For Immediate Release

Minneapolis (March 18, 2019) – The brackets are set and the basketball action will take over fans’ waking hours for the next few weeks across the country. The culmination will be in Minneapolis, where the NCAA Men’s Final Four takes place April 5-8. In this Meet Minneapolis leisure travel round-up, here’s some of the action to expect from the big event, along with the other new and unique things happening in Minneapolis.

Minneapolis hosts the 2019 NCAA Men’s Final Four
U.S. Bank Stadium will transform from an NFL stadium to the center of the college basketball world. Starting April 5, fans with or without tickets can check out many free and inexpensive events in downtown Minneapolis, capped by the semifinal and championship games April 6 and 8. www.ncaa.com/final-four

• Final Four Fan Fest Presented by Capital One at the Minneapolis Convention Center: As you take your first steps through the Minneapolis Convention Center doors, you’ll be greeted by a sports wonderland of interactive games, special celebrity and athlete appearances, autograph signings, a rock-climbing wall and much more! Kids 12 and under attend free, along with Capital One Cardholders, who receive complimentary entry for two to Final Four Fan Fest. Adults are $8 in advance, $10 at the door. Open April 5-8. www.ncaa.com/final-four/fan-fest#overview
  
• Tip-Off Tailgate on Nicollet: Fans can enjoy daily entertainment and other free activities on Nicollet in the heart of downtown Minneapolis from April 5-8 including a Ferris wheel, a main stage with free entertainment and sample food and beverages. Free. www.ncaa.com/final-four/tip-off-tailgate
• Reese’s Final Four Friday: Check out each of the Final Four teams in their final open practice before Saturday’s national semifinal games. Be sure to stick around for the Reese's College All-Star Game in the afternoon, autographs and more inside U.S. Bank Stadium. Free. April 5. www.ncaa.com/reeses-final-four-friday
• Final Four Dribble Presented by Buick: Youth ages 18 and under are invited to participate in this unique parade, joining thousands of fans dribbling their way through the heart of downtown Minneapolis. First 3,000 to sign up get a free shirt, basketball and entry to the Fan Fest. Free and pre-registration recommended. April 7. https://www.ncaa.com/final-four/final-four-dribble#overview
• March Madness Music Series at The Armory: This three-day music series delights fans with some of the biggest names in music. It’s a free event with preregistration required. Katy Perry and Zedd will close out the series on the final night. April 5-7. www.ncaa.com/final-four/ncaa-march-madness-music-festival
• Minneapolis Final Four Info: Plan your weekend, learn how to get around and get the inside scoop on all things Minneapolis with www.minneapolis.org/final-four.

New Hotels Open

• Minneapolis recently welcomed the 183-room Canopy by Hilton Minneapolis Mill District. The Canopy Central Café, a local welcome gift and free bicycles greet guests to this new hotel in an historic, renovated former Thresher Square building near U.S. Bank Stadium in Downtown East.
• In a buzzer beater, the Hotel Emery will be unveiled just before the Final Four begins. The latest Marriott Autograph Collection hotel in the city features 229 guest rooms with a midcentury, “mad men” vibe. Giulia, a new contemporary Italian restaurant, is planned along with the first-ever downtown location of Minneapolis favorite Spyhouse Coffee. In the evenings, Spyhouse will transform into a lobby lounge serving beer and wine.

Arts and Culture Happenings

• Reflect: Bigert & Bergström is a new, limited-time American Swedish Institute experiential exhibition showcasing Solar Egg, by Swedish artist duo Mats Bigert and Lars Bergström. Both a social sculpture and a wood-fired, working sauna, this golden-colored, mirrored egg structure reflects its surroundings and acts as chamber for conversation in the ASI outdoor courtyard through April 28. To schedule sauna sessions and learn more, visit ASImn.org.
• Brave New Workshop, the oldest satirical comedy theater in the U.S., opened its 300th sketch comedy show, “Love and Other Social Diseases (or, Sex and Sensibility),” which explores dating, relationships and love in the time of dating apps and runs through June 1. www.bravenewworkshop.com
  
• Mill City Museum’s Baking Lab hosts Starch Madness, where nominated classic favorites and rookie cookie recipes in a field of 16 Sweets compete in online voting to decide which cookies move on to a taste-off of the Fresh Four in the museum's Baking Lab on March 30 and 31. On April 7, come see the bakers in action, taste-test the cookies and decide the champion. www.mnhs.org/millcity/activities/calendar/6738
  
• Walker Art Center presents Chalk (1998), in which collaborators Jennifer Allora and Guillermo Calzadilla place human-size sticks of chalk—each piece measuring 64 inches in length and weighing approximately 120 pounds—in public spaces for passers-by to use as they choose. The exhibition is presented in the Walker's Gallery 7, treated with a special chalk-friendly paint, and visitors are invited to draw or write with the chalk on the gallery's floor and walls through Feb. 2, 2020. walkerart.org/calendar/2019/allora-calzadilla-chalk

Fresh Food and Drink

• Demi: James Beard Foundation Best Chef: Midwest 2018 Gavin Kaysen opened a 20-counter seat tasting restaurant in February, behind his still popular Spoon & Stable, with a focus on seasonal ingredients served on handmade pottery. Short for “demitasse” (meaning “little spoon”), Kaysen’s third restaurant is in a transformed, former coffee factory. demimpls.com/
  
• Bus Stop Burgers & Brewhouse: Newly opened in the neighborhood near U.S. Bank Stadium, the retro bus décor includes actual vintage busses on the interior and on the patio that will open this spring, and a counter-service menu marrying blended burgers, fresh homemade pies (with The Lynhall’s bakery) and beer infusions. www.busstopbrewhouse.com/
  
• P.S. Steak: Near the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis’ newest, upscale steak restaurant also features craft cocktails that are listed on an entire “Respects” page of the menu honoring the past bartenders (many who still work all over town) who put the city on the map from behind the bar in the elegant lounge. www.psmpls.com/
• Ziadi’s Mediterranean Cuisine: Influenced by the flavors of Chef Hassan Ziadi’s home country, Morocco, as well as Italy, Spain and France, this new restaurant took over the former Rabbit Hole space in Midtown Global Market, where Chef Ziadi’s Moroccan Flavors still holds court. It features fish, seafood, fresh vegetables, fruit and grains in a health-forward menu. www.ziadis.com
• Royal Foundry Craft Spirits: Minneapolis’ newest “grains to glass” distillery brings British flavor and traditions to the northside using grains, botanicals and classic recipes. In addition, there are three Skittles lanes (9-pin bowling), plus plans to build a 100-seat deck overlooking a cycle speedway for British-style cycling leagues. royalfoundrycraftspirits.com/

For more information about what to see, do and eat in Minneapolis, visit www.minneapolis.org.


For images of U.S. Bank Stadium and from NCAA Men's Final Four events, visit www.dropbox.com/sh/exrc0v969msd34g/AAAfaty0KZKUnTUrlLGRcKo7a?dl=0

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