NEW ORLEANS – With just two days until the ninety-first annual Allstate Sugar Bowl, happening at 7:45 p.m. on Jan. 1 in the Caesars Superdome, New Orleans is feeling the buzz as SEC Champions the Georgia Bulldogs and the seventh-seeded Notre Dame fans fill the streets, shops, and hotels.
While the positive economic impact on the city is indisputable, it is difficult to assess the exact figures, but according to Allstate, the Sugar Bowl has injected over $2.5 billion into the local economy over the past decade, nearly $4.5 billion since Hurricane Katrina devastated the city in 2005, and has hosted and/or sponsored nearly 500 events.
The COVID pandemic made assessing the exact economic impact of the Sugar Bowl difficult because, in 2020 for example, most events were shut down although the Sugar Bowl itself took place in the Caesars Superdome with just 3000 fans in attendance. It bounced back vigorously the next year, with Allstate stating it assessed the 2023 Sugar Bowl as having achieved an economic impact of $389.45 million, marking one of the most successful years in its history.
The 2025 Allstate Sugar Bowl is expected to be even bigger. Winter is usually a slow time for New Orleans tourism, so the Allstate Sugar Bowl provides a welcome boost. It is one of the quarterfinal games that will determine who will go on to the next round and compete in the Playoff semifinals at the Orange Bowl in Miami Lakes, Florida.
In addition to the game, fans can enjoy the Allstate Sugar Bowl Parade on New Year’s Eve presented by Louisiana Tourism and hosted by WGNO’s LBJ and Amy Russo. Amy Russo is the weekend anchor at WGNO and, with over forty years of broadcasting experience, LBJ is the anchor of Good Morning New Orleans on WGNO, hosts New Orleans Music Playlist on NOLA 38, and is an announcer on iHeart Radio’s WYLD-FM.
The parade kicks off at 2 p.m.
Originally held at Tulane Stadium, the Sugar Bowl has been played every year since January 1, 1935, and is one of the oldest bowl games in the country surpassed only by the Rose Bowl Game. It moved to the Superdome in 1975.
