Indianapolis' Star-Studded Final Four Event Is Completely Free To Attend

Boston may be known as America's best sports city, but if you're looking for the "amateur sports capital of the world," that's right in the heart of Indiana. Indianapolis, which is home to art-filled promenades like the Indy Cultural Trail and underrated neighborhoods, is also where you'll find the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) headquarters, plus major athletic events like the Indianapolis 500. So, it's only fitting that this year, it's also where March Madness, the NCAA Division 1 men's basketball tournament, will host its Final Four event. And the competition, which began on March 15, 2026, with 68 teams and has its final championship game on April 6, will also culminate with the March Madness Music Festival.

Past headliners have included Kendrick Lamar, Rihanna, Bruce Springsteen, and more, and this year, the March Madness Music Festival will feature big-name artists like Post Malone, Twenty One Pilots, Dominic Fike, and Zac Brown Band across the three-day event. And although tickets to the Final Four games start at $339 (going up to over $16,000, according to Action Network), the March Madness Music Festival is completely free and open to the public.

Running from Friday, April 3, until Sunday, April 5, the star-studded festival also includes a Ferris wheel. Various concession stands serving food, plus beer, wine, and seltzers, and a Pizza Hut Mobile Kitchen will also be available to attendees (just note that the event is cashless). Located at American Legion Mall in downtown (less than a mile from Lockerbie Square, Indianapolis' oldest neighborhood), entry is first-come, first-served, with no tickets or reservations available.

Thanks to its sponsorships from AT&T, Coca-Cola, and Capital One, during the Friday event, AT&T customers will be able to enter through a "fast lane" with one guest, while Capital One credit card holders can enjoy priority access with one guest on Sunday (on both days, festival-goers must arrive prior to the event's start time). The March Madness Music Festival runs from 4:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday, April 3, 2:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday, April 4, and 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Sunday, April 5. Since the event is first-come, first-served, attendees start lining up as early as 7 a.m. each day of the festival, according to the NCAA.