March Madness has taken over South Philadelphia Friday night at the Xfinity Mobile Arena for the first round of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.

“Awesome. What an environment,” said Boston native Drew Calabrese.  

The Calabrese family turned the weekend into a mini vacation, trading a warm and tropical destination for the big dance in rainy Philadelphia.

“It was a family vacation. We were supposed to go to Jamaica and we ended up in Philadelphia for March Madness,” a member of the Calabrese family said.

People came from all over and say they can feel the brotherly love. 

“Beautiful. Great city. Great people. We had one of the best lunches we ever had. Philly cheesesteak and then top it with ice cream,” Los Angeles resident Joe Kazemi said.

Fans say the best part was watching the games in person compared to just watching it on TV at home or at a bar. 

“It’s a different beast. You get to feel the energy rather than just hear it through the TV,” Samuel Bass, of Berkeley Heights, New Jersey, said.

“It was great. My first time ever seeing March Madness in person,” Kyle Rosenfeld, of California, said. “This is my favorite sporting event of all time. I just love watching the games and seeing all the teams compete.” 

And as the tournament heats up, fans say the competition is fierce and fun to watch. 

“It was packed and really good games to be watching,” Veronica Ryan said.

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