A jam-packed weekend of festivities in the Valley brought tens of thousands of visitors and a boost for businesses.
Saturday and Sunday, massive crowds reached capacity at Margaret T. Hance Park for the March Madness Music Festival.
Monday, the cleanup was underway as crews broke down the big stage and other structures.
The Phoenix-area economy is feeling the impact of such a large-scale event.
“Those were all local companies that were supplying people and materials, so really the whole time leading up to the event, it’s been a real strong boost for the local economy," said Dawn Rogers, CEO of the Phoenix Final Four organizing committee.
Both out-of-towners and locals spent some serious change during the weekend festivities.
The Richardson family, who traveled from South Carolina for the Final Four tournament said they spent $200 alone on an Uber ride from Glendale to Scottsdale.
“Tickets and food and all that kind of stuff and everything--probably about $800," said Kristi Long, a fan who traveled from New Mexico for the Final Four festivities.
During the Final Four weekend, other big events were happening at the same time: the Phoenix Pride festival, the sold-out D-backs Opening Day game and a Phoenix Suns game, to name a few.
“We had a plethora of things to do--never ran out of any options," Chris Richardson said.
The influx of people kept local businesses busy, and they prepared in advance.
“It’s all hands on deck during these weekends--don’t plan on going on dates," said Steve Rosenstein, co-owner of The Duce in the Warehouse District, south of downtown Phoenix. "You’re living at The Duce until the end of Monday night when all these people leave town.”
Ask any fan--was it worth it?
“Totally. I'd do it three times," Long said.
The impact was to the entire Valley, with fans staying in hotels from Glendale to Scottsdale.
Valley Metro Rail says it saw a significant increase in ridership--a boost of about 68% because of the big events of the last few days.
