Lyon lays out fan zone plans
Monday, April 11, 2016
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The fan zone at Lyon's Place Bellecour will be open for the whole of UEFA EURO 2016, with supporters from all over the world expected for the city's six finals games.
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Lyon will stage six UEFA EURO 2016 games from 13 June to 6 July, but the city's fan zone at Place Bellecour will remain open for the whole tournament, to welcome supporters from Europe and beyond.
Every match at the finals will be shown on two giant screens in the fan zone (which will be open from 12.00 to 23.45CET during the group stage), with concerts to be organised on non-matchdays during the knockout phase. With admission free, the 20,000-capacity fan zone will be an entertainment hub which will draw supporters into the heart of the city.
Georges Képénékian, Lyon deputy mayor, said: "Since their national team is taking part in a major tournament for the first time in 30 years, 20,000 Hungarians are expected to be coming here, but Europeans will not be the only visitors: we also expect Canadians, Americans and Australians to join us."
With such large numbers involved, extra attention is being paid to security in all the ten official fan zones at UEFA EURO 2016. "We want to ensure a festive atmosphere, and make sure the perimeter fence is perfectly secure so that there are no problems," Képénékian noted.
"[The fan zone] will be completely enclosed with hand searches at every entrance plus a bag-guarding service," added the city's deputy delegate for security Jean-Yves Sécheresse, who stressed that 100-200 private security staff will work at the fan zone, while "city and national police will also be in attendance in the area".
With security in mind, the car park under Place Bellecour will be closed for the duration of the tournament, while road access to the area will be limited during evenings. Deputy prefect in charge of defence and security Gérard Gavory noted that a full-scale exercise "to prepare in the event of a terrorist attack" will take place on 7 June.
The next major event in Lyon will be the visit of the Trophy Tour train, which will pull up at the Gare de Perrache from 3 to 5 June, giving fans the chance to see some exciting exhibits and take part in some fun activities, as well as get close to the famous Henri Delaunay Cup.
