Cape Town - With just two days until kick-off to the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the Mother City's FIFA Fan Fest is all set to connect football fans globally across South Africa and five continents.
The city has set up four fan parks, namely the Oliver Tambo Sports Centre, holding 7 000 people, Swartklip Sports Complex in Mitchells Plain (2 000 people), Belville Velodrome (7 500 people), and Vygieskraal at Athlone Civic Centre (2 500 people).
The City's FIFA Fan Fest, which unlike the fan parks will be running as an official FIFA event; will be free to all and will hold a capacity of 25 000.
It will be open from 11am to 11pm and will broadcast all 64 matches and a 2.6km fan walk leading to the stadium will open during the eight match days in Cape Town.
Lesley de Reuck, the city's director of operations for 2010 said when people visited the R34-million Fan Fest they needed to "feel, hear and taste Cape Town".
He requested that people use public transport and leave their cars at home or at the various park-and-ride centres around the city.
Items such as aerosol cans, cans and dangerous weapons will not be allowed inside the Fan Fest.
The city would run themed days according to the teams playing in the city, while on Youth Day, the city will attempt to do the biggest diski dance ever at the Fan Fest. About 7 000 Dutch fans are expected to swamp the city when Netherlands squares up against Cameroon on June 24.
Local artists such as Goldfish, Flash Republic, Robbie Jansen, Loyiso, Danny K, Flat Stanly, will perform during the duration of the FIFA Fan Fest and there will also be a five-a-side street soccer tournament.
The city will also run a showcase at the Fan Fest and fan parks, following the local talent search the city ran recently.
"We've gone through an extensive process in Cape Town auditioning local talent. So we've had our own local Idols. We've auditioned about 3 000 people, everyone you can imagine from tiny tots to 60-piece brass bands and out of that we will be accommodating 60 local artists through the talent search," said de Reuck.
Food prices at the Fan Fest will range from R15 to R25 for Malay food, boerewors and potjiekos and R10 - R20 for soft drinks and beer.
Bakers will fire up ovens at 2am to prepare about 150 000 bread rolls, while between eight and 10 million beers are expected to be downed at the Fan Fest.
The Fan Fest's project manager Steyn Momberg said the three-storey-high 75mý screen at the Fan Fest had been set up by a team of five Germans in five days.
The city also had a child safety plan for the event and will run lost and found rooms at the Cape Town Stadium, the Fan Fest, and all four fan parks - Vygieskraal Stadium, Bellville Velodrome, Swartklip Sports Centre and the OR Tambo Sports Centre.
In addition, all children - whether they are part of a group or just one of a family - will be tagged by the city's volunteers who will be deployed at the entrances of the respective event sites.
For more details on the city's FIFA Fan Fest visit www.capetownfifafest.com.
