What to check out at Final Four fan events

The big picture: Most of the free fan action will take place in and around the Convention Center.

• Tourney Town is an indoor festival featuring carnival games, hoops-shooting contests, photo booths, giveaways, player appearances and more.
• Four It All Fest is a tailgate-style party on 3rd Street and it's a great place to watch the women's and men's semifinals games if you don't have tickets to watch in person.

👀 Zoom in: I got an early look at the festivities, and these were the best things I saw:

• A very well-stocked bar at the street fair for celebrating/drowning your sorrows during the games;
• The "Chuck's Got Games" arcade, featuring Skee-Ball, hoops shooting and chances to win Charles Barkley-themed hats;
• A Coca-Cola cherry float tasting booth (the Coke Zero version was divine);
• A confetti photo booth;
• A Shaquille O'Neal hedge sculpture (I'd share a picture but it's kind of one of those things you have to see to believe).

What's next: Tourney Town has two can't-miss panel discussions Saturday:

• A conversation with former Phoenix Mercury star Brittney Griner at 11am.
• A joint appearance at 1pm by retired Mercury legend Diana Taurasi and her longtime rival and friend Sue Bird.

If you go: The indoor events run from 9am-4pm Friday, 9am-5pm Saturday and 9am-noon on Sunday. The outdoor portion will remain open until the end of each night's games.

• Downtown parking will be expensive ($30 or more in most lots) and hard to find.
• Consider rideshare or light rail (which is free if you have tickets to one of the Final Four games).

Other Saturday fan events include:

• 🏀 Super Saturday Practice: Watch the winners of Friday's semifinal games practice at Mortgage Matchup Center ahead of the championship game. Free tickets here.
• 🎶 Super Saturday Concert: Kehlani will headline the Hance Park music festival, which kicks off at 6pm.