Saintswrath

For years, New Orleanians have longed for a place to congregate and party before New Orleans Saints games and other sporting events at the Superdome.

That wait has ended.
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The state and the Saints have partnered to build a sports and entertainment square outside of the iconic stadium on Poydras Street.

Champions Square presented by Verizon, a 60,000-square-foot (about the same size of Jackson Square) patch of land where the New Orleans Centre used to be, is set to open in time for Saturday night's exhibition home opener against the Houston Texans. The square can comfortably fit more than 8,000 revelers. It is free and accessible even if you don't have tickets to the Saints game.

"This is going to be a festive area much like you see across the country, like in L.A. and baseball stadiums across the country," Superdome Commission Chairman Ron Forman said. "This just adds another place for fans to congregate before and after the game.

"Our hopes and dreams is that this is just the first phase. But as we lead up to the 2013 Super Bowl, we'll have a major sports district that will be open 365 days a year, 24 hours a day that will be another major attraction for economic development."

But for now, Saints fans will get a square that will feature live entertainment, street vendors and some of New Orleans' favorite eateries.

Perhaps the crown jewel of Champions Square is its wall of champions, where 30-foot photos of past championship teams and individual champions from the city or the Superdome will be on display.

Champions Square will open for New Orleans Saints' first exhibition game at Superdome | NOLA.com