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The NFL Draft will be coming to Green Bay for the first time in 2025, and if you’re hoping to stay close to Lambeau Field, you’re going to have to shell out an absolutely ludicrous amount of money based on how the Airbnb market is currently looking.
Philadelphia hosted the first NFL Draft when it was held in the ballroom of a hotel all the way back in 1936, and in the decades that followed, the league tapped different cities to host what was a pretty low-profile affair.
That was still the case when New York City was tapped to become the permanent host starting in 1965, but it began to transform into the spectacle it’s become when it was televised for the first time in 1980.
NYC’s 50-year reign came to an end when Chicago was given the honors in 2015, and while the NFL Draft returned to The Windy City the following year, the league has opted to expand its horizons since then by picking a new locale each time the event has been held ever since.
The 2024 NFL Draft was a record-breaking affair that saw more than 700,000 people flock to downtown Detroit over the course of the three-day event, and it’s hard to imagine Green Bay will come close to topping that total thanks to the comparatively remote nature of the city the Packers call home.
Green Bay is home to over 100,000 people, but there are obviously plenty of logistical issues that come with holding the NFL Draft in a place located close to two hours away from what any reasonable person would consider the closest major city (Milwaukee).
According to The Wausau Daily Herald, homeowners in the area are taking advantage based on the astronomical prices they’re charging for the week of the draft. The outlet reports a single spare room within walking distance to Lambeau is currently going for $999 a night, while individual private properties are listed between $1,800 and $20,000 per day.
This phenomenon reflects what unfolds in Augusta when The Masters rolls into the area each year, as some residents in the Georgia city that hosts the tournament are able to cover their mortgage payments for the year by renting out their homes for the week.