NFL Announces Plans for Fan Festival on Parkway During Draft

The NFL Draft will be conducted in front of the Art Museum in April. There will also be a giant, free fan fest on the Parkway throughout.

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The NFL Draft is in Philadelphia this year. Now the NFL has let us know what they’ll have for us to do between picks.

“In 2015 it was the pope,” Mayor Jim Kenney said. “In 2016 it was the DNC. Now it’s the NFL Draft.”

At a press conference held at the Art Museum on Tuesday morning, the NFL unveiled details for a huge, free fan festival along the Parkway during the draft.

“The museum and the 3,000-person theater that we’re building on the steps will really be the centerpiece — that’s where the picks will be announced from,” NFL Vice President for Events Peter O’Reilly said at the press conference. “At the other end of the Parkway, the other bookend of the experience, will be at the Franklin Institute. That’s where our team tables, what we call selection square, will take place. And in between is the NFL Draft Experience.”

The “NFL Draft Experience” will feature a 100-yard zipline, player autograph sessions, mock combine drills like a 40-yard dash, and some sort of virtual reality experiences.

The NFL first announced the draft would be in Philly last September. Thanks to the trade of Sam Bradford, the Eagles will now have a draft pick — they’ll select a player either 14th or 15th, depending on the results of Friday’s coin flip.

“‘How do you bring the draft to Philly, and we don’t have a first-round pick,’” said water-heater salesman/former Eagles quarterback Ron Jaworski, impersonating a Philadelphian. “So we took the pressure off you, we’ll have a first-round pick, it’ll either be 14 or 15. And the way things are going right now, they coin flip this week in Indianapolis, I believe we’ll get the 14th pick in the draft. That’s what will make exciting theater here in Philadelphia.”

The Draft runs from April 27th to 29th. The arena portion of the draft will be free, but ticketed; spots will be chosen from a lottery.