State Farm Stadium

State Farm Stadium is one of the most technically unusual stadiums in the world — and it is not in Phoenix but in the suburb of Glendale, roughly 20 kilometres north-west of downtown. Worth knowing before you book a room.

A stadium with a field that rolls out

It opened in 2006 as home of the NFL's Arizona Cardinals. Two features made it famous: a roof that closes, and a playing surface mounted on a tray that rolls entirely out of the building so the natural grass can grow in the desert sun. For concerts the field is rolled in and the roof closed, which makes the bowl air-conditionable.

In Arizona that is no gimmick. By early April daytime temperatures are already well above 30 degrees; without a closed roof a stadium concert there would barely be bearable.

Capacity is around 63,000, and can be raised for major events. Several Super Bowls have been staged here.

Location and getting there

The stadium sits in the west of the Phoenix metropolitan area, surrounded by car parks and the Westgate entertainment district of restaurants and bars — the usual meeting point before doors. There is no rail connection to the ground; you plan around a rental car, shuttles or rideshare.

Stay either in Glendale itself, which keeps the journey short, or in downtown Phoenix or Scottsdale, where the choice of hotels and restaurants is considerably wider. Either way, allow time for the journey back after a sold-out night.