Like We Always Do At This Time: CIAA Week Is Here

The anticipation has been building for the past month (even longer for some people), and now CIAA Week is here. The CIAA Tournament officially kicks off today in Charlotte with the opening of the women's basketball tournament at Time Warner Cable Arena. The men's tournament begins Wednesday. The men's and women's teams from the 13 CIAA colleges are playing all week with hopes of making it to the championship game on Saturday. Likewise, tens of thousands of fans, visitors, and Charlotteans will be partying all week with hopes of still being able to stand by the time the parties wrap up on Sunday.

There are more than 200 events scheduled (official CIAA events, but the majority from individual promoters), including networking events, day parties, concerts, comedy shows, fashion shows, after-parties, and more. You can find everything you need to know about the events surrounding the 2011 CIAA Tournament, by visiting www.charlottemagazine.com/CIAA. You'll also find guides to shopping and dining, put together by Charlotte magazine's staff. I've spent the last several weeks compiling the events list (about 100 and growing), and they're organized by day to make it easier for you to map out your schedule. You'll also find a few articles I've written that give perspective to what the CIAA represents as a conference of HBCUs, a breakdown on each of the teams, as well as a list of the celebrities who are scheduled to appear in Charlotte. Also, look for photos from some of the events and parties to be added throughout the week.

www.charlottemagazine.com/CIAA