Eager fans rushed to the Boston Common after the New England Patriots won Super Bowl LIII, climbing trees and light posts, spraying beer, chanting “Brady! Brady! Brady!” and setting off fireworks.
The Patriots defeated the Los Angeles Rams 13-3 Sunday night at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. In Boston, college students converged on the Common from across the city to celebrate the victory. Boston Police officers were also in attendance, pulling rowdy fans down from their climbing posts.
Alexander Lowe, 20, a student at Fisher College, said the scene at the Common was unlike anything he’d ever seen before in his home state of Michigan. Lowe chose to stay on the outside of the crowd, as he said he is not a “party person.”
“I ran down here as soon as the game ended, so I’m just having a good time,” Lowe said. “It was pretty crazy because when I got down here, there were maybe only 40 people, so now to see this, which is like a sea of people, is really fun and I had to see it.”
Conor Byrne, a 20-year-old Northeastern University student, said he ran almost a mile to get to the Common.
“It was definitely worth it,” Byrne said. “It’s very exciting. We left really early so there was no one there originally, but then a mob formed behind us, so we ran away to the Common to get away from them.”
Cristina Ferreira, 44, is a doctor from Portugal who was in Boston for a medical conference. When her and her friends heard about the Super Bowl celebrations, they decided to come down to the Common.
“It’s very good,” Ferreira said. “This party is similar to the football games back in Portugal because all the people get together in the center of the city. So there are more families there, it’s not just students, but it’s like this. It’s great.”
Juan Diaz, 26, of Marlborough, said on his ride into the city with his friends from Everett, many cars were honking their horns and yelling their support for the Patriots. Like Ferreira, Diaz said the celebration reminded him of his home.
“I come from a South American country where soccer is life,” Diaz said, “and we don’t just hang off trees, we hang off everything. Light poles, or even in the stadiums, so I’m not surprised at all.”
Sarah Crabtree, 18, a student at Emerson College, ran straight to the celebration in the Common from her dorm across the street and said she was one of the first people to arrive.
“There was no one here yet,” Crabtree said. “And then everyone arrived. It was a beautiful, majestic, movie-like scene.”
Crabtree said despite the cold weather, attending the victory party was worth it.
“I’m super excited,” Crabtree said. “I’m really glad that the Patriots won. I love the Patriots with all my heart.”
