MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. (WLNS) — As the Final Four teams gear up for a big weekend, so are more than 90,000 people who have already crowded into the Twin Cities.
The Minneapolis Final Four local organizing committee estimates that the tournament will pump almost $150 million into the local economy.
Retailers say the biggest day will likely be during the “Fan Fest” event tomorrow.
“We happen to be right in the middle of the fan fest, which will start tomorrow, which is when most of the crowd arrives, hotels are booked through the weekend, I’m sure the restaurants are booked through the weekend, it brings a lot of money to the city, right it’s mostly the local people and we are off to a great start,” said Arthur Fraiser, a local merchandiser.
The Twin Cities has a lot of offer including the Tipoff Tailgate which starts tomorrow. Tipoff Tailgate is an interactive experience with multiple photo opportunities for fans.
Fans can also enjoy a 3D Bracket, concerts, food, drinks, a ferris wheel and many other activities.
“This is great, I work downtown here and I love what we did for the super bowl, what we are doing for the final four, it makes downtown so much fun. There is so much going on with concerts and a ferriswheel and lots of stuff,” said MSU fan John.