Party in Chiefs Kingdom! See how Kansas City celebrates another Super Bowl victory
Thousands of fans poured into KC Live! early Sunday afternoon, wearing Chiefs jerseys and painted red faces to watch their Kansas City Chiefs defeat the Philadelphia Eagles. The Chiefs won 38-35.
This is how Chiefs Kingdom celebrates:
Kansas City parade planned
KC officials announced plans last week to hold a citywide parade on Wednesday, Feb. 15. The parade route and time are still to be determined.
Where to get Chiefs Super Bowl merchandise
To commemorate this Chiefs win, stores around Kansas City are expected to reopen to sell championship gear.
The Star is also selling Chiefs memorabilia and a special commemorative book.
Running out the clock
Like a lot of Chiefs fans, Amy Blickhan believes in superstitions.
For every playoff game, she’s woken up early and saved the same table at Maloney’s Sports Bar & Grill in Overland Park for her family and friends. On Sunday, she and a friend got there around 10:30 a.m. when doors opened and talked with other bar regulars to pass the time till kickoff.
Before the second half of the Super Bowl, Blickhan turned her Chiefs hat backwards. She thinks the move might’ve helped the team secure a lead in the fourth quarter.
When the Eagles later scored and tied the game 35-35, Blickhan thought it might’ve been because she switched spots at her table to speak to a reporter with The Star.
Throughout the second half, Blickhan and other fans packed into Maloney’s cheered and high fived as Kansas City made major scoring drives to take a second half lead.
If there’s one thing she’s learned as a Chiefs fan, Blickhan said it’s that you have to hold onto hope until the end.
“As long as there’s time on the clock,” she said, “you don’t give up.”
– Andrea Klick
Best in the league — no question
Even when the Chiefs were down in the third quarter, then tied in the fourth, Dwayne McFarland, 62, didn’t give up hope.
“This is the game of the century right here for me,” he said, sitting front row in front of the projector at the Morning Glory Ministries watch party.
The 2020 win was great, sure; but McFarland hopes this Super Bowl brings proof that the Chiefs are the best in the league, no question.
– Anna Spoerre
Singing and dancing to Rihanna
At least 100 fans packed into multiple rooms at The Combine, 2999 Troost Ave., where they danced to songs during commercial breaks, even when their team was down.
Dwayne Miller, who comes to The Combine for every Chiefs game, sports a different hat each time. He owns around 400 hats, and at least 50 of them have a Chiefs insignia.
Tia Harris said she didn’t plan to go out for the Super Bowl, but at The Combine she danced and sang with family and friends to Rihanna’s hits like “Diamonds” and “Wild Thoughts.”
“I love her. I’m a fan,” Harris said. “She played every hit song she had. Every song in her catalog, and I loved it.”
– Andrea Klick
Rihanna halftime show wows, but fans were talking about something else after performance
‘Like you’re part of something big’
Shawn Akins’ parents weren’t big football fans when he was growing up in northern Missouri.
But after the Chiefs won the Super Bowl in 2020, Akins, 48, decided to jump on the bandwagon.
That newfound love of football led him to the Morning Glory Ministries watch party Sunday night.
“It makes you feel like you’re part of the human race again,” he said. “Like you’re part of something big.”
The tables were scattered with cards made by fourth- and fifth-graders at Warren Hills Elementary School in Liberty. They included hand-drawn arrowheads and sayings like “You shine like Patrick Mahomes” and “You rock like Travis Kelce.”
The one in front of Akins read: “I hope you enjoy the game … I hope you will find a home soon, and don’t give up trying.”
With a smile on his face and the Chiefs scarf he won at the evening’s raffle wrapped around his neck, Akins set the card down gently.
“That’s beautiful,” he said.
– Anna Spoerre
Rihanna’s Super Bowl halftime
Superstar Rihanna performed the halftime show, at times on a floating platform above the field (in a red reminiscent of a certain Kansas City team’s color...). She sang some of her top hits, finishing with “Diamonds.”
‘Chiefs. Rihanna. What more could you ask for?’
Sophie Genovese, Jane Gray and their friends come to Woody’s, an LGBTQ bar in Kansas City, a lot to watch the Chiefs play.
After Kansas City scored a touchdown in the first quarter of Sunday’s Super Bowl, Gray and Genovese threw back some complimentary shots from the bar.
“It’s like the perfect Super Bowl,” Genovese said. “Chiefs. Rihanna. What more could you ask for?”
Shauntoray Grisby drove from Wichita to spend the weekend with her sister Essence Belton and watch the game at Woody’s.
As kids, their uncle taught them to love football. Now that he’s passed, they watch Kansas City play to feel like he’s there with them.
The sisters showed up 90 minutes early to the watch party and got “the best seats in the house,” right next to a TV.
Chris Desert also came to Woody’s with one of his friends. Neither of them pay much attention to football, but they wanted to come out for the biggest game of the year.
“It’s more about coming together than anything,” he said.
