As drivers enter cities across America, they’re typically greeted by a welcome sign, each with its own variation of a friendly message. Most fade into the background, easy to overlook, but one city does things differently.
Just off the right side of any road entering Indianapolis, with steam from factories in the distance and a blue-collar feel to the buildings, a sign reads “The people of Indianapolis welcome you.”
Below it, is what sets Indy apart. “Host of the 2026 NCAA Men’s Final Four,” is displayed in bold white lettering. It might not seem like a major detail, but it embodies the spirit of Indy as the host of major events, like the one it’s hosting on April 6 and 8 this year.
There’s nothing normal about the way Indianapolis treats hosting a Final Four. It leaves no stone unturned and is meticulous about being the gold standard in every detail that goes into hosting a major event. Indy, as the locals call it, has made itself into a hosting powerhouse.
Every decision — every piece of the puzzle that made Indianapolis the gold standard of hosting sporting events — was done in a “deliberate” way, according to Bill Benner.
Benner, a former Indianapolis Star columnist turned employee of Indiana Sports Corp — the nonprofit that facilitates the capital of Indiana hosting so many big-time sporting events — described Indianapolis as the most inviting host city in the country and didn’t hesitate to come up with his answer.
“Indianapolis is absolutely the best Final Four host city,” he said. “Indianapolis never took anything for granted. Every major event was a learning experience to make the next one better … No detail was too small to be overlooked — transportation, hospitality, imagination. Everything mattered.”
From its stadiums and its hotels, to its airport and its restaurants, Indy excels in every area. And when you put it all together, you start to understand why the 2026 Final Four is posted on its welcome signs.
With excellent planning, every aspect of Indy as a host city excels to the highest degree. It’s become the standard that the rest of the country looks to for inspiration, and its excellence is no stranger to anyone.
“If the NCAA decided to put the Final Four in Indianapolis every year, I’d be fine with it. It’s that good of a setup,” Gary Parrish said.
Parrish is one of the most respected college basketball media members in the country and someone who has been to every Final Four since 2003. He now works for CBS Sports as a podcast host, TV personality and columnist, covering college hoops year-round.
He’s been to four Final Fours in Indy ahead of the 2026 edition, and for him, the biggest asset the city has to offer is its convenience, with the proximity of everything you need downtown.
“Everything is just compact. You have everything you need within walking distance,” he added. “What makes a great Final Four host city is when you get to your hotel, you never have to get back into a car until it’s time to go back to the airport.”
Through Indianapolis’ skywalk system — which opened in 1993 and was expanded through renovations in 1995, 2006 and 2012 — much of downtown is connected by indoor walkways. With Lucas Oil Stadium linked to the Indiana Convention Center, and the convention center connected to numerous downtown hotels, fans and media can spend most of their time in the city without ever needing to go outside.
And even when they do have to go outside, everything is within a square mile of each other. Lucas Oil Stadium (home of the Colts) and Gainbridge Fieldhouse (home of the Pacers) are on opposite ends of the central downtown area, and yet they’re just 0.6 miles apart.
It’s not just the proximity that makes downtown Indy special. Parrish mentioned that you can feel the energy behind the event being hosted in and around the city’s core. Whether that’s the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials, the NBA All-Star Game, college basketball conference tournaments, or the big ones like the Final Four and Super Bowl, the culture of Indy allows for an incredible atmosphere ahead of the event taking place.
“Once you’re downtown, you know there’s something special going on. Indianapolis does that perfectly,” Parrish said.
“It has become part of our collective DNA,” Benner added from an Indianapolis-native perspective.
Indianapolis isn’t a major city like New York or Chicago, it isn’t a big tourist draw like Miami or Los Angeles, and it isn’t even as prominent as Atlanta or Dallas, but it’s a sports city. Big-time sports, particularly college sports, are woven into the fabric of the city — and being the best host has facilitated that.
It allows fans to have an experience that feels all about the Final Four — one that increases how special it feels to descend on a city for an event of that magnitude.
“Indianapolis concentrates itself around the basketball tournament, and the city is in it,” Bob Siegrist said. He’s been going to Final Fours since 1989 and hasn’t missed a single one.
Every year, Siegrist and his friends make the trip. It doesn’t matter what teams are in it or what the location is — Siegrist will be at the Final Four. And for him, Indy is in a class above the rest.
“Everywhere you go, there are Final Four banners,” he said. “There are Final Four shops, Final Four specials at the restaurants — everywhere you go. And you always feel like, ‘I’m here for the games. I’m here for the event.’”
He mentioned that bigger cities such as Dallas, Atlanta or Phoenix are too spread out, and there isn’t the same energy in the downtown areas. Others don’t have nearly as nice facilities, while some lack the friendliness that Indianapolis prides itself on.
Siegrist said that he was able to meet several historic basketball figures in his time in Indy, and recalled instances where he met people like Bill Walton, Dick Vitale and many others simply by being downtown during Final Four weekend in Indianapolis.
Walton was simply sitting in a restaurant, one that Siegrist says was incredibly welcoming, even with all the chaos that can be hosting thousands of people in one city. For him, restaurants and hotels across the city allow for an enjoyable experience for all.
He was able to meet former Missouri coach Norm Stewart, and while that might not seem extraordinary, Siegrist being a Kansas fan meant that he had a pretty negative disposition because of the KU-MU rivalry.
But Siegrist mentioned that the interaction in an Indianapolis hotel in 2006 was wonderful, as being in Indianapolis — a friendly, inviting city — brought them together.
