Dickies Arena in Fort Worth is getting ready for a national spotlight when it hosts March Madness next week.
The finest teams in the NCAA will compete to be college's best in three sessions of two games each on Thursday and Saturday.
"We were made for this, right?” said Dickies general manager Matt Homan. “I mean we're excited for it. We're ready to host it."
Homan said many people will see the arena for the first time on national television and also in person.
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"You're going to see a lot of people come in town for the first time from out of area to watch their schools and it's a great time to showcase Dickies Arena,” Homan said.
On Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. will be "open practice" when fans can come watch teams practice for free.
Dickies opened in November 2019, just months before the pandemic started.
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It was the vision of Fort Worth billionaire Ed Bass.
It's not only survived during challenging times, it's thrived.
It now hosts about 150 events a year, including the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo, bringing in 800,000 people.
For nearby businesses like Railhead Barbecue, it's a goldmine.
"They're a really, really good neighbor,” owner Charlie Geren said.
A big event at Dickies like March Madness can boost his business by 20% Geren said.
"Next week I think Thursday, which is our busiest day, is going to be busier than busy and Saturday is going to be phenomenal,” he said.
It'll be super busy in May too for PBR World Finals Rodeo and the Paul McCartney concert.
"We have it on our calendar,” Geren said. “We have their calendar on our calendar. We plan for it."
