Heineken Activates For Uefa Champions League Return

UEFA Official Partner Heineken, has announced new campaigns to mark the return of European football ahead of the quarter finals of the UEFA Champions League and Europa League, which take place in Lisbon and western Germany respectively.

The brand has partnered with music label Defected Records to create ‘The Kick Off’, a ‘virtual celebration livestream’, which will bring eight  DJs, across eight locations, for eight hours in one stream to celebrate the return of the two competitions.

The event, which will take place on Sunday, 9th August, will host a line-up of house music artists such as Bob Sinclar, and will also include Idris Elba (pictured), as well as Defected acts like Low Steppa, Ferreck Dawn and DJ Monki, who will present live from Lisbon, where the rearranged UEFA Champions League final will be held. 

Each DJ will stream live from unique locations either at-home, in-bars or from special locations including the Heineken Experience, Amsterdam and the Estadio da Luz in Lisbon. 

The event is part of Heineken’s wider European domestic football campaign which will also include an appearance from football legend Thierry Henry and other well-known football stars. 

Another such stunt from the brand saw Chelsea and Portugal defender Ricardo Carvalho ‘paint’ the town of Lisbon Heineken green in the lead up to the event, with iconic landmarks in the city lit up by green lights, such as eight sailboats in the river Tejo, four of the city’s most-famous restaurants – Topo Chiado, Ferroviário, Ramiro and Praia no Parque – and a residential building in Largo das Caldas.

Hans Erik Tuijt, Director of Sponsorship, Heineken, said: “The wait is finally over for the culmination of the 2019/20 UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League. 

Whilst fans will not be able to enjoy the experience in the stadium or large gatherings, we believe the Kick Off is the perfect way to celebrate the return of the action in a digital-first experience and could be an early look into the future of fan events. 

“We like so many football fans around the world have been patiently waiting for the return of UEFA Champions League football. Now the wait is over, and what better way to kick off the action in Lisbon than to bring attention to their iconic landmarks using the Heineken green.”