March FABness In Las Vegas

Button down the hatches Las Vegas! The perfect storm is about to hit the Strip with the one-two-three punch of: March Madness, St. Patrick’s Day, and Spring Break. Normal Vegas chaos will become absolute mayhem this weekend as sports fans, Irishmen, and foolhardy college students descend upon our resorts and casinos in record numbers. Thank you, Mother Nature!

It’s March and down here in the Southwest Desert and we have a saying for this early spring month, “In like a lamb, out like a lion.” This time of the year is called so many different things; March Madness, March Mania, March Mayhem, but Las Vegas DMC Destination Fabulous calls it… “March FABness!” Because, it all adds up to do-re-mi (the sound of money)!

MARCH FABness

NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament
Opening Weekend: March 15-18, 2018
Sweet Sixteen: March 22-25, 2018
Final Four: Saturday, March 31st, 2018
Championship: Monday, April 2nd, 2018

Slam Dunk

Two of the three busiest weekends (based on Friday and Saturday occupancy) in Las Vegas over the last two years were during the NCAA Tournament, according to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.

Hotel occupancy rates during the first week of March Madness in 2016 was No. 1 with a 98.8 percent occupancy rate and tied for No. 2 in 2017 with a 98.5 percent rate.

Week 2 of the tournament was among the top 10 hotel occupancy weeks in 2016 but jumped to No. 2 in a tie with Week 1 of the tournament, with a 98.5 percent rate in 2017. In basketball terms, if your FG % (field goal percentage) was this high you’d be; Udouka Azubuike of the Kansas Jayhawks!

Without question, the NCAA Tournament is tied to occupancy due to the fact that the city caters and promotes to fans during March Madness like no other sporting event aside from the Super Bowl. Vegas, literally is where you go to get your game on!

Fill the Lanes

McCarran International Airport (LAS) makes Las Vegas closer than ever. Up 2.7% as of February the passenger count is still climbing after a record year in 2017. McCarran International Airport expects a boost in passengers during this year’s first two weeks of the NCAA tournament over last year. McCarran expects 1.85 million passengers (coming and going) to travel through McCarran March 11-24, which is an 8.4 percent increase over March 14-26, 2017, the first two weeks of last year’s tournament.

 Nothin’ But Net

Although NCAA tournament games are being played in other parts of the country, Las Vegas has become basketball central for March Madness. (Oops, I meant March Fabness!) If you can’t be courtside the next best place to be is Vegas, where you can watch every game and root for your alma mater or for a team with a shot to win it all, you’re guaranteed a memorable time. If you want to add more excitement to the equation put your money where your mouth is by placing a bet or two and getting in on the action.

Get your brackets ready because the Vegas sports books are popping off and in full swing for everyone to take part in the biggest basketball tournament of the year! Las Vegas March Madness parties are a great way to enjoy a vacation at the “Entertainment Capital of the World”, and because betting is a key ingredient to any NCAA basketball bracket challenge what better place to be than Vegas? Even if your basketball bracketology isn’t the best and your bracket falls apart after the first or second round of the tournament, you’ll definitely be able enjoy the rest of the madness while in the “City of Sin”. Green beer anyone?

Tickle the twine,

Belinda

Sources:
iasvegassun.com
mccarran.com