Fans of Justin Bieber throng Mexico City’s centuries-old main plaza ahead of free concert

MEXICO CITY – Thousands of “tween” girls and their parents have begun streaming into Mexico City’s historic ahead of a free concert by teenage superstar Justin Bieber.

The plaza’s grey and red stone surface has been covered by a sea of purple as the mainly 10 to 14-year-old crowd paid homage to what is reported to be Bieber’s favouritecolour.

Many are skipping school in hopes of beating most of the crowd of 200,000 expected to fill the plaza and surrounding streets.

Thirteen-year-old Fernanda Gutierrez Aparicio said she had spent a week camping out with her mother on a nearby street, returning home only to bathe.

But her mother, Adriana Martinez, said the crush kept them from getting the front-row positions they had sought.