SCRANTON, Pa. — The Battle of the All-Stars Roller Derby Tournament is taking over the Riverfront Sports Complex.
"It just draws people, people want to see roller derby in action and live, so we have thousands of people here just for fans," said co-founder Vanessa Krecman.
Krecman says there are 600 participants and 200 officials from across the country.
The tournament is in its 10th year, but this is its first time here.
"Everyone is like, 'Why Scranton?' And now they are experiencing the city, and they're like, 'Oh, Scranton is actually real? The Office!' And I'm like, 'Yeah, I live here, so it's awesome, and I am really happy to have it here,'" said Krecman.
With all of those teams come the fan bases, and they need a place to stay.
Hotels like the Hilton are booked solid for the next three nights.
"In the hotel business, we love these types of events. You never know what it is going to do for the city. It makes everything super lively and fun. It just makes the hotel fun, and everyone benefits from it, the local restaurants and everything else," said front office manager Luqman Manifee.
Restaurants downtown like Ale Mary's are preparing for a triple whammy of a weekend with March Madness, St. Patrick's Day, and now the Battle of the All-Stars crowd.
"We already got some calls to know we've got a team or two coming in, so who knows who is going to follow behind the team, so we are expecting a lot of people," said Kyle Barchak.
During their time off the track, the teams are already having some fun exploring everything the Electric City has to offer.
"To be honest, it kind of reminds me of something out of a history book when I was younger. Like the old buildings have so much character and not stuff that we are used to. We are exploring when we can so, so far, so good," said Die'mon with Team California.
The Battle of the All-Stars Tournament at the Riverfront Sports Complex runs through Sunday.
The public is welcome to see the teams in action.
You can find a schedule of the matches here.
Check out WNEP’s YouTube channel.