Super Bowl Party Guide: Celebs, stars bring down New Orleans

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(USA TODAY) -- Lil Wayne once rapped that he was "born in New Orleans, raised in New Orleans, I will forever remain faithful New Orleans..." and now the rap star and sports nut will merge his two passions (well, two legal ones) as the headline entertainer at not one but two huge Super Bowl parties in his hometown during Super Bowl week.

While the Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers will be stuck "working" all weekend, plenty of their fellow NFL peers, celebrities and other lucky invitees will be partying at some events that may actually boast more star power than the Super Bowl.

If there's going to be any big off the field headlines involving NFL players this weekend, they'll likely take place at one of the following big bashes.

Thursday:

Express "Welcome to New Orleans" Happy Hour
Hyatt Regency French Quarter
Dozens of NFL players will kick off the long weekend at the event sponsored by the retailer, who is boasting a reported guest list that also includes several NFL Hall of Famers (Barry Sanders, Emmitt Smith, Jim Brown). The tweets coming out of this party could be epic, as Darnell Dockett, Chad Ochocinco and LeSean McCoy are all billed to attend.

KATHERINE WEBB: 'I feel like I'm one of the players or coaches'

Madden Bowl XIX
Bud Lite Hotel
Four teams will compete in 3-on-3 tournaments of the video game as New Orleans Saints players Drew Brees, Jimmy Graham and Mark Ingram try to defend their title against an All-Star team of Rob Gronkowski, Victor Cruz and Arian Foster as well as a "Draftees" and "Rookies" team. Once the gaming stops, the party kicks in with Big Boi and Lil Wayne both performing later in the night.

Friday:
Pepsi Pregame Party
Masquerade Night Club
Dan Marino, Troy Aikman and Arian Foster are among the attendees kicking off the evening with an event inside the club at Harrah's. This one promises to be a little quieter than some of the later ones Friday night, but it's proximity to the casino certainly increases the opportunity for celebrity sightings around the blackjack tables later that night.

Audi Forum New Orleans
The Ogden Museum of Southern Art
Will Ferrell, Jeremy Renner and Emmitt Smith should be in the crowd as Santigold performs at this private cocktail party sponsored by the luxury car brand. They'll reopen the space a little later the following night for an afterhours party that kicks off at midnight and features DJ sets by Solange Knowles (Beyonce's sister) and Diplo.

Rolling Stone Live
Bud Light Hotel
This event may be worthwhile just for the opportunity to witness reported attendees Mark Cuban, Paul McCartney and the guy who plays Kevin from The Office take in the evening's featured performances by Pitbull and Flo Rida. If McCartney can jam with Nirvana, surely he can make musical magic with the "Don't Stop the Party" guy.

The Playboy Party
Jackson Brewery Bistro Bar
A Super Bowl staple. this year's event promises Michael Vick, Zac Efron, Deion Sanders and David Arquette, in case you were looking for a weirder potential assortment of people to crowd in a room together. The musical performer will be rapper B.O.B. and there's a slight chance that there may be some scantily clad women attending. Slight.

Leather & Laces
Second Line Studios
This event opted to rival the Playboy party by having three ex-Playboy models host the first of its two nights in Jenny McCarthy, Kendra Wilkinson and Audrina Patridge.

Saturday:
DirecTV Super Saturday Night
Mardi Gras World
Following a star packed celebrity beach football game that afternoon, this giant event space will be transformed into a nightclub for an exclusive invite-only party featuring a performance by Justin Timberlake. The list of attendees for the night event hasn't been released but it promises to be pretty solid.

GQ Super Bowl Party
The Elms Mansion
This one could be the toughest ticket in town, with Kate Upton, 50 Cent, Ryan Lochte and Jeremy Renner expected to join AJ McCarron and Katherine Webb at this bash. If Lochte and Webb do happen to interact, it might make Game On's own Chris Chase's head explode in joy. Really hoping that happens and is documented. She'll likely be resting up for her halftime show the next day, but it doesn't hurt to mention that Beyonce is on GQ's cover this month. Just saying.

The Maxim Party
Second Line Studios
Sponsored by Patron, this one will reportedly have a handful of NFL players (Greg Jennings, Larry Fitzgerald, etc.) and actors in attendance along with TV chef Guy Fieri and Man vs. Food host Adam Richman. The possibility of the two of them drunkenly making massive sandwiches from leftover appetizers at the end of the night could really enhance the value of what already promises to be quite a scene.

Chris Strauss, USA TODAY Sports