10 big screens: Free World Cup viewing is everywhere at FIFA Fan Festival Vancouver | Daily Hive

With 10 giant screens, free World Cup match viewing is everywhere at FIFA Fan Festival Vancouver — not just the amphitheatre

"The Park" viewing area at FIFA World Cup Fan Festival Vancouver at Hastings Park/PNE on June 12, 2026. (Kenneth Chan)

Vancouver’s official free FIFA Fan Festival at the PNE fairgrounds in Hastings Park opened last week on the same day the FIFA World Cup kicked off in North America.

Unlike the various community events held elsewhere in Metro Vancouver, Vancouver’s FIFA Fan Festival at the PNE is the only official FIFA World Cup-branded and sanctioned event in the region outside of BC Place Stadium. Visitors can expect immersive tournament theming throughout the festival, alongside free live match broadcasts.

At the time of writing, today, the FIFA Fan Festival is now open for its sixth day. But based on observations so far, there appear to be several major public misconceptions about the experiences the fan festival offers — especially the live match screenings — both among those who have visited and those who have yet to attend.

Some people think the entire fan festival experience is just the new amphitheatre, the only place where people can watch a match, and that paid admission is required to get in. That is completely wrong.

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First of all, to reiterate, entry to the PNE fairgrounds is completely free — tickets and reservations are not required. Unlike the annual PNE Fair held at Hastings Park, there is no gate admission fee. The FIFA Fan Festival has a daily capacity of about 25,000 people.

Secondly, the FIFA Fan Festival is not open every day during the 39-day tournament. Instead, it is open on 28 select days, including all Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. It is closed every Monday, on three Tuesdays (June 16, 23, and 30), and on two Wednesdays (July 1 and 8).

Here are the complete opening dates and times, live match broadcast schedule, and live music and concert lineup for the remainder of FIFA Fan Festival Vancouver. The fan festival operates for up to 12 hours on the days it is open, but opening and closing times vary depending on the day’s match schedule. The fan festival opened on Thursday, June 11, and will conclude on Sunday, July 19, with the championship final.

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Canada’s opener at the PNE amphitheatre at the FIFA World Cup Fan Festival on June 12, 2026. (Kenneth Chan)

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Canada’s opener at the PNE amphitheatre at the FIFA World Cup Fan Festival on June 12, 2026. (Kenneth Chan)

Thirdly, there are five gates into the fairgrounds, with each serving as a security screening checkpoint. Many attendees have gravitated toward the visually prominent main Hastings Park entrance at the northeast corner of the intersection of Renfrew Street and Hastings Street (Gate 1), but this entrance can experience long queues, particularly in the mornings on days featuring major matches.

To skip potential lines, additional entrances are located just east of the intersection of Renfrew Street and Pandora Street (Gate 2), on Renfrew Street outside the Pacific Coliseum (Gate 4), on Miller Drive inside Hastings Park just east of Hastings Racecourse and Casino and immediately beside the new amphitheatre (Gate 10), and north of the intersection of Lillooet Street and Hastings Street (Gate 14). Attendees are not permitted to bring large bags and backpacks into the site.

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Map of the locations of the five gates to enter the FIFA Fan Festival at the PNE fairgrounds in Hastings Park. (City of Vancouver)

Map of the entire FIFA World Cup Fan Festival at the PNE fairgrounds in Hastings Park. (City of Vancouver)

10 giant video screens for free live match broadcasts, not just at the amphitheatre

Fourthly, live match broadcasts throughout the FIFA Fan Festival are free, and the amphitheatre is just one of several viewing locations within the fairgrounds, even though it includes both free and optional premium ticketed components.

There are a total of 10 video screens for live match broadcasts spread across five different areas of the FIFA Fan Festival, each offering a distinct viewing experience.

After the amphitheatre, the next-largest viewing area is “The Park,” located at the heart of the fan festival. It features a large open-air lawn and four large video screens for live match broadcasts, including two on the concert stage, one mounted on a tower near the rear of the area, and another positioned off to the side. The fan atmosphere at The Park is second only to the amphitheatre, and the space can accommodate thousands of spectators.

Another large screen for live match broadcasts is located in “The Neighbourhood,” situated northwest of The Park. Here, the screen faces a grassy knoll that creates a natural, informal amphitheatre-style seating area for spectators.

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“The Park” viewing area at FIFA World Cup Fan Festival Vancouver at Hastings Park/PNE on June 12, 2026. (Kenneth Chan)

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“The Neighbourhood” viewing area at FIFA World Cup Fan Festival Vancouver at Hastings Park/PNE on June 12, 2026. (Kenneth Chan)

Beyond these larger gathering spaces are three more intimate viewing areas.

Two of them are located between The Neighbourhood and Renfrew Street. “The Backyard” is a family-friendly space with patio seating and soccer skee-ball games. An official Lego sponsor activation is located beside The Backyard, offering interactive games, the chance to build your own “Lego jersey,” photo opportunities, and displays of FIFA-themed Lego creations, including an oversized replica of the FIFA World Cup Trophy.

Immediately to the south is “The Vineyard,” featuring communal picnic tables, covered lounge seating, and plenty of shaded space to watch the action. The Vineyard also includes a bistro serving wine, flatbreads, cheese and charcuterie platters, and gourmet breakfast sandwiches.

On the eastern side of the FIFA Fan Festival, “The Campground,” located just south of the amphitheatre, offers another intimate viewing area with picnic tables and a large conventional television screen for live match broadcasts. Due to the small size of this screen, it is not included in our count of the fan festival’s 10 giant video screens. A Bell Media sponsor pavilion, Truckin’ BBQ, and a bar are also located in this area.

