As London gears up to host the UEFA Champions League Final at Wembley Stadium on 28th May, fans can immerse themselves in an eight-day football extravaganza in Hyde Park.
‘The UEFA Champions Festival’ is a free eight day festival of football taking place from Saturday 21st May – Saturday 28th May and will give fans the opportunity to experience European football’s premier club competition with a range of unique football activities. There’s a chance to have your photo taken with the iconic UEFA Champions League Trophy, join in a skills session with legends from previous competitions or visit the Theatre of Champions – an exciting journey detailing the history of the beautiful game, which any sports fan will enjoy.
For an early peek at the silverware Barcelona and Manchester Utd will be battling over, the trophies for both the Men’s and Women’s Finals will be on display at More London, next to City Hall on Tuesday and Wednesday (17th & 18th May).
The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson said: “This is the footballing contest of giants and I cannot think of a better world city to host both the men and women’s UEFA Champions League finals than London. We are incredibly passionate about football, not least because our capital contains some of the best clubs and grounds in Europe. And as the excitement of the finals builds, we’ll be hosting a tremendous UEFA Champions Festival in one of our most beautiful and iconic green spaces, Hyde Park.”
Graeme Le Saux, UEFA Champions Festival ambassador and Chelsea FC legend, said: “The UEFA Champions Festival will give everyone the chance to experience exactly what makes the UEFA Champions League the pinnacle of European club football. There is something for everyone at the Festival so whether you’re looking for a family day out, school trip or a visit after work with colleagues, head down to Hyde Park and take home your very own UEFA Champions League memory.”
Iain Edmondson, Head of Major Events at London & Partners (the official promotional organisation for London) added: “This is a fantastic opportunity for Londoners and visitors to enjoy a great day out in one of our most iconic parks. The celebrations will combine iconic landmarks like Hyde Park and Wembley with community activity – connecting people to football and connecting communities across the world. With tickets to the UEFA Women’s Champions League Final selling at such a reasonable price it’s a great way to see a world-class event in one of London’s great football grounds”
A full breakdown of activities is below;
• UEFA Champions League Trophy – fans will be able to have their photo taken with the most coveted piece of silverware in European football
• Skills Clinics – Skills clinics provide a unique opportunity for fans to receive expert tuition from famous former players on the festival pitches. What better
way to hone your game than by learning from the masters?
• Theatre of Champions – Experience a unique emotional audiovisual display of the most glorious moments in the quest for European football’s Holy Grail
– from its beginnings in 1955 to the present day.
• Museum of Champions – Exhibits of exclusive club and player memorabilia from the great names and games of European club football bring to life the
story of the European Cup.
• Ultimate Champions Match – As a prelude to the Wembley final, on Sat 28th the Ultimate Champions Match will bring a thrilling climax to the UEFA
Champions Festival – pitting a team of local legends against a star-studded selection of former internationals from the European game.
• Young Champions – More than 30 boys and girls teams within the age of 12-16 years are competing against each other to be crowned the UEFA
Young Champions. The winning team of each age group will win tickets to the final.
• Partner Attractions – fans of all ages can participate in the numerous fun activities organised by the official UEFA Champions League partners.
Fans can also download the free UEFA Champions Festival app to help get the most from their visit. The app will help fans plan and share their visit to the festival, the app also lets fans know exclusive news and updates from the Festival as-it-happens.
In addition to visiting the free Champions festival in Hyde Park, Londoners and visitors will also have the opportunity to watch the Women’s Champions League Final on Thursday 26 May, hosted by one of London’s five premier league football clubs, Fulham Football Club, at the Craven Cottage Stadium.
Tickets are still on sale and are £5 for adults and as cheap as £3 for U16s.
