UEFA Champions Festival attracts huge crowds in Istanbul
Monday, June 12, 2023
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Over four sun-kissed days, 120,000 fans flocked to Istanbul's Yenikapı Park to rub shoulders with legends, enjoy live music, watch the final and raise money to help people affected by February's devastating earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria.
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The UEFA Champions Festival drew to a close on Sunday as an earthquake benefit concert on the main stage brought four days of activity in Istanbul to a close.
More than 120,000 fans flocked to the event in Yenikapı Park to sample the atmosphere, enjoy activations presented by UEFA Champions League official partners and even get a snap with the famous trophy before it departed to the Atatürk Olympic Stadium on Saturday ahead of Manchester City's victory.
Superstar DJ Lost Frequencies had fans in raptures with his set on Friday night, after a full house had watched the Ultimate Champions five-a-side tournament. The competition pitted four teams of legends against each other and they once again showed that the old adage of class is permanent rings true.
Ultimately, it was Cafu's Challengers who overcame Figo's Fighters – having defeated Nesta's Knights and Altıntop's All-Stars to seal the win – with former Inter midfielder Esteban Cambiasso named player of the tournament.
While that was the highlight of Friday, Saturday night drew a 30,000 crowd as the final was broadcast live on giant screens on the main stage.
The event concluded in the same location on Sunday with a concert hosted by Turkish singer Ferman Akgül, featuring Can Şengün Orchestra & Friends, to raise money to help people affected by the devastating earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria in February.
