Bay Area Begins Countdown to Super Bowl 50

Football fans flocked to San Francisco Wednesday as the Embarcadero was transformed into a football amusement park as part of the NFL Kickoff to 50 Celebration, highlighting the start of the 2015-16 football season and building excitement for Super Bowl 50, scheduled for Feb. 7 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.

The two-day kickoff event includes performances, appearances by former players, games and interactive exhibits stretching from Justin Herman Plaza north to an expo on Pier 35.

Outside the Pier 35 expo, fans were greeted Wednesday afternoon by a performance by Niner Noise, the official drum line for the San Francisco 49ers. Once inside, fans found plenty of photo-worthy spectacles.

Fans posed for selfies in front of busts of Pro Football Hall of Famers and Super Bowl memorabilia. They had the chance to try on authentic jerseys and helmets from both the 49ers and the Raiders. As they moved further into the expo, they were invited to dodge dummy bags and catch passes on a mock football field.

Josh Head, a 49ers fan, traveled from Sacramento for the event, standing in line for 20 minutes to get a helmet signed by Pro Football Hall of Famer Willie Brown and former 49er running back Ricky Watters.

Fellow Niner fan Chris Powell made the trip from Vallejo to catch a glimpse of the exhibit. Powell is excited about the Super Bowl in Santa Clara, but he claims that he'll be really excited only if the Niners are actually playing in the game.

Back at Justin Herman Plaza, an exhibit featuring the eight Vince Lombardi Trophies won by both Raiders and 49ers was on display.

The actual Super Bowl will take place 40 miles south of downtown San Francisco, in a different city and a different county. When Santa Clara’s Levi's Stadium was selected as the host stadium of Super Bowl 50, the Super Bowl 50 Host Committee made it abundantly clear that this would be a regional event.

“There was a recognition that everything is not happening in one city,"  said Keith Bruce, president of the Super Bowl 50 Host Committee. Instead of concentrating events in one area, the committee is instead trying to create activities for everyone in the Bay Area.

Ever since the decision was announced, South Bay interests have been angling to make sure they are not an afterthought.

According to Larry Stone, Santa Clara County assessor and member of the San Jose Sports Authority, the group lobbied the Super Bowl 50 Host Committee in April for events in San Jose and Santa Clara. So far, they've been relatively successful.

Both teams participating in the Super Bowl will be practicing in Santa Clara County (Stanford University and San Jose State University), and staying at hotels in San Jose and Santa Clara. San Jose will also play host to the annual Media Night event, scheduled to take place a the SAP Center the week before the big game.

As for this week's event, the NFL Kickoff to 50 Celebration continues Thursday, and will feature a free concert in Justin Herman Plaza, with performances by Ellie Goulding and by Train, San Francisco’s own Grammy Award-winning band.

The Raiders kick off their season on Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals, and the Niners are in action on Monday night against the Minnesota Vikings.

Beth Willon contributed reporting to this story.