World Cup 2006 Fan Fest Berlin

The Brandenburg Gate, one of Berlin’s main attractions, located on Pariser Platz, is now the scene of preparations for the 2006 World Cup. Tournament organizers know that the majority of fans who want to see games will not get tickets. The solution is to erect a giant screen at Brandenburg Gate, and turn the whole area into a Fan Fest.

Walking down there last night with Bob, Chris and Sean, the first thing I noticed was the huge football, that was parked in front of it. The ball contains World Cup memorabilia and is an attraction for fans. On the other side of the Brandenburg Gate is a stage and massive screen, a central location where fans can come to enjoy the games for free.

The Reichstag, another famous Berlin landmark is 100 meters away, and next to that is specially built fan’s arena, which took 4 years to build. Games will be shown here live on the big screen. Plenty of World Cup merchandising logos splattered across everything, and I can imagine this place being party central during the competition.

I’ve read in other media sources, that there is a lot of excitement locally for the World Cup. I get the feeling that the only people in East Berlin who care about the World Cup are the people in our office. I have yet to see anyone sporting a shirt, flag, banner. The vibe at the Brandenburg Gate last night was that the event is some ways off still, and workmen were still setting up. People wandered around, but as yet there are not masses of foreign fans here in Berlin. When the weather gets a bit warmer, and the tournament gets underway, I expect Berlin to be World Cup central.