Seahawks Announce 'Fanovations' to Celebrate Lumen Field's 20th Anniversary
As the Seahawks prepare to kick off their 20th season at Lumen Field, the franchise and First and Goal Inc. announced several stadium renovations aimed at improving the game day atmosphere for fans that will be rolled out over the next couple of years.
Two decades after the originally named Seahawks Stadium opened doors to the public, Seattle will begin the process of unleashing innovative "fanovations" in 2022, including new featured video boards that will more than double the size of the current north video board and a new concessions area in the upper concourse. In addition, City Bars will open underneath the Hawks Nest on the north side of the end zone.
Recently announced as a host venue for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, these renovations to Lumen Field will be orchestrated in part to keep the renowned venue atop the list of premier stadiums to watch sporting events and improve the overall fan experience.
"Having our stadium chosen to host World Cup matches is a compliment to how well we've kept that facility in world class condition," Seahawks president Chuck Arnold said via John Boyle of Seahawks.com. "To do that though, we need to continue to have a sharp eye on maintenance and modernization. We've done a good job about it, but we have to continue to work hard at that. So there's a lot of new improvements you'll see over the next three years that modernize the building."
After fielding feedback from fans in recent seasons, the Seahawks hope these moves to modernize Lumen Field will fix many of the issues brought to the forefront. Among them, opening the District Market should help with overcrowding problems in the upper concourse by reducing line length and speeding up service.
The Cityside Bars, a 6,300 square foot area that will be nestled underneath the famous Hawk Nest, also was constructed with fans in mind by creating a communal space where they could get drinks and still be able to watch the game. The area features 83 feet of drink rails facing towards the field.
While the new enlarged video board, District Market, and Cityside Bars will all be ready in time for Seattle's first preseason game against Chicago on August 18, the organization will have further renovations on tap for the next two seasons. Most notably, they will build the Tunnel Club, a ticketed hospitality area where fans will be able to see players and coaches go to and from the field to the locker room, while also improving upon the Verizon Lounge.
With Seattle recently opening the state of the art Climate Pledge Arena for the NHL's Kraken and T-Mobile Park standing out as one of MLB's best ball parks, Arnold says the goal remains for Lumen Field to maintain its place as a "marquee venue nationally" moving forward and he envisions these renovations accomplishing that goal.
"Our fans travel around the country, they get a chance to see other facilities, and even in our own hometown, we have Climate Pledge, which is an amazing new arena, we have T-Mobile Park, which is one of the most beautiful ballparks in the country. We want to continue to be one of the most beautiful and fan-engaging facilities in sports."
