VIENNA: Music maestro Zubin Mehta is all set to conduct the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra a day before the final game of the European football championship - the third largest sports event worldwide - to be played here from June 29.
The open-air concert by the Mumbai-born conductor will be held against the background of Schonbrunn, the magnificent summer palace of Austria's Habsburg rulers, on June 28 and will star Lang Lang, the Chinese pianist.
The European Football Championship is surpassed only by the Olympic Games and the FIFA World Cup in size and spectacle.
The Games opened Saturday to the ethereal sound of the Vienna Boys' Choir and the Vienna Symphonic Orchestra. After the classical fare, Austrian pop star Christina Stürmer followed up with more music. As players kicked ball on the football field, couples waltzed at the open air Concordia Ball.
Michael Haupl, Vienna's mayor, welcomed fans from all over Europe to the city that will host six games starting from June 8. As the host city, Vienna has decided to party round the clock.
The square in front of Vienna's historic City Hall is transformed into a gigantic fan zone and a total area of two kilometers is now the home of about 100,000 football fans, served by 86 food stalls and nine giant screens.
Some 1.1 million guests from Austria and abroad are expected to visit Vienna during the European football championship games. Together, Austria and Switzerland will host a total of 31 matches that will be seen live on large screens installed at a number of public places across the city.
More than 350,000 spectators will witness the games at the stadium where each game is expected to be attended by 51,000 people. The number of non-ticket holding football fans is three times as many.
According to figures released by the City of Vienna offices, 600,000 people from 142 countries requested for more than 10 million tickets for the 300,000 slots available during the first phase of ticket sales.
Apart from the 2.2 million passengers who regularly take public transport on weekdays, an additional 500,000 guests per day are expected to use the facilities during the games.
Public transport at daytime is increased by 25 percent. Night services around the Fan Zone area and the stadium is up by 50 percent and police force is visible everywhere.
Some 1,200 police officers are on alert in Vienna alone supported by 10 Croatian police officers in uniform and 15 officers familiar with the fan scene to ensure maximum communication with fans.
On Sunday, some 50,000 Croatian fans are expected in Vienna to watch their team play against Austria.
