Italy – The Champions League final in Milan was not just a sporting event for soccer fans. During the UEFA Champions Festival 2016, from 26 to 29 May, there was a whole host of entertainment, including meetings, exhibitions, shows and events. There was everything you can imagine before the final kick-off at San Siro. The Opening Ceremony took place on the evening of 26 May with a gala event in which some great past champions also took part. During the Champions Festival evening shows, Clay Paky took the field with its lights: 28 Alpha Beam 300s and 15 Alpha Spot HPE 700s.
The Champions Festival stage set up in Milan’s Piazza del Duomo was illuminated thanks to the work of lighting designer Massimo Gasbarro from BOTW. Jerry R. Romani dealt with the programming. The events began with a superb gospel choir, and went on with a selection of DJs, like Benny Benassi, and much loved singers, who took it in turns to entertain the audience.
It is estimated that the final act of the world’s most important club soccer event brought half a million people to Milan during its week-long climax. It was seen on television by more viewers than those that watched the Superbowl, and was produced with advanced technological innovations. A year ago there were 350,000 people in Berlin for Barcelona-Juventus. The growing audience confirms that the Champions League is increasingly becoming a world-scale attraction.
“The Alpha Beam 300 is not a latest generation light with all the recent innovations Clay Paky has got us used to. That said, it is still a highly reliable device, which fits perfectly into a challenging environment.”
“The compact, agile Alpha Beam 300s deployed on the stage, with their 300W gas discharge lamps, are perfectly visible even on the brightest sets. They created fascinating dynamic projections: a carpet of images and textures in midair.”
The Alpha Spot HPE 700s were either hung on the central battens, or the rearmost battens as backlighting. The lightweight HPE 700s, with their unparalleled brightness, magnificently cut the space occupied to a minimum and ensured considerable power savings.
“I used the speed of the electronic zoom in the lights to illuminate the whole gospel choir from behind, and light the musicians in the bands that played and DJs who performed on the stage from above.”
An area was set up in the middle of Piazza del Duomo, called the Ultimate Stage Star Ball Dome, where it was possible to take pictures next to the trophy Real and Atlético Madrid were contending, with Milan Cathedral in the background. It was one of the most sought after attractions.
Production and Service company: BOTW