NASHVILLE – SEC Party in the Park, a free fan activation with live music, food trucks, family-friendly games and a video screen to watch the SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament, is taking place today, Friday, March 14 at Music City Walk of Fame Park. Activities scheduled for Saturday, March 15, have been rescheduled for Sunday, March 16, due to impending inclement and severe weather. SEC Party in the Park is in its second year as an initiative of the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp and the Southeastern Conference.
Quartz Hill Records country music trio Runaway June will headline live music at SEC Party in the Park with a free performance from 2:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday at Music City Walk of Fame Park. The Fieldhouse Bar will offer cold beer, and phone charging stations will be available. There will be an SEC photo booth and games, including cornhole, pop-a-shot and giant Jenga. More event details are at visitmusiccity.com/events.
Attendees are invited to bring blankets and collapsible chairs, but no coolers, backpacks, pop-up tents and no pets. (Please see the full list of House Rules.) The SEC has relocated its SEC FanFare to the concourse inside Bridgestone Arena for the remainder of the weekend. The live ESPN Selection Sunday show with Rece Davis, Jay Bilas, Jay Williams, and Seth Greenberg reacting to the NCAA Tournament field will take place at Bridgestone Arena Plaza on Sunday from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. and is open to fans to support their favorite team and celebrate Selection Sunday with ESPN.
This is the 13th year for Nashville to host the SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament, dating back to 2001. The tournament kicked off with a noon game on Wednesday, March 12, and runs to Sunday, March 16, when the championship game is played at noon. The full Men’s Tournament schedule also is available at secsports.com/championships.
The Music City Walk of Fame Park stage lineup will include DJs and local musicians representing diverse genres. DJs will perform between games and during set changes. All times Central Time. (Schedule subject to change.)
Friday, March 14
10 a.m. | Music City Walk of Fame Park Event Site Opens
10 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. | DJ Rideout
10:30 a.m. – 12 p.m. | SanRafaelBand
12 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. | Watch Party for Games 9 and 10
4:30 p.m. – 6 p.m. | The Woods
6 p.m. – 10:30 p.m. | Watch Party for Games 11 and 12
10:30 p.m. | Park Activities Conclude
Saturday, March 15
All activities are cancelled due to impending inclement and severe weather.
Sunday, March 16
10 a.m. | Music City Walk of Fame Park Event Site Opens
10 a.m. – 12 p.m. | DJ
12 p.m. | Championship Game shown on video screen
2:30 p.m. – 4 p.m. | Runaway June
4 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. | DJ
4:30 p.m. | Park Activities Conclude
On Friday, food trucks will be located at Music City Walk of Fame Park next to Bridgestone Arene, including Pie Town Tacos, Hoss’ Loaded Burgers, Bruster’s Ice Cream and The Tennessee Cobbler Co. and more, along with a Daddy’s Dog kiosk. Both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages will be available at The Fieldhouse Bar.
Community partnerships for SEC Party in the Park include Safe Bar, a partnership with the Sexual Assault Center, to train key bar and security staff in bystander intervention and awareness. Safe Bar helps create safe, welcoming and respectful environments for patrons and staff in places where alcohol is served. Free coasters that can detect drugs in drinks will be available. The event will also offer recycling and composting in partnership with Compost Nashville.
Rep. John Lewis Way from Demonbreun to Broadway will be closed for the events. See the full list of Road Closures associated with the event.
Runaway June
Strong-minded, soft-hearted, and wildly free-spirited, each member of Runaway June possesses the kind of Strong-minded, soft-hearted, and wildly free-spirited, each member of Runaway June possesses the kind of powerhouse talent and radiant charisma that fully commands the spotlight. But when the three musicians sing together, their crystalline harmonies create an impact well beyond the sum of its parts and instantly stir up a whole world of feeling: sweet relief from heartache, escape from everyday chaos, and an unabashed freedom to shake off your inhibitions. Gifted, celebrated creators from the writing room to the studio and concert stage, Runaway June is comprised of founding member Jennifer Wayne (vocals, rhythm guitar), Natalie Stovall (vocals, fiddle, mandolin), and Stevie Woodward (lead vocals and guitar, harmonica). Runaway June’s career triumphs include earning nominations from the Academy of Country Music Awards and the CMT Music Awards. They’ve brought their electrifying live set to spots on tour with country icons like Carrie Underwood and Luke Bryan. Scoring a major radio hit with their gold-certified breakthrough single “Buy My Own Drinks,” the Nashville-based trio is now set to deliver a new chapter with their effervescent sound shining like never before. “New Kind of Emotion” is the latest song released from the “next hot trend in country music” (Billboard). Produced by two-time GRAMMY-winner Kristian Bush (Sugarland), “New Kind of Emotion” is an intoxicating, feel-good rush that delivers on its lyric’s promise that “This is what a love song feels like.” Released in January 2024, “Smoke, Wine & Whiskey” is their three-track EP featuring the boot-stomping “Make We Wanna Smoke,” the playful “Fine Wine” and addictive “Miss Me.”
SanRafaelBand
Nashville-based Rafael Vasquez fuses Latin jazz with the broader adult contemporary market, taking the reigns as a leading Latin artist in Music City. His music is a unique combination of the fiery guitar lines of Santana, the classical technique of Andreas Segovia, and the soulful and gritty vocal sound reminiscent of Sting. This compelling blend of jazz, blues, and rock has created a new and popular sound that combines the best of salsa, Latin jazz, and rock. Rafael’s newest musical project, El Cine del Corazon (The Theater of the Heart), is a joint project between Acklen Entertainment and Belmont University. The collection contains an eclectic range of styles—from flamenco guitar to classic Latin rock.
The Woods
Recently named by NPR as a “Top 10 Nashville artists on the rise,” The Woods are digging in their roots. Their debut single, “World’s on Fire,” saw airplay on more than 70 U.S. country stations, reaching the Top 50 on the Music Row Country Breakout Chart and earning a feature by Billboard Magazine’s Tom Roland. Their musicianship and unique three-part harmony have garnered them spots opening for The Cadillac Three, Drake White, and opening for Tim McGraw on their first arena tour. Steeped in the folk and classic rock sounds of the 1960s and 70s, The Woods manages to evoke something fresh and timely. Bringing back the old to make something new in the country music landscape, The Woods don’t sound like anyone else and they wouldn’t have it any other way. getintothewoods.com
The Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp and Visit Music City
The mission of the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp and Visit Music City is to maximize the economic contribution of the convention and tourism industry to the community by developing and marketing Nashville as a premier destination. Visit the NCVC’s website at visitmusiccity.com and follow us on social media @VisitMusicCity.
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