KANSAS CITY – Kansas City prides itself on being known as the “heart of America” – a boast about local hospitality that doubles up as a play on words given its location slap bang in the middle of the country.
That not-so-subtle message whacks you in the face the minute you walk into Kansas City’s spectacular Fifa Fan Fest to be greeted by a giant luminous red heart structure that frames the whole thing.
It feels suspiciously like a sop to the Instagram generation’s need to document their every move and sure enough, people have barely stepped foot inside the event before they are lining up to get their photos taken next to it.
Fans are greeted by a giant luminous red heart structure that is impossible to miss (Photo: Fifa)
I am a veteran of these things now – from the soulless half-empty Doha fan zone to the Munich version that ran out of beer a few hours after Scotland fans got in – and Kansas City’s offering sums up the vibe of this World Cup pretty nicely.