– Andrea Klick
Making memories cheering on the Chiefs
Charity Morgan, 36, watched the 2020 Super Bowl from home.
This time, she and her four children, who recently became homeless, didn’t have a TV to watch the game on at the shelter they’re staying at. So on Sunday evening, they helped pack the hall for the Morning Glory Ministries watch party.
“I’m excited for the balloons!” her 5-year-old daughter exclaimed, wrapping her arms around a huge red balloon next to a cutout of Patrick Mahomes as people took turns at the homemade photo booth.
For Morgan, the evening gave her a chance to make memories with her kids outside of the shelter. It gave her a moment to forget the stress of waiting on a housing voucher to be approved.
“I’m just excited,” she said.
– Anna Spoerre
Colorado U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert tweet sets off debate over Super Bowl anthems
Country music star Chris Stapleton delivered a straightforward, no-frills National Anthem to overwhelming social media praise. Kansas City fans yelled “Chiefs,” per their tradition, at the “home of the brave” anthem ending, setting off people who want them to stop doing that.
But it was the first song sung during pregame festivities, “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” that riled up some NFL fans hanging out on social media, thanks in part to a certain controversial congresswoman.
Detractors seemed to take their lead from a tweet earlier on Sunday from the conservative Republican congresswoman from Colorado, Lauren Boebert. Read more here.
A watch party for people with no place to stay
“It’s in the air, it’s in the atmosphere,” Lynn Grace, 51, said of the excitement she felt Sunday evening.
She was among at least 100 people packed in at a Super Bowl watch party for people experiencing homelessness at Morning Glory Ministries, at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in downtown Kansas City.
Grace, a lifelong Chiefs fan, said it was just nice to know she and others experiencing homelessness had a place to go to watch the game.
“I’m waiting for the fireworks tonight,” she said.
– Anna Spoerre
Super Bowl baby boom
Forget the Super Bowl rings. After Sunday’s game, at least one, possibly three, players are going to need baby pacifiers. Super Bowl Sunday is turning out to be a baby boom for the Kansas City Chiefs — and maybe their opponent, the Philadelphia Eagles.
A Chiefs player’s wife gave birth to twins Sunday morning, and another KC player’s girlfriend was in labor. Get the details here.
— Lisa Gutierrez
Kansas City Proud
Across the metro area, fans filtered into bars and clubs Sunday to watch the Chiefs take on the Philadelphia Eagles.
For the first time, Dayonne Richardson came to catch the game at The Blakk Co., a social club in Kansas City.
In past years, the third- and fourth-grade teacher at Hogan Preparatory Academy made lesson plans while surrounded by friends watching the Super Bowl. But with Valentine’s Day and a possible day off for Kansas City Public Schools on Wednesday if the Chiefs win, Richardson said she has time to relax this time.
Richardson doesn’t follow football much, but she watched in honor of her grandfather Jim Kearney, who won a Super Bowl with Kansas City in 1969. Her family watches in separate places, but when the team brings home a win, they always call Kearney.
Last week, Richardson had her students vote on who they thought would win the game. Three kids voted for the Eagles, but everyone else thinks the Chiefs will win and are excited for the victory parade.
“They’re proud of their city,” she said.
Joy Williams also came to The Blakk Co. to cheer for the Chiefs. When Kansas City has played in past Super Bowls, she said it brings the city together like nothing else. Fans wave to anyone wearing red and yellow, and everyone buys each other drinks.
“It was like no one was a stranger,” Williams said.
– Andrea Klick
Who’s performing in the Super Bowl?
A halftime show that Rihanna promises will be “jam-packed” will sit at the center of the celebrity supplements to Super Bowl 57.
But the 13-minute mini-extravaganza, her first live event in seven years, is only one part of the entertainment sideshow surrounding Sunday’s big game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.
Chris Stapleton, who has dominated country music awards in recent years, will take on the challenge, and scrutiny, of singing the national anthem.
He will be followed by R&B legend Babyface performing “America the Beautiful,” and “Abbott Elementary” star Sheryl Lee Ralph singing what’s been dubbed the Black national anthem, “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”
All eyes on Patrick Mahomes
Lauren Desautels from Kearney, Missouri, watches every Chiefs game, but she knew she wanted to go all out for the Super Bowl.
Spending her day in Kansas City Live! guarantees she’ll have a good time, she says. With fans filling the area, bustling about, and cheering, the energy continues to build before the 5:30 p.m. kickoff.
She sits on a ledge overlooking the crowd.
“I thought it would be a fun atmosphere,” she said. “Very lively.”
Most importantly, she’s looking forward to watching her favorite player. She wears his jersey to the watch party.
“I’ve got my eyes on Patrick Mahomes,” she said.
— Jenna Thompson
Celebrity Chiefs fans
Some famous KC natives, including Rob Riggle, Paul Rudd and Eric Stonestreet, are expected to be at Sunday’s game in Arizona.
The Super Bowl and the week of festivities leading up to the game have become a huge magnet for celebrities. Here’s who we know is at the game.
