KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The excitement over the Chiefs in the Super Bowl continues to build around Kansas City.
The weekend kicks off Friday with a pep rally at the Power and Light District.
“Anyone that's not in Miami is going to be here, and we're going to do it big,” said Jason Bradley, director of entertainment production for the Power and Light District.
The district will broadcast Sunday's game on a 40-foot-wide screen.
"There's people flying in from other countries to come here and watch the game,” Bradley said. “I'm guessing they probably could have went to Miami, but they want to come here and be with Kansas City people.”
RELATED: See all Chiefs "Road to Miami" coverage here
Those visitors are filling up hotels in and around the heart of downtown Kansas City. By Tuesday, all 81 rooms at Hotel Indigo Kansas City—The Crossroads were sold out.
"Pricing varies depending on when you booked and those kinds of things, but we've seen a nice bump,” the hotel’s general manager Richard Graham said.
Occupying some of the rooms are curious guests, Graham said.
"Everyone is asking about the Grand (Boulevard)-facing rooms, their windows, do we have patios?" Graham said.
The hotel, along with many businesses and institutions in the area, are preparing for a victory parade in the event Kansas City comes out on top.
"We'll have to have crowd-control measures and those types of things to make sure that everyone's safe during that time, too," Graham said.
Kansas City, Missouri, Police Chief Rick Smith addressed a possible victory parade at January's Board of Police Commissioners meeting.
"We expect a large crowd if there's such a parade, and we are early in the planning stages," Smith told the commission on Jan. 14.
Additional resources would be brought in to help Kansas City police at the parade.
"We will need regional support. We will have all kinds of mutual aid requests going out to help us,” Smith said. “We already have some of those in the works.”
Specifics on a victory parade are being kept under wraps for the time being for a number of reasons, such as security — and because some don’t want to jinx the team.
"We are very busy with behind-the-scenes planning, and out of respect for the Chiefs our staff is focused on cheering them on to a Super Bowl victory," Kathy Nelson, president and CEO of the Kansas City Sports Commission and Foundation, wrote to 41 Action News. "There are lots of unconfirmed variables, so I do not feel like I’m in a position to discuss any parade details. That would also be would be irresponsible of me to make any statements about the plans should anything change."
The Chiefs’ success is a boon for the entire metro.
In a statement, Visit KC President and CEO Jason Fulvi said:
At Visit KC, we’ve long considered Kansas City an exciting destination in which to live, work, play and visit. Now it’s time to share our story with the world. Chiefs pride is red hot and contagious, as evident by the decorations, apparel, murals and even the special foods sprouting up all over the region.
From a tourism marketing perspective, this priceless opportunity is advertising that our destination could not buy—and we’re thrilled that the center of the country has once again become the center of attention. This international exposure will spotlight our region to millions who may visit Kansas City in the future, fueling our economy for months and years to come.
Kannas City, Missouri, resident Peter Hendrixson recalls the sea of bodies that crammed into his neighborhood to watch the Kansas City Royals victory parade in 2015.
"We are a Midwestern town; people are nice, they are friendly, and they look after each other,” Hendrixson said. “And we saw that with the Royals parade and I'm pretty darn certain we'll see that with the Chiefs, if we're lucky enough.”
