From Underwhelming to Unreal: A Tale of Two Fan Festivals
On Friday, I went to see the USMNT game at the Vessel in Hudson Yards, and “interesting” would be a word to describe it.
Hudson Yards
The layout of the “Fan Fest” was a big screen in front of the Vessel (a lookout spot), a small food truck, a drink stand, and a pop-up shop. That is all that the area had.
Needless to say, it was underwhelming as there was almost none of what the other sites, like in Queens or in Sports Illustrated, offer due to it not being an official hub (Manhattan will not have one until July 6th with Rockefeller Center, and it looks like it would be the same as the Vessel).
Sports Illustrated Stadium
The next day, I went to the one in Sports Illustrated Stadium, which was so much better. The tickets were scanned at the start of the Red Bull Boulevard on game days, near the mini football pitch. This was a good idea because then the fans could, in fact, go in for a game at the stadium and then check out the activities outside. I took advantage of this and got plenty of knick-knacks, like two robes from the Coca-Cola truck, a first-aid kit, a cooling towel, and, unsuccessfully, a bracelet from Bank of America.
Outside
Outside the stadium, there were activations like the Bank of America bracelet (which was not well run, as volunteers and sponsor staff told me and other fans one thing and then did another), Coca Cola van giving out free robes, Meridian Health giving out a choice for a free poster, cooling towel, sunglasses and earplugs, Red Bull New York having a table to have questions answered as well as their normal pregame games.
There was also a dart game where people shot soccer balls at a dartboard (everyone got three shots; I missed all mine). There was a table near the ice with the New Jersey Devils offering a raffle for a free ticket for two people, and other groups as well. There were two foods I ordered before the Netherlands game, as the line went around the block.
Inside
Inside the stadium, fans were free to sit in the field, which was covered with a temporary cover for the seats, pop-up bars, and screens. For screens, there were three on the field, with the center one having a podium for the DJ or for an in-stage performance. The seating was configured much like the sections in the stadium itself.
The permanent stands are open for the public to sit in if they want to be in the shade for longer; however, these are limited to the north end of the stadium and in the lower bowl. In addition to the seating in the field, there were two remote stands and one in the area behind the field sections.
I tried to go to the one on the USTA campus out in Flushing, Queens, but that proved nearly impossible because there are no tickets left.
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