PROVIDENCE – True basketball madness is coming to Rhode Island’s capital city for the first time in close to a decade.
With that, local hospitality leaders are looking to score big from the thousands of basketball fans both locally and from around the country that are expected to be in the Ocean State through the weekend.
Thursday marks the main start of the 2025 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, with the Amica Mutual Pavilion once again serving as a regional site. Teams from St. John’s University from Queens, N.Y., along with the University of Arkansas, the University of Kansas, the University of Nebraska Omaha, Purdue University, Clemson University, McNeese State University in Lake Charles, La., and High Point University in High Point, N.C., and their fans all will be in town pursuing championship glory.
However, local restaurants and entertainment venues across downtown will offer fans more than just basketball. Several establishments will host block parties across, resulting in streets
closed to vehicle traffic, a mere few blocks away from the AMP as part of a hoops celebration the state has not seen since 2016 when the NCAA’s “March Madness” was last here.
“There’s a reason I think we keep getting March Madness and I think we do it really well. It’s one of the ways we sell Providence,” said Kristen Adamo, CEO and president of the Providence Warwick Convention & Visitor’s Bureau. “When you’re having an event like March Madness, you can take over the whole town.”
Those parties by Trinity Brewhouse, Murphy’s Deli & Bar, NicoBella’s Family Restaurant LLC, Black Sheep, Durk’s BBQ, Moonshine Alley and The Strand Ballroom & Theatre will offer a combination of live music and televised basketball across the country, Rhode Island notwithstanding.
That celebration hopes to be a major financial windfall for area restaurants and establishments, local owners and hospitality leaders told Providence Business News. Many owners hope to see this weekend at least double, maybe triple, the revenue they would normally see during a weekend in March that doesn’t involve St. Patrick’s Day.
“We depend on tourism and we depend on these pops,” NicoBella’s Owner Daniel Crenca said. “It remains to be seen [what our revenue will be], but PVDFest is two days and we’re expecting four days out of this [March Madness]. I’m hoping I can double what I would normally do during PVDFest.”
Josh Miller, Trinty Brewhouse’s owner, also expects the weekend to be busy for his establishment located one block from the downtown arena. While he hopes for a big revenue boost this weekend, Miller feels it won’t come close to the perfect storm Trinity experienced nine years ago the last time March Madness came to Rhode Island.
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TRINITY BREWHOUSE in Providence, about a block from the Amica Mutual Pavilion, is expected to double its normal March weekend revenue with the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament in town. / PBN PHOTO / JAMES BESSETTE[/caption]
“Back then, there was open containers, so we didn’t have to fence off. We were able to serve people a little easier than being fenced off because we have to check IDs when they come into the area,” Miller said. “It was also almost 80 degrees nine years ago and the day before [March Madness] was St. Patrick’s Day. We still expect it to be very, very busy. It’s a good schedule on Thursday with good times for the games.”
Miller also said he hired an additional 20 people at Trinity to help the restaurant handle the expected large crowds from Thursday through the end of the weekend.
Overall, it is estimated that Rhode Island will have
at least a $3.7 million economic impact with the men’s basketball tournament in town this weekend, according to Adamo. Nine years ago, the economic impact on the state from the tournament was $3.5 million.
Adamo also said the basketball tournament further strengthens the state’s ability to host major sporting events, such as when
Providence was a host city for the 2023 Army-Navy game in Foxborough, Mass., and, most recently, the NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships held this past weekend.
March Madness also helps Rhode Island prepare for the FIFA World Cup international soccer tournament set for next year, Adamo said.
“The World Cup, as it was explained to us, will be like hosting seven Super Bowls in a row,” Adamo said. “We have to be really prepared, so things like this [March Madness] is something that is a great exercise in getting ready for something like that.”
Rick Simone, the Rhode Island Small Business Coalition’s managing director and president of the Federal Hill Commerce Association, told PBN the breaks in between games may allow visitors the chance to explore everything both the city and state has to offer while in town for basketball. Plus, to have significant business taking place during a normally quite month is “vital” for the local hospitality industry, Simone said.
“March is a tough time of the year. There’s usually no spring business,” Simone said. “The weather can be gloomy. All of my hospitality folks have just come off of two months of cold, dreary, snowy weather and that impacts business. To have this right now, it’s a big shot in the arm.”
Establishment owners are also looking beyond just a strong bottom line by the weekend’s end. They also want to offer a good representation of the state, as well.
Garry Williams, co-owner of The Strand, said his March Madness parties will introduce local musicians to a visiting national community. Additionally, the parties will allow those artists to showcase their talents to a larger audience, he says.
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THE STRAND BALLROOM & Theatre on Washington Street in Providence is among several local establishments hosting block parties during the 2025 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament this weekend. / PBN PHOTO / JAMES BESSETTE[/caption]
“Our goal is to give everyone a great time and we reap the benefits at the end and the job we do,” Williams said. “That’s been our focus before the revenue.”
Murphy’s co-owner Ruth Ferrazzano agrees. She said it’s important to take care of the incoming basketball fans because “you want them to walk away from a good experience.”
Providence College also will benefit with the tournament in town as the site host school. PC Vice President and Director of Athletics Steven Napolillo told PBN the college by hosting the tournament has an opportunity to showcase and market “everything that’s great” about the school to national visitors in town.
“A lot of the teams will practice at our facilities, so they’ll come up and see our institution and campus,” Napolillo said. “It’s always great anytime you can have high-profile events here to showcase the city and state.”
Despite PC’s men’s basketball team falling short this season of making March Madness, the school is looking forward to seeing PC’s men’s hockey team vie for a national championship. The hockey team, ranked No. 10 in the country, is expected to qualify for the NCAA Men’s Tournament for the first time since 2019.
James Bessette is the PBN special projects editor, and also covers the nonprofit and education sectors. You may reach him at Bessette@PBN.com. You may also follow him on X at @James_Bessette.
