Along with lovers of a sports activities crew, fan zones draw in a wider target audience in search of leisure. Let’s dive into this collective revel in to know the explanations in the back of this frenzy.
Attending a carrying tournament amongst a big target audience means that you can revel in what Durkheim referred to as collective pleasure, which is a result of the sacralization of the sense of collective belonging. This wish to collect bodily, to are living in combination and proportion feelings in our more and more digitized society.
On this context, sports activities and song occasions (live shows, gala’s, unfastened events) generally tend to interchange massive gatherings (particularly non secular or political) that in the past represented a privileged area for collective emotional togetherness.
German lovers have a good time a objective within the fan zone on the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin all over the UEFA EURO 2024 ultimate fit between Germany and Spain on July 5. Shutterstock (no reuse)
My earlier analysis has proven that the social and emotional dimensions of the revel in play a central position for the spectator or competition customer; confirming within the tournament sector, the results of social psychology research by way of P. Rimea: people generally tend to revel in an emotion extra to proportion it than to really feel it themselves. This phenomenon in large part explains the luck of fan zones, irrespective of their form.
Fan zone, an area for emotional togetherness above all
Our find out about highlights the truth that the fan zone is perceived as an area for social bonding and collective revel in each earlier than going to it and after the revel in. Some move there to “vibe together”, particularly when it isn’t imaginable to get admission to the stadium:
“You go to the fan zone, because you don’t want to watch the match alone or with two people at home, it’s bigger than a pub, it’s not bad, because you don’t necessarily have the means (to go to the event), it’s a good substitute, you get out of the house, you’re with other fans.” (Vincent)
Subsequently, it develops a way of emotional group, shared revel in of an unforgettable second:
“We felt everyone’s good mood, it was nice to see the crowd that gathered behind the French teams.” (Emanuel, JOP 2024, Membership France in Nantes.)
The circulate of feelings in the course of the phenomenon of emotional contagion – this means that that we’re affected and moved by way of the feelings expressed by way of others and which we can proportion in flip – is enhanced by way of the spatial configuration of fan zones, which suggests an excellent proximity between spectators. This top social density isn’t systematically discovered all over carrying occasions when the areas dedicated to the general public aren’t too concentrated (spectators alongside the Excursion de France or biathlon direction) or when the stadium is dispersed.
Social density that promotes emotional contagion. (Fan-zone Berlin, UEFA 2024). Shutterstock (no reuse)
In fan zones, this sharing of feelings sought by way of spectators of carrying occasions is ubiquitous:
“The interest of the fan zone is to share instantly, to share this enthusiasm at a distance with people, that’s the power of watching sports together, after which the emotion increases tenfold.” (Married)
Social values related to the revel in of a carrying tournament (social interactions, togetherness, patriotism) are necessary and are systematically found in those spaces.
So, the fan zone fulfills the expectancies of the audience on a social and emotional stage, this is its robust level. On the other hand, with regards to different dimensions of revel in, perceptions are most commonly damaging.
Amusing position, in spite of the dangerous symbol
Representations of fan zones are moderately deficient, the place the revel in does no longer essentially appear a priori delightful (convenience, high quality of imaginative and prescient, chance to make a choice a spot and place (sitting or status for instance). They’re regularly perceived as very fundamental areas:
“In an outdoor square with lots of people crowded together.” (Karine)
On the other hand, in positive fan zones, for instance on the 2024 Olympic Video games in Paris and in giant towns, a lot of actions had been introduced. The revel in was once no longer restricted to the projection of carrying occasions on an enormous display, however incorporated a lot of services and products for guests (catering, video games, displays, shows, DJs or live shows, and so forth.). On this context, the revel in can also be very amusing and interactive, which is probably not the case in a fan zone arranged by way of a bar.
Toronto, Canada – Might 26, 2026: 2026 FIFA Global Cup Trophy Excursion at Nathan Phillips Sq.. Shutterstock (no reuse)
Additionally, institutional fan zones (controlled by way of tournament organizers) are open lengthy earlier than and after the carrying tournament, such because the fan zone arrange by way of PSG on the Parc des Princes for the 2025 and 2026 Champions League finals no longer being held in Paris. This kind of fan zone may be thought to be by way of some spectators of sports activities occasions as a “tourist trap or a consumption trap” (Pierre).
The New Jersey fan zone all over the 2026 FIFA Global Cup may be the primary paid fan zone. This business symbol has a tendency to difficult to understand, in performances, the playful measurement that the fan zone can take.
A trade-in for the tv revel in or the stadium revel in?
In the beginning look, the fan zone is first perceived as a substitute for the tv revel in:
“It doesn’t replace the stadium, it’s ersatz, the fan zone will rather replace the TV experience at home, it’s an intermediary, you go to the fan zone, because you don’t want to watch the match alone at home.” (Vincent)
Respondents regularly affiliate the fan-zone revel in with the TV revel in at house, evaluating (or contrasting) the in-person revel in with the on-screen revel in:
“You can’t compare what you experience to what you see on TV.” (Clement)
On the other hand, it will have to be famous that the on-site spectator revel in is infrequently very similar to the fan zone revel in relying at the game. That is particularly the case for out of doors sports activities:
“When you go to watch an alpine ski race, it’s a bit of a fan zone, you watch the rider on the screen and then you see the rider cross the finish line for two seconds.” (Therry)
or once more:
“In biathlon, we are on the edge of the track and that’s why we try to have a screen in front of us.” (Karine)
When the fan zone revel in is skilled, it will possibly seem as an alternative to the stadium revel in, particularly on an emotional stage:
“To go to the fan zone, you have to be drugged, to be at the height of the sensations, at the Olympics, I went to the fan zone if I didn’t have a ticket.” (Patricia)
As well as, the fan-zone revel in, even from a distance, supplies a way of belonging to the development, the sensation of with the ability to take part within the amusing: “Being there without being there” (Valerie, JOP 2024 fan-zone, in Angers). Which additionally provides a type of inclusion for many who could not purchase tickets:
“Here we have the impression that we are attending competitions as if we were in the stands.” (Jeremy, JOP 2024, Membership France Paris.)
or:
“We experienced the Olympic spirit, I tell myself that I also went to the Games, although I did not go to watch the event live.” (Marie, JOP 2024, Membership France Paris.)
Thus, experiencing a carrying tournament in an area or faraway fan zone can also be, from the perspective of emotional price, a substitute for the on-site revel in for positive spectators.
And after all, it cannot be for individuals who would not watch the sport on TV, let on my own purchase stadium tickets, however will nonetheless move to the fan zone. As a result of, as we now have noticed, we don’t move to the fan zone simply to fortify our crew or to look at a sports activities spectacle, however to revel in a shared second. Our observations display that that is particularly the case in opportunistic fan zones (bars, for instance) or intimate ones (arranged within the non-public sphere), even supposing we discover this sort of profile in institutional fan zones as neatly.
Fan zone or “fun zone”?
We additionally come there to play, whether or not that suggests enjoying ola, making a song in combination, having amusing and interacting with others whilst taking a look on the display roughly intensely relying at the profile of the viewer. On this sense, the fan zone may be a amusing area that isn’t completely preferred by way of lovers, outlined as “an enthusiastic fan, passionate about someone or something”. Briefly, we come there to have amusing!
The fan zone is then greater than a “space reserved for fans” (in step with the interpretation of the fan zone proposed by way of the French Academy). Whilst some are lovers of crew play, others admire the development, whilst “party enthusiasts” see it as a easy excuse for collective birthday celebration.
