March 14, 2023

What to know before you go: NCAA March Madness Festival at Discovery Green

The NCAA March Madness Music Festival will be held at Discovery Green Friday, March 31 through Sunday, April 2.

Lineup:

  • March 31: Megan Thee Stallion, Omar Apollo and J.I.D at the AT&T Block Party (4:30 – 10 pm)
  • April 1: Lil Nas X, Maggie Rogers at Move by Coca-Cola (3 – 9 pm)
  • April 2: Tim McGraw and Keith Urban, Little Big Town, Mickey Guyton at Capital One JamFest (2:30 – 10 pm)

As preparations for the festival are made the following areas of Discovery Green will be affected:

Street closures:

  • Portions of Avenida de las Americas will be closed beginning March 18th.
  • LaBranch between Lamar & McKinney St
  • Lamar Street will be closed from LaBranch to Crawford beginning March 21
  • McKinney will be closed from Crawford to LaBranch beginning March 21
  • Beginning March 27th – April 4 access to Avenida Central garage will be closed. Avenida North and South garages will remain open.

Park access:

March 20 – 22:

  • Portions of Sarofim Lawn, the Mist Tree and the west end of Jones Lawn will be inaccessible to the public.
  • The White Promenade may be closed at times
  • The playground, the dog runs, The Grove and the Lake House will be open

March 23 – 24:

  • The Sarofim Lawn, the Mist Tree, half of Jones Lawn and the Grace Event Lawn will be inaccessible to the public
  • The playground, the dog runs, The Grove and the Lake House will be open

March 25 – 26:

  • The Sarofim Lawn, the Mist Tree, Jones Lawn, the Grace Event Lawn, the boat basin, Anheuser-Busch Stage and the White Promenade will be inaccessible to the public
  • The playground, the dog runs, The Grove and the Lake House will be open

March 27 – 29:

  • Only the playground, the dog runs, The Grove and the Lake House will be open

March 30 – April 3:

  • You must have pre-registered for a free ticket to attend the event. Registrations are only accepted at ncaa.com/marchmadness/musicfest. Discovery Green staff will not have any available online or in person.
  • Check-in instructions will be provided to all registered ticket holders.

April 4:

  • Parts of Discovery Green are still off limits to ensure visitor safety while the stage is dismantled. Please do not attempt to cross fences or barricades.
  • The parking garage across from George R Brown convention center is closed.

Transportation:

Click HERE to find out about getting to and around Houston via planes, trains, and automobiles. Click HERE for your trip on METRO Rail. Click HERE for current parking information.


Bikes are allowed in the downtown area; however, bikes are required to be walked through any street closure zone surrounding the March Madness Music Festival.  Bikes are not allowed inside the festival. Information on the b-cyle program can be found here:  https://houston.bcycle.com/station-map

ACCESSIBILITY QUESTIONS
If you have questions or require assistance to accommodate a special need (i.e., provision of an assistive listening device, sign language interpreter or other auxiliary aid), please contact finalfour@houstonsports.org.

What types of bags are allowed inside the festival?
No bags larger than 5.5” by 8.5” allowed (clear plastic bags up to 12”x6”x12” are permitted). Refer to the Prohibited Items section for more details.

The following items are prohibited from March Madness Music Festival:

  • Animals (except service animals to aid guests with disabilities)
  • Artificial noisemakers or noisemaking devices of any kind.
  • Prohibited bags include, but are not limited to, the following: all purses, bags or containers larger than a small clutch bag, coolers, briefcases, backpacks, fanny packs, cinch bags, luggage of any kind, computer bags and camera bags.  Please refer to the bag policy.
  • Balls or any object that can be used as a projectile.
  • Cameras with professional lenses longer than 4”, GoPros, video recorders and mono/tripods.
  • Chewing tobacco, e-cigarettes and vape pens.
  •  Outside food and beverage and containers of any kind (except for guests with medical and dietary needs).  An exception will be made for factory-sealed water bottles 20 ounces or fewer (one per person).
  • Fireworks or pyrotechnics.
  • Folding chairs, stools, seating devices and blankets.
  • Illegal drugs.
  • Laser pointers.
  • Poles or sticks of any kind, including selfie-sticks.
  • Signs larger than 3’ x 2’ or flags larger than 3’ x 5’.
  • Umbrellas.
  • Unmanned aircraft systems and radio-controlled model aircraft/drones.
  • Yard games, glow sticks, marker pens and inflatables.
  • Skateboards, scooters and personal motorized vehicles (Exceptions will be made for those needed to aid guests with disabilities.).
  • Any other item(s) determined by event management to be dangerous or inappropriate will not be allowed into NCAA events.

The following behavioral policies will be strictly enforced: 

  • Profanity will not be tolerated and may result in ejection.
  • The use of obscene or indecent clothing will result in ejection.

Behind the Scenes at March Madness Music Festival

Discovery Green Conservancy president Barry Mandel gives a behind the scenes look at NCAA MarchMadness Music Fest and what events like these mean for your favorite Houston green space!
NCAA - Music Festival

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