MINNEAPOLIS — We're counting down to Sunday night football's big border battle and what's expected to be a busy New Year's Eve in downtown Minneapolis.
Restaurant owners and managers are preparing for one of their busiest nights in several months.
“There is a lot going on and it’s going to be busy,” said Kaye Stein, who works at The Loon Café in Downtown Minneapolis.
She says home Vikings games are always busy, especially when the Packers are in town. “People are really excited about it,” Stein added.
If the game itself wasn’t enough, Stein says having the game scheduled on New Year’s Eve will make the night even busier.
“We’re expecting several waves of people Sunday night. Some will stop by before the game, and then another wave after the game. Once that first light rail comes back from the stadium it’s just boom, we’re going to get a hundred people coming into our establishment all at once, which is great to see,” Stein says.
She’s also expecting another wave of people closer to midnight to ring in the new year.
Charles Sloan at Hennepin EMS says first responders are also preparing for a busy night.
“We are expecting a pretty heavy call volume,” Sloan says.
Hennepin EMS provides on-field medical services during home Vikings games.
The organization will also provide medical services to fans, both inside the stadium and outside on the plaza.
“That’s on top of the normal calls we typically see on a Sunday night,” Sloan explained. “Pretty much every paramedic and EMT who is able to work is working Sunday night.”
Sloan says the weather on Sunday will also affect the EMS provider's call volume.
He said the warmer weather means paramedics won’t have to respond to as many slips and falls on the ice, and they likely won’t see as many frostbite cases and snow-related car crashes.
However, with the warm weather, paramedics are expecting more people downtown on Sunday night and possibly more alcohol consumption.
“With the warmer weather, people will be doing more walking around and more milling about downtown. It definitely is the perfect storm of sorts, but we are ready.”
The Minneapolis Police Department is also preparing for Sunday night and has created a safety plan, according to a spokesperson.
The department has also scheduled extra officers to cover the Vikings game and New Year’s Eve parties.
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