Drive to 2027 Final Four in Detroit tips off with fan activities

Fresh off the University of Michigan men's basketball team's NCAA championship in Indianapolis, officials in Detroit already are gearing up for next year's Men's Final Four, which is coming to Motown, by announcing promotional activities and events for fans to experience for one of downtown's biggest 2027 events.

The NCAA Fan Jam mobile promotional tour — where fans can shoot basketballs — will travel across Michigan through April 2027 to stir up excitement for the NCAA Men’s Final Four, which will be held in Detroit April 3 and 5 at Ford Field.

Mayor Mary Sheffield stood alongside organizers and kids Thursday morning, April 9, in front of the Spirit of Detroit statue to announce the promotional tour. Similar to other cities, visitors can expect fan and music festivals for several days as a part of the festivities, with big headliners. Specific artists and locations have yet to be determined, but officials said they expect to roll out more details closer to the event.

Dave Beachnau, left, CEO, Detroit Local Organizing Committee, stands with Detroit Mayor Mary Sheffield as they help roll out the statewide NCAA Fan Jam mobile promotional tour, which will travel through 83 counties through April 2027 to generate excitement for the NCAA men's basketball Final Four, which is being held in Detroit in 2027. The event took place outside the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center, with the Spirit of Detroit in the background, in Detroit on Thursday, April 9, 2026.

"Over the next 12 months, we are going to be working extremely hard, with intention, to ensure that Detroit's Final Four is not only world-class, but uniquely Detroit. That means an experience that is vibrant, welcoming, and deeply rooted in our neighborhoods and in our people. We are committed to delivering a Final Four that is safe, that is inclusive and community-centered," Sheffield said.

Sheffield, Deputy Mayor Brian White and others went to Indianapolis this year to witness the impact a major sporting event can have on a host city. Detroit is not new to massive events, however. The city hosted the NFL Draft in 2024 and a Super Bowl in 2006.

Local Detroit youth from the Barney McCoskey League take shots on the NCAA Fan Jam mobile vehicle after Detroit Mayor Mary Sheffield held a news conference to help roll out the statewide NCAA Fan Jam mobile promotional tour, which will travel through 83 counties through April 2027 to generate excitement for the NCAA men's basketball Final Four, which is being held in Detroit in 2027. The event took place outside the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center, with the Spirit of Detroit in the background, in Detroit on Thursday, April 9, 2026.

The mayor said the event allows her administration to think beyond how it "can drive long-term opportunity for our city, support our local economy, and continue to build national and international momentum for Detroit...and let me just say, we broke history for the NFL Draft, and I believe that we can do it again for this event right here in the city of Detroit.

"We are committed to making this a full city celebration, one that reflects the energy, the pride and the resilience of Detroiters," Sheffield said.

Dave Beachnau, chief executive officer of the Detroit Local Organizing Committee, said organizers will build out a schedule of dates in the next several months where fans can take advantage of shooting hoops and signing up for giveaways, which will include two tickets to next year's Final Four.

The schedule will be posted to the Visit Detroit website, along with a page for organizations to request the Fan Jam at their location.

Detroit Deputy Mayor Brian White, left, and Detroit Mayor Mary Sheffield pose with an NCAA championship trophy as they help roll out the statewide NCAA Fan Jam mobile promotional tour, which will travel through 83 counties through April 2027 to generate excitement for the NCAA men's basketball Final Four, which is being held in Detroit in 2027. The event took place outside the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center in Detroit on Thursday, April 9, 2026.

Detroit Police Chief Todd Bettison, co-chair for the organizing committee, said he and members of the fire department also traveled to Indianapolis for the Final Four to ensure Detroit manages the event from a public safety lens "just like we did with the Super Bowl back in 2006; just like we did the largest NFL Draft with 775,000 people in the city of Detroit right here; we're going to do it for the Final Four, bigger, better, and being prepared.

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"I'm fired up, I know Detroit is fired up."

Sam Krassenstein, deputy director for the city's department of public works, said the city will work on placemaking efforts, but the landscape will not be as intense at the NFL Draft. He added there may be a few street closures around Ford Field and upgrades to broken sidewalks and streets, but city officials are currently deliberating plans.

Crews also are working toward finishing up construction in Greektown, which he said he expects to be completed by the fall.

Detroit Police Chief Todd Jettison, left, Detroit Deputy Mayor Brian White and Detroit Mayor Mary Sheffield pose with Detroit youth to help roll out the statewide NCAA Fan Jam mobile promotional tour, which will travel through 83 counties through April 2027 to generate excitement for the NCAA men's basketball Final Four, which is being held in Detroit in 2027. The event took place outside the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center in Detroit on Thursday, April 9, 2026.

"They're going to start wrapping up this summer, and then, towards the later part of this year — October, November — their goal is to have the street (Monroe) reopened up," Krassenstein said. "The big thing is, you don't need to go to the games to enjoy the Final Four experience.

"There should be enough going on that you can come down, hang out in downtown Detroit, and be a part of the environment and experience."

Dana Afana is the Detroit city hall reporter for the Free Press. Contact: dafana@freepress.com. Follow her: @DanaAfana.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: 2027 Final Four Fan Jam tour to roll out in Detroit