Soccer enthusiasts wearing red, white and blue came in waves of hundreds for the United States’ first World Cup game against Paraguay on Friday, June 12 at Kulshan Brewing’s Trackside Beer Garden.
The garden, which has a capacity of up to 1,000 people, was packed to the brim for the first of six watch parties on a warm, sunny evening as people cheered during a 4-1 victory for the Americans.
“I am impressed,” Bellingham resident Ian McCrory said. “Being here and seeing all these people wear U.S. jerseys, it is a special thing. There are a lot of towns in the U.S. you won’t see this.”
McCrory and about 10 of his friends arrived around 4 p.m., two hours prior to kickoff, and were in the middle of the pack.
Kulshan Brewing Company was chosen to be one of the local watch party destinations in Bellingham last fall. Bellingham is one of nine fan zones across the state for the next month. Kulshan Brewing knew it could handle the high-capacity crowd because of its experience hosting large events and its unique landscape.
“It’s been fun and challenging, but we knew that we could pull off the infrastructure needed to make it successful,” Kulshan Brewing Company marketing manager Hazel Chorney said.
Chorney said the facility worked with the city of Bellingham, Bellingham Tourism, Port of Bellingham, and some other local partners to create a family-friendly environment. The Trackside Beer Garden, which will be streaming every other World Cup game as well, received support with marketing, merchandise and signage.
“We’re used to volume down there,” Chorney said. “The infrastructure is built so that we can serve beers and beverages and food quickly and efficiently to people.”
The beer garden also provides a different watching experience for soccer fans. Compared to the average booths or bar tables, Kulshan Trackside Beer Garden has a grass area and picnic tables for viewers.
Liam DeWilde said it felt like an open atmosphere with families and kids able to enjoy a fun soccer experience with locals.
Alex Zahajko, a Bellingham resident, noticed the grass and picnic areas were packed with over 500 soccer fans during the game. He said he hoped the viewing experience allowed others to immerse themselves in a growing sport within the country.
“I do like the idea that this World Cup gets people introduced to soccer and get the feel for it,” Zahajko said. “We live in a place where it is not a big sport and people can immerse themselves into soccer.”
The first watch party only provided a handful of food and beverage options on-site. However, the future watch parties will provide free giveaways from the beer garden and a pop-up tent from the City of Bellingham.
“Our mission is just to create a welcoming community space where people can gather from all walks of life and just enjoy simple things like good soccer and a beer,” Chorney said. “We want to drive tourism and revenue to local businesses.”
The other official watch parties at Kulshan Trackside Beer Garden are listed below:
12 p.m. June 19: (Team USA vs. Australia) in Seattle
7 p.m. June 25: (Team USA vs. Turkey) in Los Angeles
1 p.m. July 1: (hosted in Seattle) Round of 32
5 p.m. July 6 (hosted in Seattle) Round of 16
12 p.m. July 19: (hosted in New Jersey) Final Match
Nick Zeller-Singh is CDN’s sports editor; reach him at nickzellersingh@cascadiadaily.com; 360-922-3090 ext. 104.
Comments are closed.