I'm pretty sure that the
Red Bull Flugtag was the silliest thing going on in San Franciso on Saturday afternoon. Teams compete to build unlikely human-powered flying machines & launch them into McCovey Cove by pushing them off the end of a high ramp. Scores take into account creativity as well as length of flight, so wacky costumes & dance skits are part of the show. I watched Stanford students, drag queens, & the cast of Scooby Doo, among others, take flying leaps into the water. Some of the most aerodynamic-looking crafts collapsed before making it to the end of the runway, while a shopping cart made up as a banana launched its pilot farther than most.
I was overwhelmed by the crowds, which were at least 10 deep on both sides of McCovey Cove. There were an inordinate number of tall people, so I gave up trying to see the launches directly & instead watched the video screens in AT&T park, where the field & the stands were full as well. The videos stream was slickly-produced & included excellent instant replays from various angles. Announcers claimed that 100,000 people were in attendance. AT&T Park concession stands were open. Red Bull did not seem to be the most commonly imbibed beverage, however.
§ Red Bull Flugtag San Francisco 2012
McCovey Cove
11 November 2012
2 comments:
I was envying you seeing Das Flugtag, because I liked their commercials so much showing pratfalls from earlier editions, until you came up with the 100,000 number. Not fun. Thanks for playing intrepid reporter.
I think if I had known it was going to be so crowded, I would have avoided it too! The open ballpark was really necessary to provide crowd relief.
I spent all Saturday in crowds, since my BART rides to & from Cal Performances that evening coincided exactly with the Cal football game mob.
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