The whole Fan Fest area runs for two kilometres on the Strasse des 17 Juni finishing at the Victory Column and is known as Fan Mile, an area of around 77,000 square meters, equivalent to 12 football pitches.
Of course, a vital ingredient for this area is a sound system capable of delivering good quality sound for fans to experience the whole World Cup match atmosphere, as well as provide sound for the peripheral events. Once the matches are over each day, Fan Mile turns into Berlin's biggest dance floor. Every day at midnight a laser show heralds the start of a new day.
Düsseldorf based pro audio dealers, Tonart, were responsible for supplying the sound system for Fan Mile, a challenge they readily accepted. "We used a variety of speaker systems," said Tonart's Daniel Will, "but for the delay lines we chose d&b audiotechnik Q1s since we knew they would do a good job. Our company philosophy is to use d&b equipment wherever possible. We find them easy to rig and easy to cable." Will used d&b's E-Pac amplifiers to power the many Q1s needed to cover the Fan Mile.
As well as providing sound for top DJs, the system was used by the German Symphonic Orchestra who gave a special concert of classical music on 2 July. In addition to Fan Mile is Fan Mile Ribbon stretching from the Reichstag Parliament Building to the city centre, an additional area which includes the Adidas Arena, a 1:10 scale version of the Olympiastadion. Here is an area for 8,000 fans providing public viewing, shops and a variety of cultural entertainment.
And when, on 9 July the Final has been played and the long wait to find out who are the Champion footballers of the World and the last fan has departed, Fan Mile will return once more to a semblance of normality under the majestic presence of the Brandenburg Gate. For this historic monument, built in 1791 on the orders of Friedrich Wilhelm II to represent peace, the World Cup is just another piece of history to add to the many historic events that have taken place around it.
(Lee Baldock)
