Phoenix area prepares to host Final Four in 2024

PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) - Fresh off the Super Bowl, the Phoenix area is getting ready to host another major sporting event: next year’s NCAA Final Four. And even though the event is a little over a year away, preparations are already well underway for March Madness in the Valley!

“There’s so much that we’ve started to do already to prepare for 2024 and that included being part of the Super Bowl and all the activities,” said Debbie Johnson, co-chair of the Phoenix Local Organizing Committee. She said taking part in the Super Bowl festivities this year helped the committee learn “any great things that were done, any little things that might need [to be] changed.”

The Division I Men’s Basketball Championship is set for April 6 and April 8, 2024 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale. It’ll be hosted by Arizona State University.

Some members of the organizing committee, including Johnson, are going to Houston for next week’s Final Four. “We’re attending events. We’re attending roundtables to talk to all the people that put on these events because what people forget is it’s not just going to the event. It’s the thousands of volunteers; it’s the stadium; it’s law enforcement, fire, and all the public safety; its transportation; and it’s all the other venues,” Johnson said.

Next year, fans can expect events across the Valley similar to Super Bowl 2023 and the Final Four in 2017. Johnson says the Phoenix Convention Center will be home to the Final Four Fan Fest again. In 2017, more than 50,000 people attended the event downtown. The organizing committee is also planning a huge music festival, too. During the 2017 March Madness Music Festival, 135,000 music lovers ventured out to Hance Park to take part in the festivities.

A location hasn’t been announced for next year, but expect another big concert series! “It’s a great opportunity, not just for the teams and the fans and the alumni who will be here, but also for our community to get engaged, our residents to be able to attend, and we saw that with Super Bowl and I’m excited to have it back in ‘24,” Johnson said.

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