Vikings cut the ribbon at new $1.1 billion football stadium

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) The Minnesota Vikings opened their new $1.1 billion stadium with a bang on Friday.

The Vikings held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new indoor stadium, and fireworks were shot off after Gov. Mark Dayton did the honors. It was the culmination of 31 months of construction that forced the Vikings to play for two seasons at the University of Minnesota's stadium across town.

The stadium's biggest features are a translucent roof that allows natural light and a gigantic wall of glass on the west side of the building that looks out over downtown Minneapolis. The wall includes the largest pivoting doors in the world. They are 100 feet tall and can open on warm weather days.

The Vikings will hold an open house for fans on Saturday and Sunday.