It’s that time of year again. The IHSA March Madness Boys Basketball Tournament kicks off Friday at the Peoria Civic Center.
It’s the 24th year the event is being held in Peoria. The two-weekend event will mean an estimated $4.5-million to the area economy. It’s the largest but just one of the 12 IHSA events Peoria hosts each year. The Peoria Area Convention and Visitors Bureau estimates the IHSA events in total bring 57-thousand people to the region and means $ 7.5-million in economic impact.
Rik Edgar is the Executive Director of the Peoria Civic Center. He says Friday morning will be a heavily attended day. “We want people to understand to come out a little early this year. We will have full security measures. That means anyone coming to the Experience as well as the games will have to go through the metal detectors.”
The March Madness Experience accompanies the tournament with basketball-themed games. Some of the things people should leave in the car include pocket knives, electronic cigarettes, mace and selfie sticks.
CityLink is offering shuttle service between certain hotels both weekends. More information is available at RideCityLink.org or by calling the customer service line.