NCAA March Madness (and Music) in Minneapolis (March 5th-8th) preview

Read More Super Bowl With the teams now decided (New England Patriots vs. Philadelphia Eagles) and plans finalized with the game less than two weeks away, Super Bowl LII is coming to Minneapolis at US Bank Stadium on Sunday, February 4. ....

For the second consecutive year, Minneapolis will be in the national sport spotlight this coming weekend (with A-list music coming to town too)--

After successfully hosting last year’s Super Bowl, the NCAA Final Four Basketball Finals come to town for an exciting weekend, whether a fan of college hoops or not.

The Final Four is expected to bring 94,000-out-of town visitors who will spend $168 million in the Twin Cities, according to a recently released study from Rockport Analytics.

After several nail-biting regional games- the four teams are set – Auburn, Texas Tech (both in their first Final Four appearance), Virginia (making their first appearance since 1984) and Michigan State, with the semi-final games happening on Saturday, and National Championship game played on Monday night.

Among the other related activities are the NCAA Fan Fest Fri-Mon at the Convention Center, Tip-Off Tailgate happening outside along Nicollet Mall with a large Ferris Wheel, and the March Madness Music Series headlined by the March Madness Music Festival at The Armory, Fri-Sun.

NCAA Fan Fest is described as a "sports wonderland" and includes interactive games, celebrity and athlete appearances, autographs, home run derby, rock climbing and more.

Tickets are $8 in advance or $10 at the door with kids 12 and under free.

Capital One cardholders who show their card will enjoy free and early admission and enter through a priority entry line.

Musically, there is a series of Free concerts at the Tip-Off Tailgate on a stage at 11^th/Nicollet, highlighted by Fitz and the Tantrums, playing Monday outdoors at 6p, just before the championship game.

The main musical events happen at the nearby Armory, featuring The Chainsmokers on Friday (who just dropped new single, ‘Kills You Slowly’), The Jonas Brothers on Saturday (who’s new single ‘Sucker’ is huge and who played their last show here before breaking up) and culminating with Katy Perry and Zedd on Sunday (who just collaborated on recent single, ‘365’).

Usually, these free shows happen outdoors in an area that holds 30-40,000 people, but with organizers unsure about the weather, they were booked into the much smaller 8,400 capacity Armory. Tickets were made available online, but within minutes, were all spoken for.

For the basketball fan or not, March Madness in Minneapolis has something for everyone.

DAILY EVENT SCHEDULE

Thursday, April 4 8 p.m. - College slam dunk and 3-point contests at Target Center- Tickets prices start at $15 Friday, April 5 10 a.m. - Final Four Friday at U.S. Bank Stadium- Fans can get in free of charge and watch teams practice before the national semifinals. Practices begin at 10 a.m. and it ends with the College All-Star Game beginning at 3:30 p.m. 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. - Final Four FanFest at Minneapolis Convention Center 4 p.m. - 10 p.m. - Tip-Off Tailgate at Nicollet Mall 7 p.m. - 11 p.m. - The Chainsmokers at The Armory Saturday, April 6 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. - Final Four FanFest at Minneapolis Convention Center 2 p.m. - 10 p.m. - Tip-Off Tailgate at Nicollet Mall 5 p.m. - Final Four game No. 1- Auburn vs Virginia 8 p.m. - Final Four game No. 2 -Texas Tech vs Michigan State 7 p.m. - 11 p.m. - Jonas Brothers at The Armory Sunday, April 7 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. - Final Four FanFest at Minneapolis Convention Center 2 p.m. - NCAA Final Four Dribble at Minneapolis Convention Center- Kids ages 18 and younger are invited to grab a basketball and dribble in a basketball parade scheduled for 2 p.m. 2 p.m. - 8 p.m. - Tip-Off Tailgate at Nicollet Mall 6:30 p.m. - College hoops awards show at Minneapolis Convention Center-the most prestigious annual men's college basketball awards, also includes interviews live on stage with head coaches from the teams that reach the championship game. Tickets cost $10-$80 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. - Katy Perry and Zedd at The Armory Monday, April 8 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. - Final Four FanFest at Minneapolis Convention Center 4 p.m. - 12 a.m. - Tip-Off Tailgate at Nicollet Mall 8 p.m. - NCAA National Championship Game

TIP-OFF TAILGATE EVENT SCHEDULE

WHEN: April 5 - 8 WHERE: Nicollet Mall COST: Free and open to the public Ferris wheel is located on 10th Street, Free. Capital One cardholders who show their card will enjoy a priority entry line.

Friday, April 5 | 4 - 10 p.m. 4 p.m Doors Open- DJ Music Set 4:30 p.m. Name That Tune 4:45 p.m. Final Four Trivia Contest 5 p.m. Andy Kats Interview with Special Guest 5:30 p.m. Final Four Spelling Bee 5:45 p.m. Final Four Trivia Contest 6 p.m. Andy Katz Interview with Special Guest 6:30 p.m. Hidden Talent Contest 6:45 p.m. Name That Tune 7 p.m. Fan Dance Off 7:15 p.m. Crowd Karaoke 7:30 p.m. Performance by Belladivas

Saturday, April 6 | 2 - 10 p.m. 2 p.m. Andy Katz Interview With Special Guest 2:30 p.m. Final Four Team Pep Rally 2:45 p.m. Final Four Team Pep Rally 3 p.m. Final Four Team Pep Rally 3:15 p.m. Final Four Team Pep Rally 3:30 p.m. DJ Music Set 3:45 p.m. Name That Tune 4 p.m. Fan Dance Off 4:15 p.m. Final Four Trivia Contest 4:30 p.m. Mimic the Mascot 4:45 p.m. Crowd Karaoke 5 p.m. National Semifinal Game Coverage

Sunday, April 7 | 2 - 8 p.m. 2 p.m. Welcome 2:15 p.m. DJ Music Set 2:30 p.m. Name That Tune 2:45 p.m. Fan Dance Off 3 p.m. Crowd Karaoke 3:15 p.m. DJ Music Set 3:30 p.m. Hidden Talent Contest 3:45 p.m. Name that Tune 4 p.m. Fan Dance Off 4:15 p.m. Final Four Trivia Contest 4:30 p.m. Andy Katz Interview with Special Guest 5 p.m. DJ Music Set 5:15 p.m. Performance by Good for Gary 7:30 p.m. Fan Dance Off 7:45 p.m. DJ Music Set

Monday, April 8 | 4 p.m. - Midnight 4 p.m. Welcome 4:15 p.m. Final Four Trivia Contest 4:30 p.m. Andy Katz Interview with Special Guest 5 p.m. Championship Team Pep Rally 5:15 p.m. Championship Team Pep Rally 5:30 p.m. DJ Music Set 6 p.m. Performance by Fitz and the Tantrums 8 p.m. National Championship Game Coverage 10:30 p.m. Postgame Viewing Party 11:30 p.m. DJ Music Set 11:45 p.m. NABC Trophy Presentation

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