Official attendance figures released on Sunday, show that the FIFA Fan Fest™ at St George’s Park in Port Elizabeth experienced a solid opening weekend to the 2010 FIFA World Cup™.
Fan Fest director Glenn van Eck said on Sunday that, despite the cool weather conditions, just under 50 000 fans had come through the gates since Thursday evening, when the Kick-off Celebration Concert in Soweto was screened as an operational test run.
He said on Friday 29 035 supporters passed through the turnstiles to watch the opening ceremony and Bafana Bafana’s drawn match against Mexico.
When the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium hosted its maiden World Cup™ fixture on Saturday, an additional 11 294 fans made their way to St George’s Park.
Van Eck said the shuttle service between the Fan Fest and the stadium operated without any glitches on the city’s first host day. “We’ve had reports that fans leaving from the depot at the Olympic Sports Club adjacent to the venue were seated within 35 minutes.”
He said minor technical difficulties were experienced with the sound feed from Johannesburg on Friday, but otherwise there had been no reported incidents.
Fan Fest™ deputy director David Limbert said the programme focuses on local acts to complement the football over the next two days. “On Monday at 7pm The Invaders will take to the stage and, at the same time on Tuesday, the critically acclaimed Mo Jazz Band.”
The Fan Fest is open on match days from 11am to midnight and entrance is free.
Issued by:
Full Stop Communications
Coetzee Gouws
041 368 4992
082 575 7991
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On behalf of:
FIFA Fan Fest™