With no nearby direct flights to Indianapolis available, Baylor University and Gonzaga University fans had to go well out of their way to attend the culmination of the 2021 NCAA men’s basketball season Monday night.
Downtown crowds are thin this year amid a pandemic that’s putting a crimp in sales for pop-up businesses, which normally count on throngs of fans to attend games and stop in for souvenirs to or from the game.
Hospitality leaders say no, although it will be some time before occupancy rates are back to normal.
While they’re sequestered during March Madness, teams are ordering everything from pizza to soul food—and local restaurants are seeing a much-needed bump in business as a result.
Lots of activities, concerts and events are planned throughout the city for the final weekend of the college basketball season.
Restaurants including Pier 48 and The Pub saw steady crowds throughout the afternoon, and District Tap and Harry & Izzy’s had wait times exceeding 1-1/2 hours most of the day.
If you’re looking for some of Indy’s best outdoor activities, which are great for social distancing if you’re still waiting for your vaccine, we’ve got you covered.
Early on, the hotels and convention center bustled with several hundred players. Now only 16 teams remain on the giant bracket that hangs from the J.W. Marriott next to the convention center, and every program wants to extend its stay.
Owner Tom Main said he’s shooting for an April reopening for Tinker Street, a fine-dining restaurant that’s been closed for dine-in service for more than a year and was on the selling block in late 2020.
Swish organizers are trying to bring back a sense of normalcy and financial security for local artists by guaranteeing they’ll be paid for their involvement in the downtown festival—even if the weather thwarts their plans.
Casino giant Caesars Entertainment Inc., which operates multiple properties in Indiana, is suing a long list of insurance carriers it accuses of balking at paying its business interruption costs.
With thousands of visitors in town for the NCAA basketball tournament and other athletic events, occupancy rates at downtown Indianapolis hotels were the highest in the nation for the past two weekends, breaking the pandemic tourism setback that settled in a year ago.
Interest in tickets to Sweet 16 and Elite Eight games in Indianapolis is generally outpacing the demand for tickets to earlier rounds. Tickets for Hinkle Fieldhouse games are seeing the strongest demand.
The figures, obtained by IBJ on Wednesday, show an average attendance of 2,180 people per game across the seven basketball courts at six venues. All venues limited crowd sizes because of the pandemic.
The seed numbers of the 16 remaining teams add up to 94, the highest total since the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament expanded in 1985. Here’s how that stacks up against some previous years.
Some local museums and cultural institutions say they saw a bump in visitation over the weekend related to March Madness. Meanwhile, the attractions are playing up their basketball connections in a bid to attract visitors.
The move will allow fans and other visitors to use the Hyatt Regency, Westin and JW Marriott hotels for the first time in 10 days, after the three properties were fully booked by the NCAA for tournament needs.
Indianapolis is home to several must-do attractions, including special restaurants, the Speedway, several museums and more. Here’s a list of attractions the IBJ staff recommends checking out.
There will be fans at this year’s Indianapolis 500, Indianapolis Motor Speedway owner Roger Penske said Monday, but how many remains a moving target based on COVID-19 restrictions. More than 170,000 tickets already have been sold for the May 30 race, he said.
One of the biggest challenges for sports bars like Kilroys and The District Tap is that most people are sticking around for multiple games, rather than leaving after they finish eating, restaurateurs said.
