World Cup charm bracelets are top demand at KC Fan Fest

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

The most sought after souvenir at Kansas City's Fan Fest is something you can only get at this event.

At any festival across the country, you can find a Bank of America sponsored booth with lines wrapping around the event. Each one of these is giving away unique charm bracelets, customized by the fan.

Each location has specific charms highlighting the elements of the host city. From bottles of barbecue sauce to fountains, Kansas City's array has those attending waiting for hours at a time just to get their hands on one.

"It's like nothing I've ever seen," said John Christie, a FIFA Fan Fest volunteer. "We opened up at 11 o'clock, and people literally sprinted down here to get in line. And within five or 10 minutes, the line snaked all the way back across the grassy area."

The demand for these bracelets is so much that fans must wait in a queue to receive a time window where they can return to get their souvenirs made. With so many people aiming to leave with one, these call back times can be up to eight hours after initially getting in line.

"We got here around 10:30 to get in line for fan fest, and as soon as the gates opened we ran straight to this line," said Diego Correal, a Colombian fan attending the game. "By the time we got our times, we had missed the first window."

By 1:30 p.m., just two and a half hours after fan fest opened, the call back times were between nine and 10 that night, more than eight hours later. By 2:00 p.m., there were no more slots available for the remainder of the day.

"I would say Bank of America had no idea that it would take off like it did," said Christie. "It's been insane everyday. But the good news is every day they have gotten better at line management and communicating with people, so it's really seamless for something of this size."

Being able to minimize the time actually spent standing in line allows many patrons to wander fan fest and explore many of the other activities that are available throughout the day. Along with that, it makes the area around the booth significantly less crowded since not as many people need to be in the immediate vacinity.

Kansas City's method for dealing with the high traffic has been one of the more efficient ones, making life easier for those already having to wait several hours.

Yuliana Palacio, a Colombian fan who travelled to Missouri from Boston was able to get a bracelet from both locations, and said the experience was much smoother here in the midwest.

"This one it was way smoother, it was better, I feel like they have a better mechanism, and it moved say faster," said Palacio.

Because of the uniqueness of each bracelet, the ability to customize each one with Kansas City themed gear makes it a perfect souvenir for travelers. Couple that with a World Cup event that only happens every four years, it is something that fans are not willing to miss out on.

"I grew up with soccer, I am from Colombia. This is a great souvenir to have that I will treasure forever," said Palacio.

Fans are able to get these bracelets every day that fan fest is open and operating. However, volunteers expect that with several high profile matches taking place in the next few days, that the lines could get even busier.

"I would say next week, especially Monday when the U.S. plays, it will be even crazier," said Christie.