KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Draft Fest at Arrowhead Stadium returned after a one-year hiatus Saturday, giving Chiefs fans a chance to celebrate after it was canceled last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hundreds of Chiefs fans flooded GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium for a day full of fun family activities.
"It is the coolest thing ever," 10-year-old Chiefs fan Landon Ferrel said.
Fellow Chiefs fans Sheron Jones added, "When I first entered the parking lot, I was so excited because I hadn’t been out here in a year."
It's an event many season-ticket members attend every year and missed greatly in 2020.
"It feels good; it feels really good," Chiefs fan Andrea Hobley said. "Feels like coming home."
The activities included running through the smoke like the players do during pregame festivities on game day.
"My boy is excited for the season and he just ran through the smoke," Chiefs fan John Joiner, who attended Draft Fest with his son Brooke Cecile , said. "It's just a great environment here today, so we’re fired up."
Other fans took pictures in front of a large Chiefs sign or with KC Wolf.
"Oh, it’s wonderful," Chiefs fan Debra Gandy said. "We took pictures laying on the field, so now we’re going to 50-yard line and take a picture on the 50-yard line."
As the final day of the NFL Draft played out, fans were excited to see the new additions to Chiefs Kingdom take the field.
"Right now, we have the best offensive line in the league right now with all those picks," 13-year-old Amaury Powell said.
Chiefs fan James Hobley added, "Looks like they got some good picks. Looks like we’re still going to be where we need to be."
It's big events like Draft Fest that drive increased excitement for the 2021 season as well as a sense of normalcy.
"It’s good to get back to some regular life right now" Joiner said.
Fans also hope there won't be any capacity limits in place for next season. The Chiefs were limited to 22% in 2020.
