Heineken pres. UCL A Night In Rome @ Hap Seng Star Mercedes-Benz Auto Haus
Beer and footie sounds like every soccerhead’s dream, but when you put them both together, it makes for a huge party. Slap in the chance to win 2 tickets to Europe to watch one of the biggest match this year, and we hear 2 words – “Soccer paradise”!
Not much of a fan ourselves, JUICE was not too sure what to expect (or wear) to a party where football was going to be the main topic. But so much was heard about the previous 2 Heineken UEFA Champions League Presents A Night In Rome party, that we just had to find out what the buzz was about. We were a little jittery at first being in a roomful of die-hard fans. Constant news about how rowdy they can get in bars didn’t make matters easier for us. Fortunately, we decided to arm ourselves with a brief lesson in football history and etiquette, and we’re ready for kick off!
JUICE was impressed with the set up – since the final showdown is in Rome, giant cut-outs of famous Roman landmarks were placed at the entrance. We witnessed patrons take snaps in front of them and it looked pretty convincing. What really blew us away wasn’t only the transformation of the showroom into an amazing party spot, or the 1000 or more of footie heads and their WAGs who turned up, but the hypnotic visuals (courtesy of Cool Illusions, www.makingithappen.com.my) on multiple screens we couldn’t take our eyes off.
There was a performance by Joey G and opera singer Maria Raiz, a fashion show by Redken, and the biggest hype of the night, a brother and sister act (Luke Chris and Pia Colonna) all the way from Down Under, The Bumblebeez. Although their set started off great, the crowd soon thinned an hour later. When Marion Caunter went up on stage to pull challengers for the chance to win 2 grand prize tickets, they killed the music and someone next to us yelled out: “How rude, she didn’t even thank The Bumblebeez!” We turned to see Chris, who by this time was solo on stage as sis took a break, pack his stuff and sadly blended in with the crowd.
After a slight state of confusion when challengers were ushered on stage and quizzed about their football knowledge, a winner was announced and the music soon resumed. When the boys from Lapsap hit the decks, partygoers took over the dancefloor and showed Hap Seng Star Mercedes-Benz Auto Haus what it’s like to have a proper night out!
Check out the snaps we got up on our gallery here.
Images Matt Armitage