Between March 13- March 17, 2024 downtown Nashville will become hoops central as the SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament dribbles and shoots its way back to Bridgestone Arena again this year. Tickets for most games are available, so you can show up in person to cheer for your favorite college players.
But you don’t even have to buy a ticket to get in on all the fun. On March 15 and March 16 the SEC and Music City are hosting a free Party in the Park in the Music City Walk of Fame Park, just outside the arena. The party will include live music from Phil Vassar and other stars, DJs, food trucks lining the streets and, of course, a big screen to watch the games if you can’t (or don’t want to) get a ticket inside the arena.
The SEC tournament is not the only opportunity to see the best of college sports. Nashville is home to more than 20 different colleges and universities, many of which have trophy-winning sports teams. Depending on the time of year you come to town you can catch basketball at Lipscomb or Belmont universities and baseball at Vanderbilt (the team has won the college World Series-,FIVE%20COLLEGE%20WORLD%20SERIES%20(2011%2C%202014%2C%202015%2C%202019,moved%20to%20TD%20Ameritrade%20Park.) twice since 2011). A Tennessee State University football game is a must-see, for the players and the game as well as performance by the GRAMMY-winning TSU Aristocrat of Bands.
And, Nashville has become a professional spectator sports town, as well as one that supports college sports. The Nashville Predators hockey team plays at Bridgestone arena. During playoffs on the road to the Stanley Cup, games may be broadcast on the big screen at Fifth + Broad, so you can watch them play with a fun crowd. In summer, the Triple AAA Nashville Sounds play at First Horizon Park near downtown and Germantown. The stadium boasts a putt-putt golf course and a guitar-shaped scoreboard. Geodis Park is the largest soccer-specific stadium in the country and Music City fans fill it to see the Nashville SC play. Expect loud fans, live music and an appearance by Soccer Moses.
If you’ve driven around the East Bank, you’ve seen some construction going on. This month the Tennessee Titans broke ground on their new stadium, close to where the existing Nissan Stadium stands. The new $2.1 billion stadium should be open for the 2027 season, and play will continue in the existing stadium until then.
There’s even horse racing (stay tuned, Bobby will provide more info on that in May) and auto racing (again, more on that this summer).
Just like Nashville provides a song for every mood, there’s a sporting event for every fan.
