Fan festivals in Leipzig draw crowds despite bad weather

The popularity of the fan festivals in Leipzig continues unabated. Despite the recent storms, Heiko Rosenthal, Mayor and Councillor for the Environment, Climate, Order and Sport of the City of Leipzig, is satisfied with the interim results. "We can see from the use of the fan festivals that the area is full for every game and for the Germany games anyway. The storm issue was unfortunate because we couldn't keep the fan festivals open. The demand is huge and won't stop," he told the German Press Agency on Monday.

The city was firmly in the hands of Croatian supporters in bright sunshine, who were eagerly awaiting the evening match against Italy. Beforehand, over 40,000 Dutch fans and thousands of French fans created an outstanding atmosphere. "It was a fantastic fan march from the Dutch fans to the stadium, the way they moved from left to right. We were simply lucky to get these games," said Rosenthal.

He has registered 150,000 fans in Leipzig since the start of the European Football Championship. "We assume that this will be at least the same again." In total, more than 2,000 police officers and over 800 firefighters and rescue service helpers are on duty in Leipzig. According to Rosenthal, the city cleaning service is running after every fan and "ensuring a clean cityscape". The 23,000 hotel beds are fully booked, "even if the Dutch are happy to travel with other accommodation options".

The "Fan Zone" in Leipzig offers space for around 15,000 people and presents a colorful supporting program with a Ferris wheel, a small soccer pitch and numerous musical highlights. At Leipzig Zoo, there is the "Stadium of Dreams" in the concert garden, where fans can watch the games in front of a covered screen.