— Lisa Gutierrez
Chiefs fans old & new
Londell Johnson of Kansas City, Kansas, said he helped convert his friend Tama Bush, also of KCK, into an avid Chiefs fan. Although, Bush admitted, it helps that the Chiefs have been doing so well.
While Johnson is excited for a hard-fought game, which he’s betting will ultimately end in a win for Kansas City, he’s just as encouraged by the atmosphere in the entertainment district today.
He said it’s been heartening to see the city rally around a common interest. He loves seeing Chiefs fans of all walks of life gather together to celebrate.
“It should be done more,” he said. “It will be done more, considering the more we win.”
– Jenna Thompson
A lucky red coat
Kurt and Christy Starks say the odds of winning are good, especially considering Kurt is wearing his lucky coat.
While it might seem strange, the Wichita natives say the Chiefs’ success is largely due to Kurt’s eccentric outerwear. Bedazzled glasses complete the festive look, and Christy wears a banana-clad coat to match.
“When I wear this, the Chiefs play well,” he said.
He bought the coat over a year ago. It’s been a good year, he says.
He predicts a close game with the Chiefs pulling ahead in the end. He thinks the team needs a little bit of a challenge, and they’ll rise to the occasion.
“When the Chiefs are underdogs, they play well,” he said.
– Jenna Thompson
It’s Kansas City’s biggest party
Thousands of fans poured into KC Live! early Sunday afternoon, wearing Chiefs jerseys and painted red faces. With hours left before the game, the space already was filled with patrons celebrating what they hoped would be a Chiefs win.
“The Super Bowl is almost upon us,” an emcee shouted as the crowd erupted with excitement.
Jacine Hern and Chris McCurley wore jerseys in honor of their favorite players and on McCurley’s hand, a replica Super Bowl ring.
They made the trek to Kansas City from Chillicothe, Missouri, because watching the Super Bowl in the Power & Light District is, as Hern put it, “the biggest party.”
The couple is used to the drive, however. Season ticket holders, they usually attend the games at Arrowhead so they can see Patrick Mahomes in person.
While McCurley only slept an hour before the AFC championship game, Saturday night he slept soundly. He’s not the least bit nervous for today’s game, and predicts the Chiefs will pull a win by at least 10 points.
“We have the best offense in the league,” he said.
— Jenna Thompson
‘It’s the Kelce Bowl’
Ready to see the Chiefs in action, Kya Davenport of Kansas City and her group of friends are looking forward to the halftime show almost as much as the game.
“I love Rhianna,” Davenport said Sunday afternoon at the Power & Light District.
Some of the crew has traveled from Springfield to show their dedication to the Chiefs. One of them is Jordyn Thomas, who used to live in Kansas City and still claims loyalty to the city of fountains.
She expects a win from the home team, but says she’ll enjoy the game regardless of the outcome. She’s eager to see what will come from the league’s first Super Bowl face-off between siblings, Kansas City’s Travis Kelce and Philadelphia’s Jason Kelce.
“It’s the Kelce bowl,” she said. “It’ll be fun no matter what.”
— Jenna Thompson
The town that forged Super Bowl brothers Travis and Jason Kelce: ‘No place like’ it
Chiefs Kingdom’s superstitions
The Kansas City Chiefs won a third AFC championship on the backs of the players and coaching staff, but also with the help of fans like you.
We asked our readers for their special game-day superstitions, and you delivered. We heard from quite a few who shared their precise routines — from unique clothing to specific seating arrangements.
Here’s what you shared with us.
— Joseph Hernandez
Fun Super Bowl bets between KC, Philly
As Kansas City gears up for Sunday’s Super Bowl, local institutions are joining in the competitive spirit. As the Chiefs go head-to-head with the Philadelphia Eagles this weekend, there will be more on the line than just a trophy.
Here are some of the friendly wagers between organizations in Kansas City and Philadelphia adding to the big game hype.
— Natalie Wallington
Where to watch the Super Bowl in Kansas City
With the exception of a few, just about every bar and restaurant in Kansas City will be open and showing the Chiefs game on Super Bowl Sunday.
If you’re looking for a unique experience for the big game, check out these locations that are hosting watch parties across Kansas City.
— Joseph Hernandez
KC stores and restaurants that will close early
If you’re hosting your own Super Bowl shindig, you might need to think ahead to avoid last-minute shopping. Several Kansas City-area restaurants and stores will close early to allow their employees to watch the game.
See the list of closing times around Kansas City.
— Joseph Hernandez
Safety measures in Kansas City
As Chiefs fans gear up for Super Bowl Sunday, law enforcement officials are also preparing to monitor the city on game day.
The Kansas City Police Department will have officers monitoring entertainment districts and other areas where people gather to cheer on the Chiefs as they take on the Philadelphia Eagles, said Capt. Corey Carlisle, a spokesman for the police department, in an email.
Read more about Kansas City safety measures.
— Andrea Klick
