Atlanta and the Super Bowl: Every Year the Big Game Came to the A

Atlanta has hosted the Super Bowl three times so far. If you live in metro Atlanta, visit often, or are just curious about the city’s sports history, these games are a big part of how Atlanta ended up on the national stage.

Here’s the quick answer:

• Super Bowl XXVIII – January 30, 1994 (Georgia Dome)
• Super Bowl XXXIV – January 30, 2000 (Georgia Dome)
• Super Bowl LIII – February 3, 2019 (Mercedes‑Benz Stadium)

Below is a clear breakdown of each year, what happened on the field, and how those events shaped Atlanta’s culture, infrastructure, and identity as a big-time sports city.

Quick Reference: When Atlanta Hosted the Super Bowl

Even if you never watched these games, you’ve likely felt their impact—through stadium construction, downtown redevelopment, and how Atlanta is perceived as a major national event host.

Super Bowl XXVIII (1994): Atlanta’s First Big NFL Spotlight

Date: January 30, 1994
Stadium: Georgia Dome (then home of the Atlanta Falcons)
Matchup: Dallas Cowboys vs. Buffalo Bills

Why this Super Bowl mattered for Atlanta

Hosting Super Bowl XXVIII was Atlanta’s first chance to show it could handle an event on the same level as cities like Miami or New Orleans.

For locals, this meant:

• Increased attention on downtown around the Georgia Dome and what is now the Home Depot Backyard and Vine City area.
• A test of the city’s MARTA system, surface streets, and hotel capacity in places like Downtown and Midtown.
• Early momentum that helped support Atlanta’s push to host the 1996 Olympic Games.

If you live in Atlanta today, that first Super Bowl laid part of the groundwork for the city’s reputation as a reliable host for major events, from college football championships to Final Fours.

What Atlantans might remember

People who were here in the early 1990s often recall:

• The Georgia Dome as a symbol of modernization, just a couple of years old when the game was played.
• Heavy activity around Downtown hotels, including those near Peachtree Street and the convention district.
• The feeling that Atlanta had officially joined the list of “big event” cities.

Super Bowl XXXIV (2000): The Georgia Dome’s Second Turn

Date: January 30, 2000
Stadium: Georgia Dome
Matchup: St. Louis Rams vs. Tennessee Titans

A dramatic game in Atlanta

Super Bowl XXXIV is remembered nationally for its dramatic final play, when the Titans were stopped just short of the goal line as time expired. For Atlanta, though, it was just as important as confirmation that the city could successfully host the event twice in one decade.

Local impact and what changed

By 2000, Atlanta had:

• Recently hosted the 1996 Olympics, which reshaped parts of Downtown (including areas like Centennial Olympic Park).
• Grown hotel and entertainment options, especially in Downtown, Midtown, and Buckhead.
• Increased experience managing large crowds, traffic flow, and security.

For everyday Atlantans, that translated into:

• More road closures and congestion near the Georgia Dome and central business district during Super Bowl week.
• A boost for local restaurants, clubs, and nightlife in Midtown, Buckhead, and Underground Atlanta at the time.
• A stronger case that Atlanta could handle recurring mega-events, which still influences the city’s event calendar today.

If you take MARTA through Vine City or Dome/GWCC/State Farm Arena/CNN Center station, you’re riding the same transit system that helped move fans for both 1994 and 2000 Super Bowls, even if the stadium itself has since changed.

Super Bowl LIII (2019): The Mercedes‑Benz Stadium Era

Date: February 3, 2019
Stadium: Mercedes‑Benz Stadium
Matchup: New England Patriots vs. Los Angeles Rams

By the time Super Bowl LIII arrived, the Georgia Dome had been demolished and Mercedes‑Benz Stadium stood in its place, right next to the former Dome site.

What made 2019 different for Atlanta

For residents, 2019 felt very different from the 1990s Super Bowls:

• New stadium: The game showcased Mercedes‑Benz Stadium’s retractable roof, large video halo board, and modern design.
• Transformed surrounding area: The presence of The Home Depot Backyard, upgraded walkways, and more developed entertainment options changed how fans moved around.
• Integrated downtown experience: Centennial Olympic Park, the College Football Hall of Fame, State Farm Arena, and CNN Center created a dense cluster of things to do for visitors.

