ALBANY, New York; February 25, 2015 – The Sports Foundation of the Capital Region, the Albany County Convention and Visitors Bureau and I LOVE NY invite basketball fans to celebrate the return of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) to downtown Albany with a FanFest on Saturday, March 7 from 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday, March 8 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Admission is free.
The MAAC FanFest, sponsored by Dunkin’ Donuts and Mazzone Hospitality, will add another element of excitement to the popular basketball tournament featuring Canisius, Fairfield, Iona, Manhattan, Marist, Monmouth, Niagara, Quinnipiac, Rider, St. Peter’s, and hometown favorite, Siena College. Additional funding to host and promote the MAAC Basketball Tournament was provided from Empire State Development/ I LOVE NY, which was awarded through the Capital Region Economic Development Council.
The event will feature live music, pep bands, inflatable bounce houses, face painters, stilt walkers, carnival games, basketball-themed video games, a selfie photo booth, and more on South Pearl Street and under a heated tent.
The MAAC FanFest will launch with the Dunkin’ Donuts Bounce to the Arena event, during which as many as 250 children from the Albany Police Athletic League (PAL) will dribble basketballs from the nearby Palace Theatre to the Times Union Center on Saturday beginning at 11 a.m. The kids are expected to arrive at the Times Union Center at 11:30 a.m. to officially kick-off the MAAC FanFest.
The MAAC FanFest is the first of two fan festivals scheduled to take place in March outside the Times Union Center. A second fan festival will occur when the arena hosts the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball East Regional on Saturday, March 28. The free event will run from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Tickets to the 2015 MAAC Basketball Championships are available at the All Star Wine & Spirits Box Office at the Times Union Center, online at www.ticketmaster.com, at select Ticketmaster outlets, or charge by phone at 1-800-745-3000.
This project is supported by a grant awarded to the Albany County Convention and Visitors Bureau by New York State’s Empire State Development and the I ♥ NY Division of Tourism under Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Regional Economic Development Council Initiative.
For more information on the MAAC FanFest, visit www.maacfanzone.com/fanfest.