There will be two official fan parks for Manchester City fans travelling to watch their team in the Champions League final in Istanbul, it has been confirmed. However, there are currently no plans for the match to be screened at either, the Manchester Evening News has been told.
City hammered Real Madrid last week to book their place in the final against Inter Milan at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium on Saturday, June 10.
And the scramble to book flights and hotels is now well underway as fans clamour for the opportunity to see their team win Europe's elite competition for the first time.
Both the Blues and Inter have each been allocated 20,000 tickets with the remainder for the showpiece game at the 76,000-capacity stadium being sold by UEFA.
And the organisers have now released details of the official fan parks for those making the trip to Turkey's biggest city.
A four-day 'Champions festival' will get underway at 11am on Thursday, June 8, with bosses promising 'plenty of football-related entertainment, live music, giveaways.'
The Champions League trophy will be on display at the event at the port of Yenikapı on the city's southern coast with fans able to have selfies with it until it is moved to the stadium on Saturday.
Two giant stages will provide an extensive line-up of live music from Turkish and international music artists including award-winning DJ, Lost Frequencies who is headling the Friday night of the event. Earlier in the day there will be a match between a team of Turkish legends and a team of Champions League legends.
Other activies include a five-aside mini pitch, skills challenges, selfie points, inflatable football activities, football freestylers, giveaways, a children’s zone, local dancers performing traditional Turkish dances, stilt walkers, a wide range of food stalls including traditional delights and local dishes, and much more.
It will conclude on Sunday, June 11 with a benefit concert for those affected by the recent earthquakes in Turkey and Syria in February.
The event is free and open to all, with no need to have a ticket for the game. However, UEFA have said there are currently no plans to screen the match at the event on Saturday night, for those travelling without a ticket.
It is unclear if there will be any other separate official big-screen showings of the game but no plans have yet been announced.
There will be a second fan village at the Ataturk Stadium itself, one for City fans one for Inter fans. However, these are for ticket holders only and checks will be in operation. These will open at 2pm and will provide refreshments and entertainment until fans make their way into the ground, with turnstiles opening at 6pm.
However a message on the UEFA website advises those without tickets: "It’s a very long way to get to Atatürk Olympic Stadium from the city centre, and once you get there, you won’t be able to get close to the stadium or any of the facilities in the area.
"The Fan Zones are for ticketed fans only, and there will be nowhere to watch the match."
Brazilian superstar Anitta and Nigerian star Burna Boy will headline the on-the-pitch show inside the stadium before kick-off at 10pm local time.
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