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“The Backyard” viewing area at FIFA World Cup Fan Festival Vancouver at Hastings Park/PNE on June 12, 2026. (Kenneth Chan)

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“The Vineyard” viewing area at FIFA World Cup Fan Festival Vancouver at Hastings Park/PNE on June 12, 2026. (Kenneth Chan)

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“The Campground” viewing area at FIFA World Cup Fan Festival Vancouver at Hastings Park/PNE on June 12, 2026. (Kenneth Chan)

Upon entering the fairgrounds, many visitors to FIFA Fan Festival often make a beeline to the flagship venue: the amphitheatre. It provides shade and protection from the elements beneath its landmark mass-timber roof, along with food and beverage options that allow visitors to stay inside the gated entertainment venue throughout their visit.

On a first-come, first-served basis, the amphitheatre offers free access for up to 2,600 people in its standing-only general admission area directly in front of the three giant live match broadcast screens and concert stage. The fixed seating sections and rear open-air lawn area — all located behind the standing-only section — require the purchase of a premium ticket, which guarantees access for the full 12-hour operating day.

The separate entrance to the amphitheatre’s free, standing-only general admission area is located at the northwest corner of the venue, next to the Home Depot sponsor activation. Very long lines can form for this free amphitheatre viewing experience, with this line cut off by staff when this area inside the venue reaches capacity, but that is why there are ample other viewing options elsewhere at the fan festival, especially at The Park for those who want to be among lively, larger crowds.

Canada’s opener at the PNE amphitheatre at the FIFA World Cup Fan Festival on June 12, 2026. (Kenneth Chan)

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Long lines to access the first-come, first-served free general admission standing-only area at the amphitheatre for free live match screenings at FIFA World Cup Fan Festival at the PNE fairgrounds in Hastings Park, as seen on June 14, 2026. (Kenneth Chan)

When it comes to food and beverages, the FIFA Fan Festival has two main dining hubs. One is located along the long east-west promenade between The Park and the amphitheatre, featuring numerous food trucks and kiosks familiar to PNE visitors.

The second is located along the pathways immediately east and north of The Neighbourhood, where wooden kiosks feature a curated selection from some of Vancouver’s best-known culinary offerings, including Peacock by Vij’s, Nuba, La Taqueria, Paella Guys & Co., Riz Sushi, MunChi German Food, and Rosie’s Rotisserie. A smaller collection of food trucks, including Japadog and an ice cream vendor, can also be found nearby.

Altogether, a total of 32 food and beverage vendors can be found at the FIFA Fan Festival.

As well, there are numerous sponsor pavilions across the fan festival site, with some of the most prominent ones being the Coca-Cola activation and the Destination British Columbia pavilion tent, which provides a 360-degree video screen enclosing a small turf soccer pitch featuring sweeping scenes of the province’s landscapes — not entirely dissimilar to immersive walk-through digital art exhibits.

Destination BC experience at FIFA World Cup Fan Festival. (Kenneth Chan)

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Destination BC experience at FIFA World Cup Fan Festival. (Kenneth Chan)

The free FIFA Fan Festival takes over most of the PNE fairgrounds’ outdoor areas. It does not use the Pacific Coliseum, Agrodome, Forum, and Livestock Barns, nor does it include access to Playland amusement park, which is open on select days during the tournament period — open on weekends only in June and Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays in July. A few weeks after the fan festival ends, the annual PNE Fair will take over the fairgrounds, running between Aug. 22 and Sept. 7.

The best way to get to FIFA Fan Festival: TransLink’s very fast and frequent temporary express shuttle bus route from two SkyTrain stations

Several TransLink bus routes reach the PNE fairgrounds in Hastings Park, including the R5 Hastings Street RapidBus between Downtown Vancouver and Simon Fraser University’s Burnaby campus.

But the best service by a wide margin is a temporary one launched specifically for the FIFA Fan Festival to link the PNE to SkyTrain — the No. 11 FIFA Fan Festival Express bus route, running along Renfrew Street between the Expo Line’s 29th Avenue Station and the PNE’s Pacific Coliseum entrance (Gate 4). It only makes one stop along the entire six-km-long route at the Millennium Line’s Renfrew Station, with an end-to-end travel time of less than 15 minutes.

The No. 11 express bus operates only on the 28 days the fan festival is open, with service starting two hours before the fan festival gates open each day and continuing until two hours after closing. It only operates with the high-capacity, 60-foot-long, three-door articulated buses, with service frequencies of every five minutes — but usually even better.

The bus stops of this service are also manned by FIFA World Cup volunteers, Transit Security, and Transit Police.

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Route and stop map of TransLink’s No. 11 FIFA Fan Festival Express bus route. (Kenneth Chan)

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Bus stop at SkyTrain’s Renfrew Station for the No. 11 FIFA Fan Festival Express bus route. (Kenneth Chan)

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Wayfinding signage and queuing area for TransLink’s No. 11 FIFA Fan Festival Express bus at the Pacific Coliseum bus loop. (Kenneth Chan)

FIFA World Cup volunteers; SkyTrain’s Renfrew Station with FIFA World Cup and FIFA Fan Festival branding. (Kenneth Chan)

During the first four days of the service, the No. 11 saw nearly 19,000 boardings.

Moreover, over 87,000 people attended Vancouver’s FIFA Festival over the first four days, including nearly 31,500 on Saturday, June 13 (Brazil vs. Morocco; Haiti vs. Scotland; and Australia vs. Turkey) — the same day Vancouver hosted its first FIFA World Cup match at BC Place Stadium between Australia and Turkey.

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