INDIANAPOLIS — The March Madness fan frenzy returned to downtown Indianapolis for the Sweet 16 games.
There was no shortage of fans along Georgia Street Saturday afternoon.
Almost every table at a restaurant or bar was full. Some people waited hours to get a table. Long lines also formed outside popular bars on South Meridian Street.
Arkansas fan Kristie Johnson was lucky and snagged a table at The District Tap.
“This was perfect. We kind of slid in and got our spot, so this has been amazing,” Johnson said.
Johnson said she felt safe being downtown with the protocols in place.
“Everything has been fine. We got our first vaccinations on Monday, so we feel like we are halfway there,” she said.
Last weekend, the Marion County Public Health Department issued three violations to businesses not following the public health order, including an event at the Bottleworks District.
This weekend, the crowd at Bottleworks was a lot smaller, and people waited in line with workers keeping a count on capacity in The Garage.
Most fans on Saturday said they are happy to watch basketball again and see businesses booming.
“It kind of reminds you of the Super Bowl when that was here, and the weather was nice, and we were all down here on Georgia Street,” said Nick Eichelman.
County health officials are doing spot checks around downtown this weekend to make sure everyone is safe, and business are following the safety guidelines.