Berlin/Hanover, June 8 (DPA) Germany kicked off a month of street parties with 250,000 fans from around the world attending opening World Cup celebrations in Berlin and Hanover.

Fans gathered Wednesday under Berlin's famed Brandenburg Gate, where football legends Pele of Brazil and Sir Bobby Charlton of Britain's 1966 winning team addressed the enthusiastic crowds.

"This is a fantastic start to the World Cup," said Charlton.

In Hanover, 35,000 people gathered for the celebrations, where Christian Wulff, the governor of the province Niedersachsen, implored the crowd to be optimistic about Germany's chances.

"We are the world champions of pessimism," he told the German supporters. "That is something we could now give up."

But fans of other countries also attended the Hanover parties, where British and Dutch football chants could be heard among the crowd. In Berlin, a group of Paraguayan fans made a splash wearing traditional Indian dress.

The crowds in Berlin were also treated to music performances from a stage erected under the Brandenburg Gate.

Pop and classic groups "Simple Minds", "Andrea Bocelli", "Nelly Furtado" and the "Berlin Philharmonic" were among the acts that serenaded the crowds.