It is common to see the grandstand at Allianz Parque colored green. But the Palmeiras stadium, in the west of São Paulo, has been receiving all shirt colors and even those who don’t like football with a series of new spaces – some quite unusual.
At the entrance there is a parked bus, stamped with zombies. It’s a portable version of an escape room, those rooms with escape games that exist in the city, called Bus Xtreme – Invasão Zumbi. Linked to Escape 60, the vehicle receives visitors who need to solve puzzles in order to escape the place.
The attraction opened on May 19. About two months later, on the 10th, the stadium received another attraction that has nothing to do with football: the Selfie Museum.
Originally opened at the West Plaza mall in October last year, the new version has instagrammable spaces that refer to shows that passed through the arena and Palmeiras, of course, with “Brazil’s greatest champion” signs and a greenish polka dot pool, for example.
The attractions, in the words of the stadium organization, are based on a concept called “living arena”. Claudio Macedo, CEO of WTorre Entretenimento, the managing company of Allianz Parque, says that the idea is to move the place any day of the week, not just when there are football games or concerts. “With that, you generate income and a flow of people,” he says.
The museum and escape room are temporary attractions at first, but there are new fixed spaces as well.
A luxury rooftop named Parque Mirante opened to the public last month and works as a kind of private cabin with food, drinks and armchairs. The concept there is one of exclusivity – watching a game on site costs R$ 450 for those over 12 years old. Tickets for single matches will be sold until August 24th. Afterwards, the intention is only to sell annual packages, which start at R$ 25 thousand.
There is also a gastronomic itinerary, with three restaurants. Braza, opened in April, has themed menus that adapt to the attractions of the lawn. La Coppa, open on the 7th, serves Italian dishes. Finally, the oldest Naigaro Sushi, from 2017, serves Japanese food, as the name says.
Another attraction that has nothing to do with sports is the Base Coworking, launched in April, with 2,380 m². There are three floors with small rooms and tables arranged for people to work on site.
Despite the mix, Macedo is keen to point out that the intention is not to distance Allianz from football. “The arena is and will always be the home of Palmeiras. The objective is not to create a mall”, he says.
Even so, he likes to compare the stadium with Disney Springs, a kind of mall that brings together shopping centers, restaurants and leisure attractions in Florida, in the United States. “These are spaces where you go because you know you’re going to be drenched in entertainment, music, cuisine and shopping,” he says.
But there are fans who are unhappy with this new profile. This Wednesday (20), Paulo Nascimento, 54, posed for a photo in front of gate A, a few meters from the Escape 60 bus. “These spaces have nothing to do with Palmeiras”, says he, who is advertising. “This had to be just a football stadium.”
The Palmeiras player also complains about the times when the team needs to stop playing at home because of a show. On April 23, for example, the match between Palmeiras and Corinthians took place at Arena Barueri, almost 35 kilometers away, because Allianz Parque was hosting a concert by the Amigos group.
A week later, on the 30th, the crowd had to return to the stadium in Greater São Paulo once again — this was because the São Paulo grandstand was busy with rockers who bought tickets to a concert by the band Kiss.
Asked about the stadium’s schedule conflicts, Macedo says that Allianz Parque tries to block the dates on which Palmeiras games can take place, but that doesn’t always work out. “It will continue to happen because of the unpredictability of football’s schedule,” he says.
For the people of Palmeiras, there seems to be resignation. “I’m just a fan, what am I going to do? I have to accept it”, says Nascimento, in front of the zombie bus.
Things to do at Allianz Parque
Coworking base
Gate B – Av. Francisco Matarazzo, 1705, 1st basement floor, Água Branca, west region. Day use from R$89
braza
Gate A – r. Palestra Italia, 200, 3rd floor, tel. (11) 91465-2717
Bus Xtreme – Invasion Zombie
Gate A – r. Lecture Italy, 200. Tue. Sun., from 10 am to 5:20 pm, except on game and concert days. Until May 2023. BRL 59.90, in escape60.com.br or at the box office
There cuppa
Gate A – r. Lecture Italy, 200, Instagram @lacoppa.ristorante
Selfie Museum
Gate A – r. Lecture Italy, 200, 3rd floor, Instagram @museudaselfieoficial. Mon. to Fri, from 12:00 to 19:00. Sat., Sun. and holidays, from 10 am to 5 pm. Until 10/30. From BRL 50 in sympla.com.br or on site
Nagairo Sushi
Gate B – Av. Francisco Matarazzo, 1705, 3rd floor, Instagram @nagairosushi
Lookout Park
Garage Building – r. Father Antônio Tomás, 72, 7th floor, Instagram @parque.mirante. From R$ 450 for single games until 8/24; R$ 25 thousand per annual package, in torcedormirante.com/ingressos
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