Get your kicks under the bridge.
The World Cup kicked off this week and, starting today at noon, Brooklynites will be able to sink their cleats into the action under the archway of the Manhattan Bridge, where local business boosters will project 20 games on the big screen. One commercial cheerleader said there is no better place to take in the global pastime at its most competitive.
“Excitement in general for the game is very high,” said Alexandria Sica, executive director of the Dumbo Improvement District, which is hosting the screening series with ESPN. “And it’s such an epic space under the archway.”
The neighborhood business alliance hosted screenings in 2010 and that year, as the month-long international soccer competition continued, more and more people turned out for the outdoor show, Sica said.
“It built momentum over the course of the tournament,” Sica said. “By the end we had a packed house.”
All of the United States games will be shown, along with all of the semi-, quarter-, and final round games. Today’s screening is of a Colombia–Greece game. The first U.S. game is Monday at 6 pm.
The archway doesn’t just provide a cool backdrop to the heated action on the pitch — it also serves as an umbrella shielding viewers and the projection screen from the sun and rain.
Food vendors will be on hand for the matches and organizers suggest that fans bring blankets, but leave their vuvuzelas — those obnoxious long-stemmed plastic noisemakers — at home.
Soccer hooligans looking to swill some beers while taking in the game are out of luck, too. No alcohol will be sold in the viewing area.
“World Cup Under the Archway” (Beneath the Manhattan Bridge archway off of Anchorage Place between Pearl and Plymouth streets in Dumbo). Saturday, June 14, and Monday, June 16, noon–9pm. Runs through Sunday, July 13. Free. For full schedule see www.dumbo.is/blog_posts/world-cup-under-the-archway-full-schedule.
