By Alberto Amalfi | @Tennis_Now | Thursday, February 29, 2024
Tennis Paradise will amp your adrenaline with the game's biggest stars and rock your world with musical performances from the sport's stars.
The BNP Paribas Open announced a full line-up of on-site activities for the tournament, set for March 3-17th at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.
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FAMILY DAY, EISENHOWER CUP PRESENTED BY MASIMO HEADLINE PRE-TOURNAMENT FESTIVITIES
The annual free Family Day returns to Tennis Paradise on Saturday, March 2, welcoming families with children of all ages to enjoy an exciting afternoon at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, filled with fun activities both on and off the court. This special event will take place from 1:00 – 4:00 pm. across Stadium Plaza and the Indian Wells Tennis Garden Practice Courts with activities including face painting, live music, interactive games, yoga, friendship bracelets, and more. USTA Southern California section will host tennis clinics for children of all skill levels, with special opportunities to hit with ATP and WTA pros as well. A limited number of Family Day attendees will also receive a racquet courtesy of tournament partner HEAD.
The ATP and WTA Making of the Draw Ceremony will take place on Monday, March 4 from 3:00-4:00pm as matchups are revealed live in front of fans on the super wall at Stadium Plaza. The annual Champions Mural Unveilings will also take place during the first week in Stadium Plaza honoring the 2023 BNP Paribas Open Champions Carlos Alcaraz and Elena Rybakina.
Tuesday, March 5 will also see the return of the Eisenhower Cup Presented by Masimo, as top professional stars on both Tours will pair up in mixed doubles for this one-night Tie Break Tens event taking place in Stadium 2 at 7:00 pm.
Reigning Eisenhower Cup champions Aryna Sabalenka and Taylor Fritz will headline the 2024 field, along with other top stars including World No. 1 Iga Swiatek, Caroline Wozniacki, Holger Rune, Elena Rybakina, Ben Shelton, and more. Tickets to the event are on-sale now starting at $50, with all proceeds benefiting local charities.
Fans are invited to join the BNP Paribas Open in recognizing distinguished individuals from the local community as part of its annual Celebrating Community Heroes initiative, taking place each night from Wednesday, March 6 through Friday, March 15.
The Champions Volunteer Foundation will recognize various charity leaders and other local desert heroes with special ceremonies during each evening session on Stadium 1. Other evening session Stadium 1 festivities to look out for will be a special Light Show at 5:45pm on Thursday, March 7 just before three-time Indian Wells champion Rafael Nadal takes the court for his first round match. In addition, a special Friday Night Firework Show will take place on March 8 in between matches of the Stadium 1 evening session.
Fans who can’t get enough tennis can catch the second annual FILA International Junior Championships, which will be held during the second week of the BNP Paribas Open from Monday, March 11 through Sunday, March 17. Promising junior tennis players from around the world will have the opportunity to compete on the same courts as the professionals during main draw play.
REO SPEEDWAGON’S KEVIN CRONIN AND TENNIS LEGEND MATS WILANDER HEADLINE EVENING ENTERTAINMENT LINEUP
The Village Stage will once again serve as the heart of live entertainment in Indian Wells with daily performances all tournament long. REO Speedwagon’s lead singer Kevin Cronin and seven-time Grand Slam men’s singles champion Mats Wilander will debut a special performance at the Village Stage, while fan-favorites like John McEnroe’s Johnny Smyth Band and the Bryan Bros. Band are also back again for 2024.
The full lineup of live Village Stage entertainment can be seen below:
Sunday, March 3 – 12pm-2pm: Ottopilot
Monday, March 4 – 12pm-2pm: The Heart Duo
Tuesday, March 5 – 12pm-2pm: Michael Keeth
Wednesday, March 6 – 4pm-6pm: Rafi Duo
Thursday, March 7 – 4:30pm-6pm: A Night With REO Speedwagon’s Kevin Cronin and Tennis Legend Mats Wilander
Friday, March 8 – 4:30pm-6:30pm: Bryan Bros. Band
Saturday, March 9 – 4pm-6pm: Johnny Smyth Band
Sunday, March 10 – 4pm-6pm: Radio Ready Band
Monday, March 11 – 4pm-6pm: Dueling Pianos
Wednesday, March 13 – 4pm-6pm: Matt C.
Thursday, March 14 – 4pm-6pm: Doug and Meg Duo
Friday, March 15 – 4pm-6pm: Eevaan Tre’ and The Show
The Village Stage will also host daily Tennis Talks with legends of the sport and current players, as well as food samplings and demos throughout the event for fans to enjoy while taking a break from the on-court action. International Women’s Day on Friday, March 8 will feature a special “Inspiring the Next Generation” panel presented by BNP Paribas and FILA spotlighting female leaders across tennis and business.
FULL LINEUP OF SPONSOR DAYS AND PARTNER ACTIVATIONS IN STORE FOR 2024
Fans can enjoy special activations and giveaways throughout the tournament from the BNP Paribas Open’s roster of official tournament partners including:
City of Indian Wells Residents Day – Thursday, March 7
Masimo Day – Friday, March 8
Emirates Day – Saturday, March 9
FILA Day – Sunday, March 10
Motorola Day – Monday, March 11
Spotlight 29 Casino Day – Tuesday, March 12
BMW Day – Wednesday, March 13
Steve Furgal’s International Tennis Tours Day – Thursday, March 14
Rolex Day – Friday, March 15
BNP Paribas Championship Weekend – Saturday, March 16 and Sunday, March 17
Additionally, 2024 will mark the return of the BNP Paribas Open’s popular on-site radio program, which allows fans at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden to listen to live play-by-play analysis and commentary from Tennis Channel throughout the event via free, personal earpiece radios.
BNP Paribas Open Radio presented by Spotlight 29 Casino will begin on Wednesday, March 6 with the first day of main draw play. Radios are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis at the Spotlight 29 Casino activation booth.
Photo credit: BNP Paribas Open Facebook