Initial assessment of the EURO 2024 FESTIVAL in Stuttgart
After four atmospheric group matches and a high-caliber quarter-final, the final whistle blew yesterday for the live matches in the Stuttgart Arena. 51,000 fans in the stadium and 30,000 more on the Fan Zone Schlossplatz watched the dramatic match, which was only decided shortly before the end of overtime. After a great fight, the German team left Stuttgart in an extremely exciting quarter-final and is therefore unfortunately out of the tournament.
Even if there are no more matches here in the state capital, the EURO 2024 FESTIVAL in our four Fan Zones in the city center will continue until the final on July 14. An initial assessment after the five matches is consistently positive for those hosting the event.
"We experienced thrilling matches in Stuttgart with many international fans and guests from all over Europe." says overall project manager for the Host City Stuttgart Thomas Pollak. "We had a fascinating atmosphere in the arena on the match days and turned the whole city into a stadium. That's what we always wanted in the run-up to the event." Overall, there was an enthusiastic and peaceful atmosphere for most of the time. The stadium was sold out for all five UEFA EURO matches and around 700,000 fans celebrated this European Championship in the four Fan Zones. "We are very satisfied at this point in time, because our planning and concepts for public transport, traffic management and security have proven to be absolutely reliable on the match days, also with regard to the Fan Walks. “
Police President Markus Eisenbraun: "Thanks to the predominantly very peaceful and at the same time enthusiastic atmosphere in the city, my colleagues can look back on successful days of deployment. Our operational concept with consistent fan segregation and low-threshold intervention against potential perpetrators of violence worked. The confrontation on Schlossplatz on June 26 and the rapid arrest of the suspect showed that we were well positioned here and that the individual parts interlocked. Unfortunately, we are particularly saddened by the death of our highly esteemed colleague Thomas Hohn following the tragic traffic accident on June 24. This event has considerably dampened our positive assessment of the operation so far.“
The head of the fire department, Dr. Georg Belge, added: "Fortunately, the more than 1,000 additional firefighters and civil protection personnel only had to deal with minor incidents. Our emergency services reported many wonderful moments with the local and international football fans. We are still keeping a close eye on the event and hope that the final week will be a peaceful one."
The head of the integrated traffic control center, Ralf Thomas, emphasizes: "Getting over 50,000 fans from the city to the stadium is a huge challenge, especially when the crowds are marching at rush hour in the evening traffic. To ensure their safety, we cleared main traffic routes and provided comprehensive information to road users. With success: we had a good 15 percent less traffic on match days in Stuttgart. So: delays on the roads, yes. Chaos, no. We are aware of the strain on our citizens. We thank them for their prudence and patience. A challenge like this can only be mastered together."
Daniela Klein, Head of the Department for Sport and Exercise: "We are following the Swiss national team's matches with excitement. We hope to prepare the team for the final with the best training conditions in the stadium on the Waldau." The pitch at the Team Base Camp under the television tower did not meet expectations at the start of training. "We managed to replace the pitch in the stadium in just three days with a great deal of manpower," explains Klein. "My thanks go to all my colleagues and our partners, who were extremely committed," Klein continues.
The party goes on - with and without football
Whether from Denmark, Scotland, Ukraine, Hungary or Spain: Hundreds of thousands of football fans from all over Europe transformed the Host City Stuttgart into an atmospheric party zone over the past three weeks - true to the motto "The whole city a stadium". Even away from the five match days in Stuttgart, the Fan Zones at the public viewing or the varied acts on our stages ensured a great atmosphere. At our opening concert on June 13, for example, 25,000 people celebrated to the songs of Robin Schulz, Le Shuuk and Leony. Joris, Pietro Lombardi, Stefanie Heinzmann, Christina Stürmer and many more also fired up the crowd in the Fan Zone Schlossplatz.
The fan matches on the Fan Zone Marktplatz between supporters of the national teams playing in Stuttgart and fan clubs from the region were also among the highlights of the past few weeks. The Host City also offered exciting places to visit for those interested in art and culture, such as the "EURO Legends Stuttgart" exhibitions in the StadtPalais - Museum für Stuttgart, the "Police and Persecution under National Socialism" tour or the large facade painting on Talstraße, among others.
Even though no more matches will be played in Stuttgart, the gates of the Fan Zones will remain open until the end of the tournament. The Fan Zone Schlossplatz will be open four more times for all those who want to follow the hot phase of the European Championships at public viewing. Both remaining quarter-final matches, both semi-finals and, of course, the final will be broadcast live on two giant screens.
On July 7 and 13, two special action days are also on the agenda: On Sunday, July 7, we will say THANK YOU to all those who will ensure security during UEFA EURO 2024 and beyond with their tireless efforts at the Blue Light Day in the Fan Zone Schlossplatz. Six days later, on Saturday, July 13, the Family Day awaits you with entertaining stage shows and child-friendly activities. Those who prefer to chill out can come to the Fan Zone Schlossplatz on Monday, July 8 for After Work and relax into the evening with summer drinks and a mix by DJane Alegra Cole. For fans of classical music, July 11 should be particularly interesting. From 7 p.m., the Stuttgart State Opera Choir, the Stuttgart Philharmonic Orchestra, FÜENF and the SWR Big Band will provide impressive sounds under the motto "Best of Stuttgart". And on July 12, it's "headphones on, party on" when you can dance to a wide variety of beats from the DJs of SWR1, SWR3 and SWR4 - all at the same time.
All program highlights during the last week of the EURO 2024 FESTIVAL in the Host City Stuttgart can be found at: https://uefaeuro2024.stuttgart.de/programm-euro-2024-festival/ (Subject to change).
