can enjoy beautiful upstate New York autumn afternoons and fun snowstorms alike, all in the same season. Plus, the tailgating experience gives Bills Mafia quite the platform, and the recent custom of The Killers’ Mr. Brightside dance parties has only added to the fun.