Football frenzy boosts city’s nightlife scene

Out of the most popular teams in the ongoing FIFA World Cup, only France, England and Brazil delivered in their first matches while Portugal and Spain salvaged the situation winning their second matches (after drawing their first ones). Suprisingly, Argentina, which was among the favourites too, has been the biggest let down of the WC after drawing their first match and losing 3-0 to Croatia in their second one.
However, all this hasn’t stopped the city’s football fans from making the most of the football crazy nights.
With most of the matches either beginning or continuing late into the night, the city’s nightlife scene has picked up since the last week. Groups of people dressed in the favourite team’s colours are heading to places screening matches on the big screen and serving a football-themed menu. “The matches have given us another reason to catch up and enjoy a game with friends,” says Pranav Joshi, a working professional.
He adds that the games come with a healthy rivalry between friends. “All’s well till the opening goal. The moment a team scores, the other team’s supporters start getting aggressive,” laughs Pranav. Interestingly, the number of venues screening matches has gone up thanks to abolition of the entertainment tax. Before implementation of the Goods and Service Tax (GST), the venue arranging live performances and screenings had to pay additional entertainment tax apart from tax on foods and beverages.
“Many places have started screening live matches after the entertainment tax was done away with. This has also helped us keep food prices affordable. Moreover, we are introducing discounts which is bringing in more people to watch matches,” shares Tushar Varde, from a pub in Kalyani Nagar, adding that depending on the match times, their discount
offers vary.
The FIFA fever has resulted in the most crowded spots at lounges becoming empty. “Usually, the dance floor is crowded on weekends but now, fans huddle up in front of the big screen to catch their favourite teams in action,” says Shubham Kulkarni, a student who heads out with his group of friends to watch matches. On the other hand, Rohit Parchure’s lounge visits have also increased in the last few days. A diehard fan of the game, Rohit says, “There’s nothing better than watching the match on a big screen in the company of your friends and other fans of the game. There’s a different energy in the air.”
Football is one of the most loved games in the world. So much so that on weekends venues are jam-packed with fans and it becomes difficult to manage the crowd at times. “The discounts and ambience of different venues are attracting football fans,” says Keshav Naidu, form a sports bars near Swargate, adding, “The atmosphere is lively and watching matches becomes more interesting. Of course, since the WC began, our work hours have become busier.”
Many fans have also started planning by making reservations at various sports bars and venues screening the matches this season. After all, who would want to miss their favourite team’s game? “We are getting enquiries from people to book tables on the day their favourite team is playing,” informs Amrit Karan, from a lounge in Viman Nagar.