MINNEAPOLIS — The Final Four is coming to town with the national semifinals on Saturday, but there's been a lot happening in downtown Minneapolis already this week.
At Nicollet Mall, workers were busy setting up tents and displays for the Tip-Off Tailgate.
The free event runs Friday through Monday and features food, drinks and live music, along with games and activities.
A large stage is also being built on Nicollet and 11th Street where several free concerts will be held this week.
However, the most noticeable attraction downtown has to be the large Ferris Wheel on 10th Street.
Workers have been busy setting up the Ferris Wheel, but they don’t expect to have it up and running until Friday afternoon.
Final Four organizers say the best times to ride it include Friday afternoon and evening before the rush of out-of-state visitors come to town for the first round of games Saturday night; or Sunday afternoon when a large portion of those fans go back home.
Another popular spot will be FanFest at the Minneapolis Convention Center this weekend.
The family-friendly event features several interactive games and activities, including several basketball courts, a homerun derby, hot wing challenge, and lots of free samples to try out.
“Kids under 12 get in for free and admission is only $10 at the door for everyone else,” event organizer Maggie Habashy says.
“You can get your tickets now for only $8. Everything here is just so accessible, inexpensive, and it’s just easy to get access to everything.”
Early bird tickets for FanFest are available only until Friday when the event opens to the public.
Tickets at the door will cost you $10.
For more information on the festivities, check out the Final Four website at https://www.ncaa.com/final-four
You can also download the Final Four app on your smartphone.