Disclosure :: This post is sponsored by the Sun Belt Conference.
Family Fun at the Sun Belt Basketball Tournament
In the world of college sports, basketball dominates the month of March. The flurry of games, both men’s and women’s, has led to the well-known moniker “March Madness.” And here in New Orleans, we get a special slice of March Madness each year as the Sun Belt Conference, a local college athletics group, hosts its annual Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships in the Crescent City.
This year’s Sun Belt tournaments will take place March 6-11 and will once again be held at Lakefront Arena. All told, 22 games will take place and there is no shortage of ways to get involved in the madness of basketball in March.
Affordable tickets and family driven packages provide extra incentive to get out and enjoy the games.
Each $15 adult ticket is good for a session (two games played back-to-back) – but the real bargain is that kids get in for just $5 and will receive a free hot dog and drink to enjoy while taking in the action. The Championships Games on Sunday, March 11 are excluded from this offer – but there are still 20 other games taking place during the week to take advantage of this incredible deal.
Perhaps the best day to take advantage of the ticket offers will be Saturday, March 10, when the Sun Belt will host its annual “Sports Fest” outside of Lakefront Arena from 9 a.m. to noon. The Sports Fest will include the annual “Dribble Drive” at 11 AM, where children ages 3-12 receive a free t-shirt, free basketball, and two free tickets to the men’s semifinal games on Saturday, March 10. Children will dribble their basketballs from the Sports Fest to arena where the games will take place. Pre-registration is recommended.
The Sun Belt Sports Fest also provides local organizations an opportunity to promote themselves to families in the greater New Orleans area. There is no entry fee and the Sun Belt Conference will provide the following to participating organizations: 10×10 tent, an eight-foot table, two chairs, signage for your tent, PA announcements throughout the event, and your organization’s logo placed on arena videoboard during halftime of the men’s semifinal games. Participating organizations will also receive four tickets to the men’s semifinal games.
In addition to the fun and festivities surrounding the basketball tournament, high school students can earn service hours at the Sports Fest. Those that participate will receive six service hours for working the entire event. The event, including set up and take down, begins at 7:30 a.m. and ends at 1:30 p.m.
The Sun Belt Tournament is a great way to take in the excitement of college basketball. The great ticket deals plus the family and community friendly fun of the Sports Fest make this an event you should not miss!
Learn more and purchase your tickets HERE.