The ritual appears most closely tied to England matches. Chiarella says he has seen the behaviour repeatedly during games involving the Three Lions, but not to the same extent when France or Spain have played at the venue.
That difference may reflect the particular emotional charge surrounding England’s tournament campaigns. Fan parks replace the traditional pub gathering with giant screens, shared chants and thousands of supporters reacting at once. A goal becomes a collective release - and, for some, the drink in their hand becomes part of the performance.
The celebration can begin before the ball reaches the net. Comedian Jacob Hawley, watching England face Croatia, reportedly found himself dodging cups after Harry Kane missed a penalty.
“Estou desviando de copos e a bola nem entrou,” Hawley said.
His frustration is easy to understand. “Não quero ficar encharcado de cerveja a noite toda. Não quero cheirar a cerveja quando levar meus filhos à escola no dia seguinte,” he added.
Marcus Alexander, attending another major match, described a similar experience after an early goal: “Quando marcamos nos primeiros cinco minutos, minha bolsa ficou encharcada.” For supporters who want to celebrate without being soaked, the tradition can feel less like fun and more like an unavoidable hazard.
For venue operators, the behaviour is being treated as part of the event rather than an emergency. Beer supplies, ice, cleaning and crowd management all become more complicated during hot tournament days.
Deepak Agarwal, a manager at The Garden Vauxhall, summed up the venue’s position: “Não nos importamos de limpar o jardim. Faz parte do nosso trabalho e queremos que as pessoas se divirtam.”
The next England goal will test whether that balance holds: can fan parks preserve spontaneous celebration while giving spectators a reasonable chance of staying dry?