“Fan Fest” – Biggest Football Party of All Time Enjoys Resounding Success
Since the 2006 FIFA World Cup™ began on 9 June, some eleven million fans have celebrated at the official “Fan Fest” sites in Germany in a peaceful, joyful and colourful manner and in keeping with the official slogan, “A Time to Make Friends™”. The popularity of the Fan Fest sites in all 12 host cities has exceeded the expectations of the 12 host cities and FIFA. “We thought that around eight million fans would turn up over the course of the tournament, but that mark was easily surpassed at the halfway point. The host cities and FIFA wanted to do something for the fans without tickets. I can only congratulate the 12 host cities on these wonderful Fan Fest parties, which have taken the authentic stadium atmosphere into the city centres. The 18th FIFA World Cup will long be remembered for the unique sense of excitement and passion it has generated,” said FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter.
Prime sites in the 12 host cities were chosen as “second venues” in the official World Cup design. Entry into the Fan Fest sites is free of charge, and as well as broadcasting all matches live on giant screens, the Fan Fest sites offer various other events that differ from region to region. “Happiness has spread throughout the 12 host cities. We never expected such a sensational response. The whole world has seen some fantastic images from the host cities, which have joined together in this way for the first ever time, and with FIFA, they have created something unique,” said Jürgen Kiessling, the head of the Berlin World Cup office and spokesman for the 12 host cities. So far, 5,500 national and international media representatives have reported on the Fan Fest sites, with some TV channels as well as official German broadcaster ARD often reporting live from the sites themselves.
The Fan Fest system was developed by the 12 host cities and FIFA with the support of the local organising committee over a period of two years, thereby creating the biggest ever football party in Germany. The Fan Fest parties are organised by the cities themselves, together with regional organisers whose untiring efforts have helped to make them such a huge success. FIFA is responsible for coordinating the entire operation, as well as for providing the basic infrastructure such as the giant screens, stages, sound, lighting and decoration of a total of 20,000 square metres in the official World Cup design. The Fan Fest system has received financial support from four Official Partners: Coca-Cola, Hyundai, MasterCard and Toshiba.
Huge logistical operations have provided the foundations for the success. Some 17,000 people have ensured that everything has run smoothly on the 14 stages and 34 giant screens, which have been provided by another FIFA Partner, Philips. Local authorities have developed comprehensive security measures, which have been implemented without any major incidents. The local organising committee’s “Fan Embassies” also provide a first point of contact for the fans. TV rights holder Infront has provided the broadcasting licences free of charge. The biggest football party of all time is now ready for the second half.
2006 FIFA World Cup™ Fan Fest in figures
| FIFA World Cup™ host cities | 12 |
| Event locations | 15 |
| Spectators | approx. 11 million |
| People involved | 17,000 |
| Beer (in litres) | approx. 2.5 million |
| Sausages | 1.73 million (one in six visitors buys a sausage) |
| Media representatives | 5,500 |
Sale of official merchandise: Bestsellers: team replica jerseys, country-specific fan products, key-rings, pin badges, GOLEO VI cuddly toys.
| Giant screens | 34 |
| Size of screens (m2) | 1,728 |
| Stages | 14 |
| Sound (in watts) | 1,500,000 |
| Lighting (in watts) | 3,000,000 |
| Number of trucks for stages, giant screens, scaffolding, sound, lighting | 350 |
| World Cup design (in m2) | 22,000 |
FIFA Communications Division
Berlin, 27 June 2006
Further information from:
FIFA Media Department – Tel.: +41-43/222 7272, Fax: +41-43/222 7373 or E-mail: mailtmedia@fifa.org