If you can't attend the World Cup in Brazil this summer, SteelStacks Bethlehem will be the closest experience a fan can get once the tournament kicks off on June 12.

During a recent press conference, Artsquest announced it will be hosting a free FIFA World Cup SoccerFest and Viewing Party at SteelStacks from June 12-16 and 19-22.The event will feature a 17-foot high by 27-foot wide outdoor LED screen on SteelStacks' Air products Town Square, broadcasting 26-live matches over the course of the first two weekends of tournament, highlighted by the USA's opening round matches against Ghana and Portugal.Planning for the event has been in the works over the past two years and started with the ideas from the likes of Curt Mosel, ArtsQuest Vice President of Marketing and Public Relations.Mosel attended the 2006 World Cup in Germany and wanted to bring the similar feel of FIFA Fan Fests to Bethlehem."I remember when we were in Stuttgart in 2006 and they had a huge screen in the middle of the river with 10,000 people watching the game from all over," Mosel said. "It was just an incredible experience and we wondered how we could replicate that here? We have the backdrop with the Bethlehem Steel buildings, but it's really about tying together the passion for international soccer with the youth in the area."Greg Ramos, executive director of Lehigh Valley United, knows how that experience can influence the youth, since attending the 1994 World Cup in the United States still holds an imprint on his life."It's really the next best thing to being in Brazil," Ramos said of the SoccerFest in Bethlehem.