World Cup fan zone opens at Santa Monica Pier Play

Get ready for a summer of even bigger crowds than normal on Pacific Coast Highway at the chokepoint to the freeway in Santa Monica. The first in a series of major crowd magnets opens next week at the Santa Monica Pier.

The FIFA World Cup is opening, and the soccer conglomerate is partnering with the City of Santa Monica and a major beer brewer to open one of the nation's most ambitious fan experiences at the Santa Monica Pier.

From June 12 through 25, Michelob ULTRA, the official beer sponsor of the FIFA World Cup, will transform the Santa Monica Pier into the Michelob ULTRA Pitchside Club. It's a two-week immersive fan experience designed to blend soccer, entertainment, music, culture and beer.

Lots of beer.

Santa Monica is seeking to get its mojo back. City leaders want to position Santa Monica as Southern California's gathering place during the World Cup — not to mention the Super Bowl and Olympics, both coming up just down the 405.

Mayor Caroline Torosis said, "We bet big on ourselves and it's already paying off. We're making history this summer with a lineup of events, activations and partnerships that this community has not seen before. It's no exaggeration to say that this summer, Santa Monica is the place to be in Southern California."

A Michelob ULTRA executive said that by integrating live DJs, soccer legends, and immersive entertainment at the Pitchside Club Santa Monica, "we purposefully designed an experience that transcends a traditional viewing experience to become a definitive cultural destination for fans."

Michelob Ultra beer has an alcohol content of 8.2 percent.

Several people have been run over and killed by vehicles on the beach in Santa Monica in the past few years.

The impact of the extra crowd on PCH — at the only direct connection between Malibu and the LA freeway system — has not been publicly discussed by Michelob, the World Cup or Santa Monica officials.