The NFL announced today the Day 1 festivities to take place as part of the 2023 NFL Draft presented by Bud Light in Kansas City, Mo., on Thursday, April 27.
To kick off the celebrations, attending prospects will walk the NFL Draft Red Carpet presented by TCL on the Memorial Courtyard at the National WWI Museum and Memorial. The NFL Draft Red Carpet will begin at approximately 4:45 p.m. CT, and portions will be televised as part of NFL Network's NFL Draft Kickoff show. Melissa Stark will anchor NFL Network's Red Carpet coverage and interview prospects as they begin their Draft Night journey.
Multi-Grammy nominated singer-songwriter and Kansas City's own Oleta Adams will perform "Lift Every Voice and Sing" live from downtown.
Rising Country music star Brittney Spencer will sing the national anthem from the National WWI Museum and Memorial as part of opening festivities.
The Military District of Washington's Joint Armed Forces Color Guard and United States Army Field Band Drummers will present the Nation's Colors for the playing of the national anthem. The U.S. Air Force will provide a flyover at the conclusion of the anthem.
NFL Network's Kimmi Chex and Colleen Wolfe will also host activities in the Draft Theater for Night 1.
Kansas City party band Lost Wax will serve as the house band at the Draft Theater and will provide entertainment in between draft selections each day.
Kansas City Chiefs players and legends along with members of Big Slick Kansas City, including Eric Stonestreet and Heidi Gardner, will take part in a variety of special moments throughout the draft.
The Draft Theater will also be home to the Inner Circle presented by Courtyard by Marriott, where superfans from each club will passionately represent their team.
At the conclusion of each day of the draft, the NFL will host FREE concerts in the Draft Theater as part of the NFL Draft Concert Series presented by Bud Light. General fan viewing is standing room only and will be on a first-come first-served basis on the North Lawn of the National WWI Museum and Memorial. Headliners will be announced in the coming days.
The league previously announced that the NFL Draft Experience presented by Panini, the NFL's interactive football theme park, will be free and open to the public all three days of the event (April 27-29). The NFL Draft Experience will be located on the south side of the Museum and Memorial.
Draft Experience (south side of Museum and Memorial) hours of operation:
- Thursday, April 27: 12 p.m. – 10 p.m. CT
- Friday, April 28: 12 p.m. – 10 p.m. CT
- Saturday, April 29: 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. CT
The North Lawn will remain open throughout the duration of the draft and for general fan viewing of the Draft Concert Series presented by Bud Light.
The NFL draft is a fully accessible event.
The NFL draft presented by Bud Light will be broadcasted live on NFL Network, ABC, ESPN, ESPN Deportes and streamed on NFL+ beginning --
- Thursday, April 27: 7 p.m. CT (8 p.m. ET)
- Friday, April 28: 6 p.m. CT (7 p.m. ET)
- Saturday April 29: 11 a.m. CT (12 p.m. ET)
For more information on the 2023 NFL Draft Experience and for the full list of interactive games and attractions, fans should visit NFL.com/Draft and download the NFL OnePass app at NFL.com/OnePass.
