ARLINGTON, Texas –One of the biggest events to hit AT&T Stadium is right around the corner.
In fact, it's right at 75 days away as the Cowboys, along with stadium officials and Arlington city representatives met this week to make sure all is good regarding the preparation for the 2014 Final Four.
The event takes place April 5 with two semifinal games to played at AT&T Stadium, followed by the April 7 national championship game, played Monday to crown the winner of the NCAA basketball championship.
It's the first time since 1986 that the Dallas-Fort Worth area has played host to the Final Four, and obviously the first at this stadium, which was completed in 2009. Last year, the stadium hosted the South Regional as dry-run to this year's Final Four as Michigan advanced to the Final Four.
But this event is much more than three basketball games as the city of Arlington, along with Dallas and Fort Worth take part in hosting several events, similar to the way the Super Bowl was conducted back in 2011. [embedded_ad]
- Some of the Final Four festivities include "Bracket Town," – the ultimate Final Four Fan Fest that will allow fans of all ages to participate in interactive games. The four-day event will take place at the Kay Bailey Hutchinson Convention Center in downtown Dallas.
- Part of Bracket Town will be a 3-on-3 basketball tournament, open to kids, starting at age 9 and older.
- Fans fortunate enough to have tickets to the Final Four games can enjoy a Tip-off Tailgate event that includes entertainment, live music and fun activities outside of AT&T Stadium. The Tailgate opens Friday night (April 5) to the general public, but Saturday and Monday's events are exclusive to fans with tickets to the games.
- An event called "The Dribble" gives over 3,000 kids the chance to dribble their way through the heart of downtown Dallas on Sunday, April 6. Kids will start at Dallas City Hall Plaza and dribble to the convention center where they will enter Bracket Town. Children 5-18 are eligible to participate and must pre-register online.
- And the Final Four 5K takes place Saturday morning, starting at Fair Park. The proceeds benefit Coaches vs. Cancer, a nationwide collaborative effort between the American Cancer Society and National Association of Basketball coaches.
All information about these events can be found at NCAA.com/FinalFour.
