"People who are interested in the World Cup can roll out of bed and watch it on their couch, but the feeling is that people want to watch it with like-minded people and get with other fans," says Glen Eastwood, general manager at Fadó (1735 19th Street). "A hundred guys in USA jerseys want to watch it together as opposed to alone at home."
So Fadó, the official Colorado bar of the U.S. soccer team, and a number of other Denver joints will open early to show the games that are being played in South Africa from June 11 to July 11. Fadó will show all 64 matches live, which means it will open at 5:30 a.m. some days; Eastwood expects crowds of up to 600 for the big games. On Saturday, June 12, the day the USA plays England, Fadó will raffle off jerseys for both teams; near the end of the tournament, Fadó will raffle off a fifty-inch Panasonic plasma TV, as well as official World Cup balls from the last ten World Cups, which each have their own display cases and are collectively valued at $1,000.
For a more intimate place to catch the early action, there's the British Bulldog (2052 Stout Street), which will open at 5 a.m. pretty much every day of the World Cup and will offer a special World Cup breakfast and happy hour from 7 to 11 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. GB Fish & Chips (1311 South Broadway and 2175 Sheridan Boulevard in Edgewater) will open at 8 a.m. game days, when kids eat free. The Irish Snug (1201 East Colfax Avenue) and Irish Rover (54 South Broadway) will show every game, and the Rover is offering two-for-one well, wine and drafts during games. Katie Mullen's (1550 Court Place) is airing all the games, as well as offering drink, breakfast and food specials. Chopper's Sports Grill (80 South Madison Street) is showing all games live and/or rebroadcast, too, and Buenos Aires Pizzeria (1319 22nd Street) will air select games, with a focus on the Americas, that start at 12:30 p.m.
Oak Tavern (1416 Market Street) will be showing all the games, and players from the Colorado Rapids will stop by for the USA/England game on June 12, Brazil vs. Korea on June 15, Cameroon vs. Denmark on June 19, and USA vs. Algeria on June 23. SOBO 151 (151 South Broadway) will open at 8 a.m. for the games. And up in Boulder, the West End Tavern (926 Pearl Street) will open at 7:45 a.m. for select games, when chef Chris Blackwood will cook up daily omelet specials as well as breakfast burritos. In addition to morning drinks like Kentucky Coffee, Jim Beam and coffee, Wisconsin Lunch Box and a do-it-yourself Bloody Mary bar, the West End will feature the World Cup of Booze: a beer and cocktail special for each game during tournament play.
For more World Cup news, watch our Club listings at www.westword.com/events/category/world-cup-soccer-1487165 – and send more viewing suggestions to [email protected].
Club scout: Any day now, the Blake Street Tavern will open in its new, larger home at 2301 Blake Street, a block south from 2401 Blake Street, where it's been for the past seven years. From 2 to 7 p.m. on Saturday, June 12, Great Divide Brewing Company (2201 Arapahoe Street) will celebrate its sixteenth anniversary with special-release beers, food and live music from Snake Rattle Rattle Snake, Dressy Bessy and Paper Bird; cover is $25 per person, with part of the proceeds going to Boys & Girls Club of Metro Denver.
Suite Two Hundred (1427 Larimer Street) will be the site of the Ms. Hooters Colorado competition on June 10; on Friday, June 11, the club will host one of fifty parties in fifty cities celebrating the Playboy Club's fiftieth anniversary. Playmate Christina Santiago and DJ Skratchy will be in the house.
