World Cup semi-final : Where will you be at 2pm?

Didn’t make it to India? Don’t sweat it, Karachi has plenty of options.

KARACHI:

Chances are that you are probably not among the 6,000 lucky people who managed to get a visa to India for the semi-final World Cup match between Pakistan and India. If this is the case, your next best bet is a venue around town of which there are plenty. From private parties to full-fledged commercial events, the city is buzzing with preparations for the match in Mohali. Here are just some of the places where the party will be taking place:

Where to watch the match

Arts Council

Its auditorium has a capacity for 450 people. But, according to the president for the arts council, Ahmed Shah, during the quarter-final nearly 1,000 people managed to squeeze into the space. Doors to the auditorium, where only families are permitted, will open at 1:30pm and seats will be provided on a first-come-first-served basis. The council’s second location for viewing the match is the ground where they plan an open-air arrangement. Entry is free of charge.

Cineplex

These people are charging Rs1,000 per person and the cinema is screening the semi-final at two of its halls. According to the management, tickets for one hall have been sold out but there are a few spots still available in the second. Doors will open 30 minutes prior to the match.

Atrium Cinemas

Director for Mandviwalla Entertainment, Syed Rehmani, told The Express Tribune that the cinema house was the first to initiate a deal with Geo Super to screen the match. The new cinema house in Saddar is using all three of its theatres (a total of 646 seats) to screen the match. Tickets were Rs500 per person but Rehmani says they are all sold out. Doors will open for those with tickets at 1pm.

Sind Club

Members of the club are permitted to bring along a limited number of guests for an approximate charge of Rs250 per guest. Food and drinks are charged separately. The match will be projected in a space where Fez night is held. It has a capacity of about 250 people.

Dynasty Hall

A group of seven friends have organised a viewing at the new hall with a capacity of approximately 1,000 people. One of the organisers, Umair Sikander, says they have managed to sell 900 tickets so far. They have also made an arrangement for corporate lounges in the hall, which he says are nearly full. Food and drinks will be available on site for extra charge and doors to the hall will open at noon. The match will be shown on a 20x30 screen with three more projectors and three LCDs.

Carlton Hotel

The hotel in DHA Phase VIII plans to show the match in its Scillinas hall with a capacity for 300 people. Ticket sales continue. They are Rs500 per person. Besides the hotel’s arrangement, a few private events are also planned for which other halls have been rented out.

Defence Authority Zamzama Club

Entertainment Factory, an event management company, is using the stadium in Khadda Market. The entire area will be covered to protect from glare and sunlight blasting against the screen. This venue has a total capacity of 3,000 people and a 30x20 foot screen will be placed in the middle of the ground. A sound system, similar to that used in concerts, has also been promised. For seating, bleachers have been placed to cover half of the stadium while the remaining area will be carpeted with ‘gao takiyas’. The tickets are Rs300 per person and so far over 1,000 have been sold. Food, drinks and snacks will be available at the stadium for sale. Doors will open at 1:30pm.

Skyrocketing price of  projectors rentals

Pak Vision near Zainab Market has 142 projectors in store. However, for the match they are all out. Usually, a screen and projector costs about Rs15,000, says the company’s M. Iqbal. Ejaz of Modern Projectors in Saddar initially quoted Rs22,000 for a screen without a sound system. But when his supervisor, Khurshid, came on the line, he said that since all 60 of their projectors had been rented out, they would arrange for one from elsewhere.

The cost of this arrangement is Rs20,000 with no screen, sound or cables to hook the system up. They usually rent out projectors for between Rs2,500 and Rs10,000. Farhan Ali of Projectors World says all 25 of their projectors have been rented out at an approximate fee of about Rs10,000.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 30^th, 2011.