LAWRENCE, Kansas — After artist Stan Herd went viral for a massive Algerian flag art installation earlier this month, the city returned Friday night to the same hillside near the Lied Center to bring the art to life.
Hundreds gathered at the University of Kansas, responding to a community call to dress in solid green, white or red. They stood in the flag’s perimeter accordingly, transforming Herd’s installation into a “human” Algerian flag, captured by Seth Sanchez, co-owner of Drone Lawrence, who has partnered with Herd since 2020 to document his earthworks.
“We're extremely lucky to live in a city that has the best earthwork artist on earth,” Sanchez said. “Obviously he has gone mega-viral for this one. … The scene that he has created out here at the Algerian flag earthwork is unbelievable.”
But for Herd, this was what the project was meant to achieve.
“The world is paying attention not to the flag or the art or me,” Herd said. "They’re paying attention to this community embracing these amazing people from Northern Africa.”
The embrace made itself quite audible Friday night, too, as chants of “one, two, three, viva l'Algérie” filled Lawrence during two events ahead of the national team’s pivotal Group Stage match against Austria Saturday in the men’s World Cup.
Less than two hours later, a smaller but still passionate crowd of a few hundred people traveled to the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel to greet the players when they arrived.
Fans rolled in with Algerian garb tied to their cars, chanting and forming circles to dance in the parking lot. Flares, fireworks, and colored smoke sticks illuminated the night sky, wrapping the DoubleTree in a thick, luminous red cloud when the team bus arrived.
Security barricades kept fans from getting a clear look at the players, but it did nothing to lower the excitement and energy.
And Lawrence isn’t done yet.
More than 1,000 people could revel downtown Saturday evening, which would make it the city’s largest watch party for an Algeria match, said Ruth DeWitt, director of community relations for Explore Lawrence, the city’s convention and visitor’s bureau.
'Love for Algeria'
While a two-day celebration might seem daunting to some, longtime Lawrence resident and schoolteacher Madina Salaty feels right at home. Salaty, who’s a big soccer and basketball fan and attended Friday’s flag gathering and the subsequent cheering of the Algerian club at the team’s hotel, said she wouldn’t miss tonight’s party.
“The whole love for Algeria has warmed my heart,” she said.
Officials have already blocked off Massachusetts Street between 10th and 11th streets for the Vivo En Masse Soccer Celebration & Watch Party, which starts at 5 p.m. and runs throughout the evening. Fans there can watch the 9 p.m. Algeria-Austria match on a 20-foot screen outside.
Pregame entertainment includes DJ Jalapeño providing Latin dance music and the Bayati band playing traditional Arabic music, said Mike Logan, owner of The Granada theater and concert venue.
Logan also said that vendors inside The Granada, one of the watch party hubs, will be selling jewelry, textiles, clothes and art. For food, soccer celebration attendees can buy various types of cuisine from Mexican to Mediterranean to burgers and fries.
Those relying on public transportation should not be discouraged by the match’s later start, DeWitt said, because Lawrence buses for the watch party will be running until 1 a.m.
But first, a prayer
The city’s enthusiasm for tonight’s game began hours before Friday’s official festivities.
Before afternoon prayer at the Islamic Center of Lawrence, Algerian fans gathered to discuss the team and the city’s hospitality. One of those fans, retired entrepreneur Chawky Bekka arrived in Lawrence on Thursday evening from Texas and said he already felt “at home.” While Bekka said he would be praying more for an Algerian victory over Austria, he said he would be first saying a prayer of thanks for “Lawrence and the hospitality of the people and their support.”
In fact, the story of Lawrence's hospitality has traveled far beyond U.S. borders.
Algerian pharmacist Adam Haddad traveled all the way from Paris, after spotting the celebrations on Instagram. He made the journey to watch the Algeria-Austria game in Kansas City, Missouri, but when he saw the events happening in Lawrence, he knew he had to come out early to experience the energy firsthand.
"I just love it," Haddad said Friday night. "People are just so nice. They welcome us like family, like friend. It was wonderful."
The positive emotions flowed Friday despite the crowd quickly backing up traffic outside the DoubleTree all the way down Iowa Street toward the stoplight before the Interstate 70 Turnpike. When the hotel parking lot filled up, vehicles spilled over into the nearby Lawrence Public Schools administrative building across the street and surrounding northern lots.
Lawrence Police Department Detective Meghan Bardwell was among the authorities managing the gridlock. Far from just directing traffic, Bardwell was spotted laughing, taking selfies, and dancing with fans while chanting, "Viva l'Algérie!"
"I think it's amazing," she said. "Not only watching all the people come together in America, but just the unity that it's brought into the country during some tough times."
She noted that the department anticipated a massive turnout, and despite the gridlock, the crowd remained jubilant. "The Algerian fans are over-the-top awesome," Bardwell said. "It's just making the fans feel welcome to Lawrence as an officer, as a citizen ... to make sure that they know that they’re loved."
Overall, Lawrence and its Algerian visitors aren’t ready for the good times and their relationship to end.
“We’re going to keep the party rocking to cheer Algeria on to the Round of 32,” DeWitt said.
Naomi Sui Pang is a University of Kansas sophomore from Lawrence, studying multimedia journalism and political science. KU assistant professor Steve Bien-Aimé contributed to this report.
