Thousands of fans packed downtown Las Vegas Thursday to celebrate a huge sports weekend on tap for the valley.
“This is like a big hype,” Las Vegas visitor Emily Acuna said! “A fun time, everyone is just like cheering!”
People filed into our city from all across the world, as they prepare for these four days of excitement.
“So much fun all the flags around,” another fan told 8 News Now. “It’s like a world event.”
It all started Thursday afternoon, with the Ultimate Fan Fest at the Downtown Events Center.
Mascots joined a few ultimate athletes to celebrate UFC, Golden Knights Hockey and Nascar, all coming together for the next four days.
“It just shows how big of a community Las Vegas is,” said Las Vegas native and UNLV basketball player Marvin Coleman. “And how much we have going on here.”
“It’s bringing in a lot of revenue,” Las Vegas native Nascar driver Noah Gragson said. “A lot of people from outside coming into Las Vegas.”
Then a few hours later on Fremont Street it was all about rugby. Teams marched down the red carpet for The USA Sevens Parade of Nations Opening Ceremony.
Then just down the way, semi trucks revved down the Las Vegas Strip for the annual Nascar Hauler Parade.
“Just the culture that we’re building in Las Vegas,” Coleman added. “It’s phenomenal.”
However, no matter who they came to root for, every person attending agreed, no one does anything like Las Vegas.
“It’s so fun,” one fan added. “I look forward to it every year.”
“One little thing can bring us all together,” Coleman said. “Such as sports, so it’s great.”
The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority said last year’s Ultimate Fan Fest weekend was a huge success.
The event brings people to our city from all over the world. About 42 million visitors come to Las Vegas every year, bringing the city tens of billions of dollars.