Las Vegas Offers Reprieve From Winter Blues With March Sports And Sunshine

Basketball, Baseball, Rugby, Racing and More Draws Thousands in March

News provided by

Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA)

Feb 22, 2017, 10:00 ET

LAS VEGAS, Feb. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- With sunny days and average highs of 70 degrees, Las Vegas welcomes spring breakers, sports enthusiasts, revelers and convention attendees looking to trade winter chills for springtime thrills. From viewing parties and sporting events, to pool season kick-off and unparalleled entertainment, Las Vegas is the ultimate March hot spot.

The ultimate college basketball destination, Las Vegas will host four National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) basketball conference tournaments including the West Coast Conference (WCC), Western Athletic Conference (WAC), Mountain West Conference (MWC) and Pacific Athletic Conference (PAC 12). Every year, thousands of out-of-town fans flock to Vegas to catch all the college hoops action, especially the first round of March Mayhem, which is consistently one of the busiest weekends in Las Vegas.

Hoops & Hops will transform The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas' Belmont Ballroom into an exclusive sports lounge offering luxury basketball viewing experiences, March 16-17. Down the Strip, fans can enjoy the ultimate basketball viewing experience during Hoops at Caesars Palace, when the property lines its ballroom with countless big screen televisions. Additional viewing parties will take place throughout Las Vegas at Flamingo Las Vegas, Stratosphere Casino, Hotel & Tower, Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino, SLS Las Vegas and many others.

After breaking the curse of the Billy Goat in 2016, World Series champs, the Chicago Cubs, will return to Las Vegas for their 13^th consecutive appearance during Big League Weekend at Cashman Field. On March 25 - 26, Major League Baseball fans can cheer on the Cubbies as they take on the Cincinnati Reds during one of Las Vegas' favorite springtime traditions.

The annual USA Sevens international rugby tournament will return to Las Vegas, March 3-5. USA Sevens is the premier rugby event in North America, bringing 16 international rugby sevens teams to compete in 45 matches throughout the thrilling three-day tournament at Sam Boyd Stadium.

Racing fans will also rejoice with the return of the highly anticipated NASCAR Weekend. The Hauler Parade kicks off the weekend on March 9, as race car haulers drive the Las Vegas Strip starting at the Welcome to Las Vegas Sign and ending at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. From March 10-12, more than 150,000 fans will gather at the Speedway for the largest sporting event in the state of Nevada. The race includes the Kobalt 400 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race and the Boyd Gaming 300 NASCAR Xfinity Series race.

Kicking off the month of non-stop excitement, the Mint 400 is an action packed desert race featuring top off-road competitors from around the world. Racing activities include parties, meet and greets, challenges and the thrilling race.

The Monster Jam World Finals XVIII will roll into Sam Boyd Stadium March 23-25. The annual event welcomes more than 30 of the top monster truck divers from around the world to compete for the world championship title in each race and freestyle categories.

Spring-breakers and sunbathers will ditch their winter wear for swimwear this March as pool season officially kicks off in the destination. Starting March 3, visitors can have fun in the sun as Encore Beach Club at Wynn Las Vegas returns with its high-energy day party featuring headlining DJs David Guetta, Dillion Francis, Skrillex and more.

Wet Republic at MGM Grand and Rehab Beach Club at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino will welcome partygoers back to the famed daytime hot spots starting March 10. Revelers can also catch some rays Strip-side at Marquee Dayclub inside The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, opening March 17.

Getting down to business, Las Vegas will host major conventions, meetings and trade shows throughout the month, including Globalshop at Mandalay Bay Convention Center, while the Las Vegas Convention Center welcomes ASD Las Vegas, Nightclub and Bar Show, International Pizza Expo and CONEXPO-CON/AGG, the first meeting to utilize the Diamond Lot at the convention center as outdoor exhibit space.

Convention attendance in March last year reached nearly 700,000 visitors, which contributed to an all-time high for convention visitation in 2016. In total, Las Vegas welcomed more than 3.7 million visitors in March 2016 and more than 3.6 million people in March 2015. As one of the busiest months in Las Vegas, the continued strength in visitation is expected once again this year.

ABOUT THE LVCVA

The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) is charged with marketing Southern Nevada as a tourism and convention destination worldwide, and also with operating the Las Vegas Convention Center and Cashman Center. With 150,000 hotel rooms in Las Vegas alone and nearly 11 million square feet of meeting and exhibit space citywide, the LVCVA's mission centers on attracting ever increasing numbers of leisure and business visitors to the area. For more information, go to www.lvcva.com or www.LasVegas.com.

SOURCE Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA)