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A quarter million people have now attended Vancouver's free FIFA World Cup Fan Festival

Kenneth Chan
Kenneth Chan
|
Jun 26 2026, 2:11 am
A quarter million people have now attended Vancouver's free FIFA World Cup Fan Festival
FIFA World Cup Fan Festival Vancouver at the PNE fairgrounds in Hastings Park, as seen on June 21, 2026. (Kenneth Chan)

The free FIFA Fan Festival Vancouver at the PNE fairgrounds in Hastings Park is now one-third through its 28 operating days within the 39-day FIFA World Cup tournament period, and it has reached a major attendance milestone.

As of Thursday, June 25, before the close of the day, the fan festival has surpassed 250,000 attendees.

This means more people have attended the fan festival than the four matches held to date at BC Place Stadium. FIFA has announced that each match so far at the stadium has been an official “Full House” sellout of 52,497 spectators, for a combined total of just under 210,000. Vancouver will host a total of seven matches, with one remaining group stage match on Friday, June 26 between Belgium and New Zealand, followed by two knockout matches: a round of 32 match on Thursday, July 2 (with Switzerland confirmed as one of the teams at the time of writing) and a round of 16 match on Tuesday, July 7.

Unlike the annual PNE Fair, there is no gate admission; it is free to enter the fairgrounds to enjoy the wide range of free activities and programming.

While today’s official fan festival attendance count was still rising at the time of writing, the milestone builds on the 244,863 people who attended over the first 10 operating days, spanning Thursday, June 11 to the end of Wednesday, June 24.

This includes 40,550 attendees on June 24, the second-highest attendance day so far. That turnout was buoyed by live broadcasts of the Vancouver-hosted Canada vs. Switzerland match, as well as Scotland vs. Brazil and Czech Republic vs. Mexico, with Canadian, Brazilian, and Czech fans turning out in large numbers.

As previously reported by Daily Hive Urbanized, the highest attendance day to date was Thursday, June 18, when 40,943 people visited the fairgrounds on the same day as BC Place Stadium’s first Canada match against Qatar, which ended in Canada’s historic first-ever FIFA World Cup victory. That day also drew strong attendance due to the Mexico vs. South Korea match.

Over the past weekend, the fan festival welcomed 47,389 attendees, including 26,599 on Saturday, June 20 and 20,790 on Sunday, June 21.

fifa world cup fan festival vancouver pne hastings park june 21 2026

FIFA World Cup Fan Festival Vancouver at the PNE fairgrounds in Hastings Park, as seen on June 21, 2026. (Kenneth Chan)

The entire fan festival period so far — and Vancouver’s general FIFA World Cup atmosphere and festivities — has enjoyed highly optimal weather conditions. But that changes beginning Friday, June 26 through at least early next week, with the current forecast calling for a high chance of rainfall.

Following Canada’s loss to Switzerland on Wednesday, the national team will play its knockout matches in the United States instead of Vancouver. The fan festival will be open on Sunday, June 28, when Canada plays against South Africa in Los Angeles in the round of 32 match.

Free live match viewing is available throughout the PNE fairgrounds, not just at the new amphitheatre. A total of 10 giant screens are spread across four distinct outdoor viewing areas.

The covered outdoor amphitheatre offers both free admission — with space for up to 2,600 people in the standing-room-only general admission area on a first-come, first-served basis — and thousands of premium paid seats that provide guaranteed seating throughout the day. The next largest experience is the free Park Stage.

Attendees can also enjoy concerts and other live music at both the amphitheatre and the Park Stage, along with a wide range of curated food and beverage offerings, official FIFA sponsor activations, official FIFA World Cup merchandise sales, and an immersive tournament atmosphere.

fifa world cup fan festival pne hastings park

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

amphitheatre fifa world cup fan festival pne hastings park vancouver june 14 2026

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)

It should be emphasized that the fan festival is not open every day. It operates 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).

It will not be open on Canada Day — Wednesday, July 1. The last day of operations is Sunday, July 19, for the championship final match.

The fan festival is open for up to 12 hours on each operating day, with opening and closing times varying based on the match schedule.

On the fan festival’s 28 operating days, TransLink operates the No. 11 FIFA Fan Festival Express bus route between the Expo Line’s 29th Avenue Station and the PNE’s Pacific Coliseum entrance. Along the 15-minute bus ride from end to end, the buses make just one stop at the Millennium Line’s Renfrew Station and run every five minutes or better using high-capacity, 60-ft-long articulated buses.

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