Thousands embark on downtown Kansas City for busy weekend
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — It’s a lively weekend in downtown Kansas City as two major events take over.
Friday and Saturday are busy days for the Big 12 Women’s Basketball Championship at T-Mobile Center. Four games are being played each day there. Then on Monday and Tuesday, there are three.
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This is the first year the women’s championship’s being played at T-Mobile Center as opposed to the Municipal Auditorium.
“I think the women deserve to be here just like the women do, so I like the change that it’s here,” Oklahoma State fan Wendy English told FOX4 on Friday.
English lives in the area and went to the Oklahoma State vs Texas Christian University game Friday afternoon. TCU won 68-66.
“I mean it’s going to be wild, but hey, we can handle it. It’s going to be great,” English said when asked how busy downtown will be over the weekend.
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Another fan that FOX4 ran into outside T-Mobile was Tambra Prince. Her daughter Sedona used to play for the University of Oregon, which plays the Women’s Basketball Pac-12 Championships in Las Vegas. It’s the first time she’s been here for the Big 12 Women’s Championship.
“Apples and oranges, not even close,” Prince said when asked how the Big 12 tournament in Kansas City compares to the tournament in Las Vegas. “But it has more of a homey vibe for obvious reasons. I like Vegas, but I certainly like Kansas City. I’m looking forward to exploring.”
Three years ago, Sedona made headlines when she posted a video to social media comparing the men’s weight room to the women’s weight room for the NCAA Tournaments. At the time, Prince was an Oregon Duck. Now, she’s a TCU Horned Frog.
“That’s what my daughter was looking for and all the other athletes were looking for was parity,” Tambra continued. “So because of their hard work and speaking up, now it’s the same as the men.”
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West of the T-Mobile Center, Planet Comicon’s 25th anniversary is happening at the Kansas City Convention Center.
“We started out taking up about 20% of Bartle Hall,” Planet Promotions LLC President and CEO Christopher Jackson said in an interview with FOX4 Friday. “Now we take all of it every year.”
Planet Promotions owns Planet Comicon Kansas City.
“We expect a record crowd, by the way, by maybe about 20% more than in 2023,” Jackson continued.
Planet Comicon had the Star Wars groups out in full force Friday morning.
“It’s going to be crazy,” Jedi Master Aleia Stultz said in an interview with FOX4 Friday when asked how busy downtown will be over the weekend.
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“It will be crazy, and it usually is because Comicon is normally right around the spring break, right around the Big 12 tournament time.
“But you know the fans find us, and they will find a parking spot no matter where it is, and they will walk here in any kind of weather, and they will line up outside, and then they come in, and it’s a whole new world for them. It is a completely new experience, and they get to leave all of that behind.”
Planet Comicon runs through Sunday. You can find tickets online here. Find tickets for the Big 12 women’s tournament here.
