EURO 2008 - The Fanzone Vienna.

Since the World Cup 2006 in Germany the term “public viewing” - showing football matches on giant screens - has been established. The "fan mile" in Berlin alone played host to over 10 million soccer fans. Some years ago the phenomenon of public viewing did not yet exist. There maybe several reasons for the growing success of these fan parties: the people’s demand for collective experiences, an alternative for the limited number of stadium tickets or simply the result of large scale LED displays. Anyway, somehow the fan zones succeed in transferring the atmosphere of the stadia into the city centers.

Watching a soccer game, shared emotions between cheering and desperation. Image courtesy of Ute Bauer

During the Euro 2008 the biggest fan area is situated in the host city Vienna. The local municipality is operating an enclosed area of about 120,000 m² for a maximum of about 70,000 soccer fans, providing toilets, security, food and beverage (the official Carlsberg beer costs €4,50 [$7] for 0,5l), VIP zones, first aid facilities, etc.

program of the fanzone. by anArchitecture.

It turned out that the expected stampede of visitors was too optimistic, so far many games have not even managed to draw 20,000 people to the official fan zone Vienna - with the exception of Austrian games: last Thursday for the game Austria vs. Poland more than 70,000 fans have crowded the fan zone Vienna.

Fans in front of the "Burgtheater". Image courtesy of Ute Bauer

An event like the Euro 2008 definitely transforms urban space: people from across Europe recapture the streets and celebrate football victories.

The Fanzone in Google Earth.