During Super Bowl week, many Atlantans noticed:

• ⚠️ Road closures and traffic adjustments in Downtown, especially near Northside Drive, Marietta Street, and around the stadium.
• Heavy use of MARTA, particularly the Vine City and Dome/GWCC/State Farm Arena/CNN Center stations.
• Events and fan experiences spread around Downtown and surrounding neighborhoods.

While the game itself was low-scoring, it confirmed Atlanta’s ability to host a modern, media-heavy championship event with extensive security, broadcast demands, and fan zones.

How Hosting the Super Bowl Has Shaped Atlanta

Each time Atlanta hosted the Super Bowl, it added another layer to the city’s arts, culture, and sports history.

1. Stadiums and city image

• The Georgia Dome era (1994, 2000) helped position Atlanta as a modern Southern sports hub.
• The construction of Mercedes‑Benz Stadium and hosting in 2019 reinforced Atlanta’s image as a forward-looking, design-focused city that invests in large, multipurpose venues.

If you live here, you benefit from these facilities year-round through Falcons games, Atlanta United matches, concerts, and college football events—all helped by the visibility that Super Bowls bring.

2. Downtown development and public spaces

The Super Bowls overlapped with broader changes in:

• Centennial Olympic Park – created for the 1996 Olympics but used heavily by fans in 2000 and 2019.
• The Georgia World Congress Center campus – central to media operations, fan events, and logistics around the Georgia Dome and later Mercedes‑Benz Stadium.
• Improved pedestrian infrastructure and wayfinding in the core part of downtown.

Visitors today often walk the same areas that were once packed with Super Bowl events, even if they’re now there for a convention, a Hawks game at State Farm Arena, or sightseeing.

3. Atlanta’s reputation as an events city

Because of its Super Bowl track record, Atlanta is frequently in the mix for:

• College Football Playoff National Championships
• SEC Championships (already an annual fixture)
• NCAA Final Fours and major concerts or festivals

For locals, that means a steady stream of big events that:

• Bring in visitors and business to hotels, restaurants, and attractions
• Also occasionally bring more traffic, parking pressure, and road closures

Where the Super Bowls Took Place in Atlanta

If you want to connect the history to real places you can visit:

Georgia Dome (Super Bowls XXVIII and XXXIV)

• Location: Formerly at 1 Georgia Dome Drive NW, Atlanta, GA 30313
• The Dome has been demolished, but the area is now home to:
  • Mercedes‑Benz Stadium
  • The Home Depot Backyard
  • Part of the larger Georgia World Congress Center complex

You can still visit the area via MARTA’s Vine City or Dome/GWCC/State Farm Arena/CNN Center stations and walk the grounds where both 1994 and 2000 Super Bowls took place.

Mercedes‑Benz Stadium (Super Bowl LIII)

• Address: 1 AMB Drive NW, Atlanta, GA 30313
• Serves as the home of the Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United FC.
• Regularly hosts college football games, concerts, and major events that continue the legacy of Super Bowl LIII.

If you attend a game or tour the stadium, you’re in the same building that hosted the 2019 Super Bowl.

What Atlanta Residents and Visitors Should Know Today

If you’re in Atlanta and curious about the city’s Super Bowl history, here are practical ways to experience it:

• Visit the Mercedes‑Benz Stadium area:

  • Walk around the stadium and The Home Depot Backyard to get a sense of how the campus is organized for major events.
  • Look for plaques, displays, or references to past big games during stadium tours.

• Explore nearby cultural spots tied to major sports events:

  • College Football Hall of Fame (in Downtown near Centennial Olympic Park) often highlights national championships and big games that tie into Atlanta’s role as a football city.
  • Centennial Olympic Park and the surrounding attractions show how Atlanta has layered multiple large global and national events into one compact area.

• Prepare for future big events similarly to Super Bowls:
  When Atlanta hosts future championships or national-scale events, expect:

  • Heavier use of MARTA instead of driving directly downtown
  • Road closures and reroutes around Northside Drive, Marietta Street, and International Boulevard
  • Increased activity in core areas like Downtown, Midtown, and surrounding neighborhoods

In summary, Atlanta has hosted the Super Bowl three times—in 1994, 2000, and 2019—first at the Georgia Dome and most recently at Mercedes‑Benz Stadium. Those games helped shape the city’s skyline, transit patterns, and reputation as a premier host for major sports and cultural events that residents and visitors still experience today.