The Vikings celebrated the year-out milestone of the construction of U.S. Bank Stadium on Monday by hosting a **tailgate lunch** for 1,200 dedicated construction workers.

Also on Monday, members of the media toured the state-of-the-art space that's 65 percent complete, and learned about what remains.

"We remain confident that this is going to be the best stadium in the NFL, the best fan experience in the NFL, the most technology-advanced stadium when it opens, so we're very excited about it," said Lester Bagley, Vikings Executive Vice President of Public Affairs and Stadium Development.

Mortenson construction executive Eric Grenz outlined some of the major upcoming milestones by month:

August:the first seats will be installed

Nearly 40,000 — or roughly 80 percent — of the 49,000 season tickets available via Stadium Builder's Licenses have already been claimed for 2016. Bagley said about the same percentage of club seats and suites have been reserved.

Visit **vikingslegacy.com** to book an appointment at the U.S. Bank Stadium Preview Center to see what seats remain. 

September: installation of exterior roof signage

The first U.S. Bank logo — on the southeast façade — was hoisted by a crane and crew Monday.

October: the first operable door on the west end of the stadium will be installed

A signature element of the venue is five of the world's largest pivoting glass doors on the west end of the stadium. The largest door measures approximately 95 feet tall by 55 feet wide.

November: the clear, ETFE roof will be completely in place, allowing a full, watertight (or snow) horizontal enclosure

Another signature feature of the building that enables an outdoor feeling in a climate-controlled space by allowing light in and keeping moisture out. The ETFE is being used to cover approximately 60 percent of the roof, south of the prominent ridge truss from east to west. Crews have begun installing the ETFE in segments.

December-January: scoreboard and ribbon board installation

U.S. Bank Stadium will feature much larger main video boards than its predecessor, as well as interactive ribbon boards and more than 2,000 flat screens. The video boards will be made by Daktronics in its Redwood Falls location. The board at the west side will be 8,160 square feet, and the one at the east will be 4,400 square feet.

February: the vertical enclosure — metal panels, glass curtain wall and operable doors — will be complete

The complete sealing of the building will allow for interior finishes of the venue's concourses, concession areas and numerous suites and club areas.

March: retractable seating installation will be complete

A dynamic component of the multipurpose design, the retractable seats will be installed on the north sideline, allowing for configurations to host other sports or events.  

April: locker rooms will be finished

This will fall just in time for the Vikings to make their selections in the 2016 NFL Draft, further adding to the exciting process for drafted rookies.

May: playing field turf installation

The surface will be 18 inches higher than the surface of the Metrodome.

June: exterior landscaping

Plazas and green space enhancements, along with Vikings fans, will create quite the pre-game experience.

July 2016: completion

What more can we say? Get ready to tee it up and kick it off!