Viking Ship Will Sail In Front Of New Stadium

The Minnesota Vikings have unveiled a signature element to their new $1.1 billion stadium – a giant themed ship that incorporates a digital video board into the structure. Actual Viking ships, known for their raids on Europe and beyond, created their sounds and smoke effects through nontheatrical means. A 2,000 square-foot curved LED video board standing 55 feet tall will serve as the ship’s sail, while the ship’s figurehead, an abstract dragon with Norse iconography, will top out at 43 feet high and will interact with events inside the stadium.

A bigger, fancier version of the ship parked outside the Minnesota Vikings’ practice headquarters in Eden Prairie will be featured in front of U.S. Bank Stadium when it opens next summer.

Thousands of fan commemorative “Legacy Bricks” will occupy 3,500-square feet of the ship’s deck.

Now, the team has plans to bring a few of that history back by building a “Legacy Ship” outside of their new stadium.

The Vikings are calling it a “Legacy Ship”, and it won’t cost taxpayers a dime because it’s being privately paid for.

People who said the pointy end of the new U.S. Bank Stadium reminded them of the prow of a Viking ship had apparently never seen a Viking ship.