A breakdown of the very World Cup festivals I’ve been to so far:
– Cologne’s festival had giant screens broadcasting games, but the bars near the downtown square were better places to be. Live music including a band of Brazilians and Portuguese made it feel like Wrigley Field with a Latin flavor at Cubby Bear.
– Gelsenkirchen? Hot beer and warm weather and … not much else.
– In Hamburg, everything was dirty, it was crowded, the beers were impossible, and fans set off flares to make things unbearable. I was glad to leave Hamburg.
– The surprise came today–Frankfurt. The festival was on both banks of the river with 80-foot TV screens in the middle of the river broadcasting games to both sides. When England won, the festival moved on to the local squares, and the English are still singing.
– Tomorrow, Kaiserslautern to see U.S. vs. Italy.
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One Chicago soccer fan shares his World Cup experiences
