MILWAUKEE — Even though Marquette University and the University of Wisconsin are no longer in the NCAA tournament, downtown Milwaukee hasn’t missed a beat.
Local businesses say this has been one of the best weekends of the year so far — thanks to March Madness.
Visitors like Elliott Rushing and Kelsey Richleff from Kentucky bought Sunday game tickets with hopes their home team would make it to the second round in Milwaukee on Sunday.
They’re one of the expected 19,000 visitors to pass through over the weekend.
“Wisconsin and Kentucky have similar attributes,” said Rushing. “It’s a little rainy, but Milwaukee is a cool downtown.”
The businesses and locals downtown take pride in showing off Wisconsin in the national spotlight.
Check out: Milwaukee business cash in on March Madness weekend
“They come here for the beer and the brats,” Ryan Pellinger, bar manager at the Brat House, a popular spot steps away from Fiserv Forum, smiled.
Pellinger and bartender Christian Bradley said they’ve seen waves of fans pouring in since the tournament began from near and far.
“Games on Friday were great — we had so many people in town,” Pellinger said. “It’s been a steady weekend, and we’ve all made good money.”
According to VISIT Milwaukee, the influx of fans is expected to generate an estimated $3.4 million in economic impact for the city.
That momentum was felt down the street at Doc’s Commerce Smokehouse, where general manager Jimmy Hall said it’s been busier than he expected.
“Three 18-hour days in a row is not that bad,” Hall laughed.
“It was much more than we expected — and much more than the Bucks have done for us in the past. The economic impact, even for just a two- to three-day burst like this, is amazing.”
Despite both the Golden Eagles and the Badgers exiting the tournament early, business owners hope the excitement and memories created by fans from across the country will stick around long after the final buzzer.
“We’re in Wisconsin, I know that much,” Richleff smiled.
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