GREEN BAY, Wis. (CN) - Round one of the 2025 NFL Draft kicked off on Thursday, hosted for the first time by the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. In the perfect storm of light beer and pull tabs, they even let in a few Chicago Bears fans.

"You're gonna see a lot of Packers, but you're gonna see 31 other teams as well and that's what the draft really is about," said NFL VP and head of event operations Jon Barker. "To be able to do this celebration at the mecca of football is really special."

The event spans 70 football fields of space to eat, drink and party until draft time at 7 p.m., and fans made the most of it. The sea of jerseys and bibs occasionally parted for the most outlandish costumes one can imagine, from steampunk Philadelphia Eagles attire to sasquatches squeezed into cheesehead hats.

Bringing the draft to America's DairyLand has been Packers president Mark Murphy's goal since the tentpole event of the offseason began traveling in 2015. It's a logical choice - Lambeau Field is the oldest NFL stadium in the league and is nicknamed the "frozen tundra" due to home game temperatures occasionally dipping into the negatives, according to the tourism hub Discover Green Bay.

The Packers triumphed against the Kansas City Chiefs in the first ever Super Bowl, and took home the big trophy again in 1968, 1997 and 2011. Green Bay is not the expected choice for the draft, but what it lacks in size it makes up for in passion for the league.

Linda Harlow grew up in Detroit but didn't make it to 2024 draft in her home city, so when she heard that the draft was coming to Green Bay, she jumped at the chance: "Growing up in Detroit, I was always aware of the greats in Green Bay. Just walking around here and feeling this history, I don't have words. It's just very special."

The draft itself takes place over three days and seven rounds. Clubs select players from a pool of available names after years of scouting across the country in a flashy showcase rivaled only by the Super Bowl itself.

The Packers hold the 23rd pick in the first round on Thursday and will make seven picks in total. People lined up at the barricade outside of the Draft Theater to watch the affair unfold seven hours before it even began to ensure they had an unobstructed view.

"The draft is about hope: Everybody is 0-0 and everybody has got a chance," said Barker. "It's all about football, fandom and community."

Every detail from top to bottom was planned with Wisconsin in mind, according to director of event strategy and planning Ashley Hamilton. The advertising font has a woodgrain-like design to call back to the state's leading lumber industry, background graphics have crop patterns and there's even a pop-up dive bar experience.  

2025 Miss America Winner Abby Stockard was posted at the bar in the "dive bar experience" tent, but she confided that she has never been to a dive like the ones Wisconsin is known for: "This definitely makes me want to check it out."

Though the draft rounds will unfold onstage in the Draft Theater, which is not unlike a massive outdoor concert venue, fans can party in the entire area surrounding Lambeau Field at the NFL Draft Experience - a festival for die-hard football lovers featuring autograph stages, giveaways, FLAG clinics, a supper club experience and more.

The Packers declined to give an estimate for Thursday's turnout, but the park was shoulder-to-shoulder with fans decked out in green and gold. From the moment the gates opened up, the air was filled with laughter and the occasional "Go Pack Go!" or "Bears still suck!"

Zach and Karl Rehfuss are brothers from the Twin Cities, and they drove all the way over in their Chicago Bears gear to be heckled and join in on the fun: "We are rivals during the season, but there is a certain camaraderie at the draft. This place is amazing."

Experts anticipate 250,000 people coming from all over for the 2025 draft, bringing $96 million in revenue to Wisconsin, according to state Representative David Steffen. Wisconsin expects to collect over $4.5 million in sales tax alone.

Governor Tony Evers set aside $2 million for the Experience Greater Green Bay Corporation in the last state budget for the construction and organization of the draft. Things like traffic control and public safety fall on the state to manage, which is incurring more costs than anticipated.

Some locals worried that Green Bay wasn't ready or couldn't host an event of this size, but Jan Knutson was happily surprised.

"I was worried about the traffic and the crowd, but this is a feat," Knutson said. "I am so proud."

Last year's draft, held in Detroit, broke records by bringing in over 775,000 fans in person and 53.6 million TV viewers, according to the NFL.

The event has come a long way since it aired live on television for the first time on ESPN in 1980. The draft is typically held in major cities, making this year's event a feat of event-planning. Hotels rooms as far as two hours away saw a major spike, and much of the available parking is on lawns surrounding Titletown.

There was a sense of pride from every Packer fan in the crowd as rivals stepped onto the turf in awe or stared up at Vince Lombardi's towering statue.

"Green Bay will never host a Super Bowl, but we hosted the hell out of this draft," Jennifer Peterson said while taking in the field. "This is the best day of my life!"

Source: Courthouse News Service