CNN's Jim Bittermann reports on the World Cup festivities
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PARIS (CNN) -- Paris came alive with lumbering giants and colorful costumed characters Tuesday night, as the World Cup got underway with a fantasy pageant symbolically representing the unity of soccer fans. The first match comes Wednesday night between Brazil and Scotland, but fans and non-fans alike saw quite a show at the Place de la Concorde, where the four 60-foot (18-meter) robot giants -- representing an African, an American Indian, an Asian and a European -- met after making separate treks from familiar monuments around the city. More than 4,500 elaborately costumed extras participated, and the famous obelisk in the square was decorated to look like the World Cup trophy. Nearby on the Champs-Elysees, partyers clashed with police, injuring 34 officers and resulting in 15 arrests.