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Over 500,000 people have now attended FIFA World Cup Fan Festival Vancouver at the PNE fairgrounds

Kenneth Chan
Kenneth Chan
|
Jul 16 2026, 10:05 pm
Over 500,000 people have now attended FIFA World Cup Fan Festival Vancouver at the PNE fairgrounds
England vs. Norway FIFA World Cup match screening at "The Park" area of FIFA Fan Festival Vancouver at the PNE, as seen on July 11, 2026. (Kenneth Chan)

There are now just three days remaining to enjoy the free official FIFA Fan Festival Vancouver at the PNE fairgrounds in Hastings Park.

During the first 25 days of the fan festival, through Wednesday, July 15, a total of 502,157 attendees passed through the fairground gates to enjoy live match screenings at the amphitheatre and other viewing areas.

The experience has also featured concerts and other live entertainment, a curated selection of food and beverage offerings, official sponsor activations, and sales of official 2026 FIFA World Cup merchandise.

All of this has taken place within a vibrant and immersive tournament-branded atmosphere, with the fairgrounds accommodating up to 25,000 people at any given time, including 10,000 within the new amphitheatre. Since June 11, the fan festival has been open on 28 select days throughout the tournament’s 39-day duration.

While numerous unofficial events are still taking place, the fan festival is now the only remaining official FIFA World Cup experience in Metro Vancouver. BC Place Stadium concluded its match-hosting duties last week with the ninth-last match of the entire 104-match tournament.

The fan festival is closed today, Thursday, July 16. Although no matches are scheduled for Friday, July 17, the site will reopen in the evening for a ticketed concert at the amphitheatre featuring Shades of Day, Grayson Repp, SG Lewis, and Kx5.

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The moment of Canada’s goal against South Africa during the round of 32 match, as seen at the FIFA World Cup Fan Festival Vancouver at the PNE fairgrounds in Hastings Park on June 28, 2026. (Kenneth Chan)

Arrive very early for the fan festival’s final weekend

This weekend will provide the final opportunity to experience both the fan festival’s full range of programming and the FIFA World Cup itself.

On Saturday, July 18, the fan festival will be open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. for a live screening of the third-place match between England and France, which kicks off at 2 p.m.

Live entertainment at the amphitheatre before and after the match will feature Lovely Dae, Tyson Venegas, Jesse Roper, and The Dead South. The Park Stage lineup will include DJ Krista Mac, Absolute Losers, and Colin James.

Then, on Sunday, July 19, the fan festival’s final day, the site will be open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. for a live screening of the championship final between Argentina and Spain at New York/New Jersey. This ultimate matchup begins at noon.

Live music at the amphitheatre on the final day will feature Grayson Repp, who created Vancouver’s host city version of “FIFA Sound,” along with Kaytranada and Lou Phelps. Performances elsewhere across the fairgrounds will feature Average Citizens, Kevin Shiu, Sultan + Shepard, and DJ Remsta.

canada moroco fifa world cup fan festival july 4 2026

Canada vs. Morocco match screening at FIFA World Cup Fan Festival Vancouver at the PNE on July 4, 2026. (Kenneth Chan)

mexico england fifa world cup fan festival vancouver pne july 5 2026

Mexico vs. England match screening at FIFA World Cup Fan Festival Vancouver at the PNE on July 5, 2026. (Kenneth Chan)

The fan festival is expected to be exceptionally busy this weekend, particularly on Sunday. This will be aided by the forecast for optimal weather conditions on both days.

Fans attending on Sunday are very strongly encouraged to arrive before the gates open at 9 a.m. to improve their chances of securing free entry, given the festival’s overall capacity limit of 25,000 people. During the fan festival’s previous busiest days, it reached capacity in advance of the day’s live match screenings, with free entry into the fairgrounds temporarily moving into a one-out, one-in system.

Early arrival on Sunday will be especially important for those hoping to enter the amphitheatre’s free, standing-room-only general admission floor, which has a capacity of 2,600 people at any given time. This is now the only remaining way to watch the championship final from inside the amphitheatre, as paid tickets for the seats and rear lawn area are 100 per cent sold out.

However, many paid seating and lawn tickets remain available for Saturday’s amphitheatre screening of the third-place match.

For those who are unable to access the amphitheatre, there is also a lively atmosphere of match screenings at The Park, where thousands of people can also congregate in front of four giant video screens.

There are a total of 10 giant video screens for match screenings across the fan festival site, including three within the amphitheatre.

The best way to get to the fan festival is TransLink’s No. 11 FIFA Fan Festival Express bus service, which operates along Renfrew Street between the Expo Line’s 29th Avenue Station and the Pacific Coliseum’s PNE entrance. The service operates very frequently — every five minutes or better — using high-capacity articulated buses from two hours before the fairground gates open to two hours after closing. Along the entire route, the No. 11 makes just one stop along the way — at the Millennium Line’s Renfrew Station.

The fan festival has seen over 40,000 attendees during its busiest days so far. If similar numbers are seen this weekend, it could potentially push cumulative total attendance to nearly 600,000 people after the gates close for the last time this Sunday.

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