Doechii, Fan Fest & NCAA Stars: Revisit Our Final Four Experience
By Leroy Adams
The last two days, San Antonio brought the energy of a music festival, the thrill of championship basketball, and the soul of community culture—all wrapped into the 2025 NCAA Men’s Final Four. And Culture Travels Media was right in the mix, from behind-the-scenes fan experiences to front-row energy at Doechii’s live performance. Here's a look at our first two days:
Capital One Fan Fest: A Sports Wonderland Before Tip-Off
After a warm welcome at the official media mixer, our team was invited to preview the Capital One Fan Fest—and let us just say, it did not disappoint. Imagine an entire convention center transformed into a sports amusement park, with brand activations from Coke, Buick, GEICO, Home Depot, AT&T, Chips Ahoy, and more.
We jumped into the fun at Capital One’s photo booth, which paid tribute to the game’s origins with a wooden basket and rustic backdrop. Then came the action. Pizza Hut’s dunk zone had hoops at every height—perfect for kids and high-flyers alike. GEICO’s basketball garage challenge had us shooting into laundry baskets, bike baskets, and totes, all under 30 seconds for a chance to win prizes. Coke Zero’s confetti booth was a whole vibe, with wind-blown Coke bottle-shaped confetti swirling around us like we were in a music video. We saw folks getting free fades at Great Clips, fans shooting hoops at the AT&T station with NCAA-themed backdrops, and Buick turning up the competition with a full-court challenge. Fan Fest was immersive, interactive, and massive—one of the best pregame activations we’ve ever seen.
Fan Fest was immersive, interactive, and massive—one of the best pregame activations we’ve seen.
Florida & Duke Hit the Court: Practice with the Stars
The next day, we packed our gear and headed to the Alamodome to catch open practices with two of the Final Four's biggest teams—the Florida Gators and Duke Blue Devils.
It was clear from the moment we arrived: Florida and Duke fans travel deep. The crowd energy felt like game day. Media crews rolled footage as stars like Cooper Flagg and Walter Clayton Jr. ran drills, hit jumpers, and took time to engage with fans. T-shirts flew into the stands, mascots posed for selfies, and the arena buzzed with anticipation.
Friday Night: Free Vibes & a Live Performance to Remember
After practice, we made the short walk to Hemisfair Park where Grammy Award-winning artist Doechii was prepping for her headlining set at the AT&T Block Party to kick off the March Madness Music Festival. Even during rehearsal, she owned the stage—and fans had already been lining up since 5 a.m. (We love the dedication… but we definitely caught some extra sleep.)
Later that night, Doechii finally hit the stage and opened with “Bitch I’m Nice”—and the crowd lost it. From the very first bar, she had us.
And we have to shout out her DJ, Miss Milan aka The Fairy Vibemother. She kept the crowd hyped through the delay, had the transitions tight, and set the entire tone for the show. A real one.
As we danced through her set—bouncing to tracks like “Spookie Coochie” and “Boiled Peanuts”—Marie, the host of our upcoming travel food show, said it best:
“Doechii is unapologetically Black and cool.” Her show was the perfect balance of chaos, fun, and freedom—hype without the worry of getting trampled (no shade, Travis).
And then came the most relatable moment of the night—when Doechii joked about driving her dented, beat-down Nissan. “It still gets me where I need to go,” she said. And honestly? Same. We took a second to look around and just take it in. Covering the NCAA Final Four and a Doechii show? Wild. She started with a dream. So did we. And here we are, showing up for culture in real time. If you had told us a few years ago that we’d be doing this… we would’ve slapped the lie out your mouth.
But look at us now.
Beyond Basketball: Culture, Community & Celebration
Between hoops and hip hop, free haircuts and free spirits, this Final Four weekend showed what happens when sports, culture, and community collide. From the immersive world of Fan Fest to watching NCAA stars practice, and jamming with Doechii under the Texas sky, this was travel the Culture Travels way—intentional, joyful, and rooted in experience.
Until next time, San Antonio. ✌🏾
