Spokane Hoopfest Brings Bling to Washington State

Gearing up for a big weekend

As Illinois kicks off the world’s largest outdoor food festival, Eastern Washington’s claim to fame, Spokane Hoopfest, begins Friday.

Every year at this time, the City of Spokane and basketball fans from all over are thrown into a tizzy. Restaurant owners schedule extra staff to handle the crowds. People travel from all over to compete. Spokane Hoopfest is the world’s largest three-on-three basketball tournament.

They’re in the money

Spokane is commonly referred to as a “mid-size metro” and has a population of about 450,000 in the city and surrounding areas. However, that number grows significantly during Spokane Hoopfest.

Basketball enthusiasts book hotel rooms months in advance. Although some Spokane residents chose to stay home to avoid the crowds, Spokane Hoopfest brings in a huge influx of instant money for hotels, retailers, restaurants and plenty of other businesses.

Downtown gets shut down and riled up

To give you an idea of just how big a deal Spokane Hoopfest is for this not-so-big city, here’s a quote from the Spokane Hoopfest web site:

“Over 6,400 teams, 3,000 volunteers, 200,000 players and fans, 400 courts spanning 40 downtown city blocks, and that’s just on day one! Beyond basketball, though, Hoopfest is an outdoor festival chock full of concerts, shopping, food, interactive entertainment …”

This year, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar will be present at a Downtown Spokane venue. It promises to be “a great night of basketball, questions from the audience and book signing. ” Tickets are still available through TicketsWest for $48. ... click here to read the rest of the article titled "Spokane Hoopfest Brings Bling to Washington State"