“And we sat there and talked for a good half hour. And I got a great picture of him, his arm around me, his finger pointing to the Jayhawk on my chest, and just smiling the biggest smile ever.” Siegrist said “What a great opportunity to meet a rival and share a moment that you never would have. It wasn't for this Final Four event. I never would have met this man.”
For Siegrist, Indy is only rivaled by San Antonio in how much he enjoys being there for the Final Four as a fan. Every single year, cities try to top the experience that Indianapolis provides, and in 37 years of going, no one has been able to.
“Indianapolis has a very hometown feel,” he added. “So just the things you find, the things you see, the people you meet, the opportunities to talk with everybody — and everybody wants to talk to you.”
The ease and convenience of the city facilitates that feeling as well, as Siegrist outlined that Indianapolis is one of the best, if not the best, host cities because of all the different factors that align to make it an incredible experience for him in the seven — about to be eight — times he’s been.
“It really is the epicenter of college sports for many reasons. And it’s in a perfect location. It’s got the right attitude. It’s the right size. It just hits on so many cylinders,” he said. “You can walk anywhere. There are plenty of places to eat and drink, to see, to talk and meet. You can walk out of your hotel and go everywhere — to the stadium, and then back out after the game. It’s clean, it’s nice, it’s safe, and it’s not too big.”
Back in 1974, the city built Market Square Arena (now Gainbridge Fieldhouse) to host the NBA’s Indiana Pacers, but it also had hosting high school and college sports in mind. In 1984, Indy built the Hoosier Dome (later the RCA Dome) for a potential NFL team, but also with Super Bowls and Final Fours as a motivator. And again, everything was built within a mile of Monument Circle in downtown to preserve the accessibility and convenience that Indianapolis has become known for.
Lucas Oil Stadium opened in 2008, replacing the RCA Dome, while the convention center was placed where the old stadium once stood. Again, all within walking distance, while the dimensions of Lucas Oil’s seating bowl were laid out with not just the Colts in mind, but hosting everything in between.
The first Final Four was hosted in the city in 1980 at Market Square Arena, with the RCA Dome taking over hosting duties when the Final Four came back to Indy in 1991. It was also hosted in 1997, 2000 and 2006, while the NCAA headquarters relocated to Indy in 1999.
“There are so many high-level programs within close proximity — Chicago, Louisville, Lexington, Detroit, Columbus — it just makes sense to keep bringing major college basketball events back to Indianapolis,” David Warlock, the NCAA’s Final Four communications director, said.
Because of the NCAA’s location adjacent to downtown Indianapolis, the city has continued hosting NCAA Tournament games — whether that be first and second rounds, regionals or the Final Four itself.
“We could be headquartered somewhere else and Indianapolis would still be a regular host. But having the NCAA here certainly helps,” Warlock added.
He too cited the convenience of having hotels, stadiums and restaurants all within walking distance as a major reason why Indy excels at hosting, but he also brought up the people who facilitate the events — whether that be volunteers or those at Indiana Sports Corp.
“You can have nice hotels, a nice airport, good venues, great restaurants — but if you don’t have the people, it’s all for naught. The people are the backbone of this,” Warlock explained. “I always come back to the people. It’s all hands on deck — from local and state leaders all the way down to volunteers pointing people in the right direction.”
The NCAA brings on thousands of volunteers for various positions across the fan experience, media hospitality and event service, and the people behind the scenes seemingly keep getting better at putting on an incredible experience.
“We just knew how to get it done. Our volunteers were integral in our ability to stage an event and meet everybody’s needs,” Benner said. “Indy always seemed to elevate — to take it one step above whatever another city was doing.”
When Indianapolis hosted the Super Bowl for the first time in 2012, something critics said couldn’t be done because of its cold-weather climate for an event hosted in February, it met the mark and then some.
“When we hosted the Super Bowl, the NFL rewrote the host manual for future cities and said, ‘You need to do it like Indianapolis did,’” Benner said.
The same can be said for Final Fours, as when Indiana hosted the entire NCAA Tournament in 2021 due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, no one had ever done March Madness like Indianapolis did.
Other cities turn to Indy to figure out how to improve their hosting ability, but no one can replicate the ease and convenience of how the city is situated. Others try to implement strategies like Indy has, but they can’t replicate the experience and expertise of the volunteers and Indiana Sports Corp.
No one has the sports-centered attitude like Indy does. To convince the NBA to give the city the All-Star Game, Larry Bird showed up in a branded IndyCar at NBA headquarters in New York City, Benner explained.
In the Final Four’s case, getting the NCAA to move its headquarters might not have been as flashy, but it was just as effective. In 2029, Indy will host its 10th Final Four — tying Kansas City for the most all-time.
None of it is by coincidence. The NCAA, among other sporting organizations, doesn’t repeat hosts unless it feels the city can continue to serve fans, media and everyone in between.
“They don’t take it for granted. Every time they host an event, they want to do it better than the last,” Warlock said.
With convenience, amenities, stadiums, culture and an innate ability to continue to improve, Indianapolis has separated itself from every other city that hosts major sporting events.
For an NCAA executive like Warlock, a media person like Parrish, an Indianapolis sports historian like Benner,and a Final For junkie like Siegrist, Indianapolis checks every single box. No detail is too small, and the city isn’t too big. Everything comes together to provide a nearly perfect experience for everyone who descends on the biggest event college basketball provides.
Indianapolis is a sports town — and its role as the premier host city is known near and far.
And as you enter the city for an event like the Final Four, its welcome sign will remind you what it’s known for. Indy takes pride in its hosting ability, and every indication says it’ll continue to do so for the 2026 Final Four and beyond.
