Gillette unveils its new look to Pats fans, Foxboro residents

Thousands of New England Patriots season ticket holders and Foxboro residents attended the first in-stadium practice of the season Friday, and also were the first to view the stadium's new additions.

The changes include an enormous new video screen.

The 60-feet high and 375-feet long curved high-definition video board is located in the north end of the stadium. It's the largest outdoor stadium video board in the country, and is five times the size of the one it replaced. There is also a video board in the south end.

The new video screen is part of a $250 million renovation of the stadium.

There is also a new plaza and grand staircase leading to the stadium and a new 22-story, 218-foot-high lighthouse with a 360-degree observation deck, which will be accessible to fans visiting Gillette year-round.

Foxboro residents each year are treated to the special preseason practice along with season ticket holders.

The Patriots announced last week during the first week of training camp there will be more open practices before the preseason begins.

One of those free practices took place Sunday, but the other two will take place at 1 p.m. Monday and Tuesday.

The Patriot’s first preseason game is against the Houston Texans at 7 p.m. Thursday at Gillette Stadium. Two other preseason games will be away games.

The renovations began in January 2022 and are expected to be completed by Sept. 10, the date of the Patriots home opener against the Philadelphia Eagles.

There is also a 50,000-square-foot glass-enclosed year-round hospitality and function space.

The project is the largest since the opening of the stadium in 2002.

The south end zone upgrades were completed in 2021.