• Slug: Sports-Fan Guide, 1000 words.
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By ANNALIESE LEON
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – The Final Four has arrived in Arizona for the first time and festivities are already underway. There’s good news for anybody interested in attending the games on Saturday and Monday at University of Phoenix Stadium. Tickets on the secondary market are relatively inexpensive.

“As of right now, the championship game, you could get a tickets for lower than $100,” said Ralph Garcia, director of social media and public relations for TicketIQ, a secondary market ticket broker. “That’s dropped pretty steadily throughout the week.”

In addition to the semifinals and championship games at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, there is Fan Fest at the Phoenix Convention Center as well as a free three-day music festival at Margaret T. Hance Park in downtown Phoenix.

With strict guidelines for fans attending any NCAA event this weekend, Valley Metro has partnered with the NCAA to help enforce a “clear bag policy.”

“We’re helping support the NCAA in making sure that anyone who goes to any of the Final Four events are aware of the NCAA’s clear bag policy,” said Ann Glaser, a Valley Metro spokesperson. “That means that in order to go to the events, people need to be taking small clutch purses or small bags or they need to use a clear bag in order to get into the event.”

It is not enforced for passengers boarding Valley Metro Light Rail trains, but security officers along the rail will remind fans to leave their non-clear bags in their cars before leaving their vehicle at park-n-ride lots. For more information about bag guidelines, visit <a href=”http://d2w7gersd1ix5b.cloudfront.net/files.ashx?t=fg&f=2017_FF_Security_Flyer_-_FINAL.PDF&rid=UOPXStadium”>here</a>.

<strong>Tickets</strong>

As of Friday there were more than 1,500 tickets available on the secondary market for Saturday’s Final Four semifinals and more than 5,100 available for Monday’s NCAA Championship game. The expected capacity at the Stadium is more than 72,000.

The cheapest tickets for the semifinal games are priced at $226, a $96 decrease since the Elite Eight concluded.

The current cheapest ticket for the Championship game can be found for $99, down $76 since the Elite Eight ended.

For real-time ticket prices, visit <a href=”https://www.tiqiq.com/ncaa/final-four-tickets”>here</a>.

<strong>Fan Fest </strong>

The Final Four Fan Fest presented by Capital One is designed to give Final Four fans a chance to seek autographs from former and current basketball stars, pose for photos with the championship trophy, buy gear and take part in games and activities.

It takes place daily through Monday at the Phoenix Convention Center in downtown Phoenix. Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for seniors 55 and older or military personnel. Tickets for children 3-11 are also $5 and children under 3 are free when accompanied by an adult. Tickets: <a href=”http://www1.ticketmaster.com/event/1900516996B71325?%3fCAMEFROM=CFC_NCAA_DISP_NCAACOM_ONSALE”>here</a>.

Arizona State, Grand Canyon, University of Arizona and Northern Arizona University students can enter free on Sunday or for a $5 charge on Friday, Saturday and Monday.

Fan Fest Schedule:
March 31: 12 p.m. to 8 p.m.
April 1: 10 a.m. – 8 p.m.
April 2: 11 a.m. – 8 p.m.
April 3: 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Several past and current athletes will be available during the Fan Fest to sign autographs, including:

Jake Lamb ( Diamondbacks third baseman).
David Robinson (NBA legend).
Devin Booker (Suns).
Tyler Ulis (Suns).
Steve Nash (NBA legend).
Shawn Marion (former Suns standout).
Cedric Ceballos (former Suns forward and NBA Slam Dunk winner).
Christian Laettner (NBA legend and former teammate of ASU coach Bobby Hurley).
Sean Elliott (UA Final Four participant and former San Antonio Spurs star).
Miles Simon (Member of UA’s 1997 NCAA championship team).
Mike Bibby (Member of UA’s 1997 championship team).

<strong>Music Festival </strong>

Several musical acts will take part in shows throughout the weekend, beginning Friday afternoon during the March Madness Music Festival at Hance Park. The clear-bag policy will be in enforced at the music festival. There is no admission charge. The schedule includes:

AT&T Block Party – Friday, March 31
4-10 p.m.

4:15 p.m. – Michael Ray
5:15 p.m. – The Head and The Heart
6:45 p.m. – Justin Moore
8:30 p.m. – Keith Urban

Coca-Cola Music – Saturday, April
2-10:30 p.m.

3:45 p.m. – Capital Cities
5:15 p.m. – Leon Bridges
7:00 p.m. – Grouplove,
9:00 p.m. – The Chainsmokers

Capital One JamFest – Sunday, April 2
3-10 p.m.

3:45 p.m. – Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats
5 p.m. – Blink 182
6:30 p.m.- Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
8:30 p.m. – Aerosmith

There is no assigned seating, and it is recommended to arrive as early as possible to guarantee a good spot. Parking will not be available at the park.

For questions, visit <a href=”http://www.ncaa.com/marchmadness/musicfest/faq”>here</a>.

<strong>Transportation</strong>

Yes, the events from downtown Phoenix and Glendale are 16.4 miles apart, but public transportation will be provided by Valley Metro.

“With public transit, it will be key to help visitors and fans get to all the events especially downtown,” Glaser said. “We have light rail stations that will be really close to both locations ( Phoenix Convention Center and Hance Park).

“We will be providing special event service, which means our operation teams will be adding extra trains throughout the next few days to be able to support the events.”

The Light Rail schedule varies depending on the day. On Fridays trains arrive at stations approximately every 12 minutes, on Saturdays every 15 minutes and on Sundays every 20 minutes. Some trains will be fitted with a third car and there will be additional trains running to accommodate the extra riders.

An all-day pass for the trains is $4.

Though the Valley Metro Light Rail system does not extend to the stadium in Glendale, Valley Metro will operate shuttle buses to the games from the 19th Ave./Montebello Light Rail station. An all-day Light Rail pass also is good for the shuttle buses.

<strong>Parking </strong>

There are 11 free park-and-ride lots along Valley Metro Light Rail. A list of locations is here.

On game day, University of Phoenix Stadium parking will start at $40 and go up, depending on the lot. Parking passes can be purchased <a href=”http://www.universityofphoenixstadium.com/p/parking-and-transportation/275″>here</a>.

Fans may also park at Westgate Entertainment Center, located across from the stadium. Prices vary from $10-20 for those lots.