The Yee-Haw Bowl

NFL owners to vote on Super Bowl 2030.

According to the NFL Network, owners are expected to establish Nashville as the host of 2030's Super Bowl LXIV during this Tuesday’s Spring League Meeting.

The new Titans stadium is expected to be up and running in February 2027, just three years after breaking ground. Mayor Freddie O’Connell held his State of Metro address in the old stadium last month as a farewell before its demolition, which is set for 2028. The new stadium is over 75 percent complete, and the roof installation is set for September–October 2026.

As for hosting the Super Bowl, the East Bank will take decades to complete. For now, two apartment buildings and a hotel adjacent to the new stadium are expected to be completed by late 2028.

Work on streets like East Bank Boulevard and other pedestrian connections will be ramping up over the next two years to support the opening of the stadium. The construction of the new Tennessee Performing Arts Center and related sites will follow decisions on design outlines that are set to be complete within the next year. And with new money in the coffers, the East Bank Development Authority has accelerated the overall redevelopment timeline, aiming toward 2033 in some plans, but projections are fluid.

In the East Bend, the Metro Council restricted event surface parking requiring permits for such use until the allowance is phased out in 2030. Though on-site parking in the area is currently limited, there are about 20,000 spots within a mile radius as of this writing. Currently, WeGo also provides free bus rides on game days, and pedestrian bridges connect downtown patrons to the stadium. 

Is it a done deal? While Mayor O'Connell has stated that he hasn’t been directly part of ongoing conversations, state leaders have winked at the possibility all year. 

“You brought the biggest Major League Baseball game in American history to Bristol Motor Speedway, and because of a stadium that you invested in, I'm pretty confident a Super Bowl will be coming to Music City,” said Governor Bill Lee when addressing lawmakers during this year’s State of the State address. 

The General Assembly also reallocated tourism tax dollars collected by the convention center that may help the deal. 

“This legislation will enable these parties to deploy that money to recruit, you know, maybe a Super Bowl or other high-profile tourism events,” said State Senate Leader Jack Johnson (R-Franklin) during the passage of a bill that transferred excess revenue over to the East Bank Authority. 

Can the city handle a Super Bowl? After this year’s devastating ice storm, Nashville’s poor recovery sparked questions as to whether the city can handle major outages and other unforeseen events. 

“This is a resiliency effort that has scratched every bit of what's in the playbooks for preparedness, and we are going to do an after-action assessment to see where we need to improve further,” said Mayor O’Connell during a media roundtable. 

What Horrors We Wrought In 1973, French writer Jean Raspail published one of the most controversial novels of the 20th century. His novel, The Camp of Saints, has been consistently censored throughout its history.

Vauban Books recently published a new translation of the French story, accompanied by a lucid introduction by writer Nathan Pinkoski. Join us as we discuss the legacy of this controversial novel and what it says about the West.

This event is for the benefit of The Pamphleteer, Nashville, and priced with that in mind. Bard-level subscribers receive free admittance.

✹ METRO COUNCIL WATCH

New Council Watch Features We've added additional features to Council Watch. In addition to who's funding your council member, you can now see how they vote and who they vote with most frequently. (Take a Look)

HEADLINES

• ✈️ Mayor seeks airport board vote voicing opposition to new state legislation. Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell is pushing the Metro Nashville Airport Authority board to pass a resolution opposing new state legislation that would oust the current board and give the state majority control. Two new board members are set to join at the May 20 meeting where the vote is expected. (NBJ) 
• ⭐️ Is Nashville favoring big business over small business? Over 300 small businesses have formed a coalition demanding property tax relief amid sharp increases and recent closures, while Metro Nashville considers incentives for Starbucks to bring office operations to the city. Critics argue this continues a pattern of generous deals for big corporations like Amazon and Oracle while small local businesses struggle to survive. (Fox 17)
• 🔨 Sexton, McNally weigh further punishments for Dems. Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton has already stripped House Democrats of their committee assignments as punishment for protesting during a special session on redistricting. Senate Speaker Randy McNally is considering similar actions against Senate Democrats for their disruptive behavior. (Tennessean)
• 🛥 Nashville Riverboats Christen 'Capitol' on the Cumberland. Nashville Riverboats officially christened its new paddlewheel riverboat The Capitol on the Cumberland River with a bourbon-breaking ceremony, marking a return to authentic riverboat tradition in downtown Nashville. The restored 1988 vessel will offer sightseeing, brunch, and dinner cruises from Riverfront Park, with a second steam-powered boat joining soon. (Scene)

DEVELOPMENT

• Ascension Saint Thomas plans $23 million freestanding ER in Mt. Juliet (NBJ)
• D.C.-area company pays $46M for local apartments in Nashville (Post)

THINGS TO DO

View our calendar for the week here.

📅 Visit our On The Radar list to find upcoming events around Nashville.

🎧 On Spotify: Pamphleteer's Picks, a playlist of our favorite bands in town this week.

👨🏻‍🌾 Check out our Nashville farmer's market guide.

TONIGHT

🎸 Rock Nite w/ The Critical, Lombardy & bad bad luck @ Skinny Dennis, 8p, Free, Info

🪕 Bluegrass Mondays with Kyle Tuttle @ Dee's Lounge, 6p, $10, Info

🪕 Val Storey, Carl Jackson, Larry Cordle & New Monday @ Station Inn, 8p, $20, Info

💀 Grateful Monday @ Acme Feed & Seed, 7p, Free, Info

🕺 Motown Monday @ The 5 Spot, 9p, $5, Info

📰 Check out the full newsletter archive here.

Today's newsletter is brought to you by Davis Hunt, Megan Podsiedlik, and Camelia Brennan.