After 39 days, Philly’s FIFA Fan Festival comes to an end

For the past month-plus, the grounds of East Fairmount Park have been a buzzy constant for local and visiting soccer fans, a carnival-like collection of food, games, live music, and — most notably — the city’s official World Cup watch party.

No longer.

Sunday marked the conclusion of the 39-day marathon FIFA Fan Festival at Lemon Hill, as Argentina and Spain faced off in the 3 p.m. World Cup Final at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.

For the last month and a half, the festival — which was free to attend — was met largely with positive reviews, as fans have flocked to the grounds even after the last World Cup game hosted in Philadelphia came and went.

An ambitious endeavor years in the making, the event took up one million square feet of space and was billed, at least in part, as an accessible way for soccer fans to enjoy the World Cup, as skyrocketing game ticket costs had made live attendance impossible for many.

In addition to soccer, the festival played host to a variety of concerts, including Leon Thomas, Bebe Rexha, and the All-American Rejects.

“Having it at the park has been a great idea,” said Akio Wise, who is originally from North Philly and was in town visiting family from the West Palm Beach, Fla., area. “Everyone seems to be having a good time.”

Indeed, it wasn’t lost on many how the festival — and the World Cup in general — had brought a sense of bliss to this notoriously curmudgeonly city.

“People have just been nicer,” said Suzanne Bachman, 66, of Philadelphia, who joined the masses at Lemon Hill. “We needed something positive.”

Fans began gathering early for Sunday’s final, with thousands of people lining the streets of the neighborhood surrounding the park, waiting for gates to open at 2 p.m.

Some were old pros, having made multiple trips to the festival over the summer. Others wanted to make sure they got a taste of the event before it was shuttered.

Cathy and Clyde Maynard, who are originally from Trinidad and Tobago, said they couldn’t let the experience pass without seeing it for themselves.

Their verdict?

“They did a nice job,” said Clyde.

Some, certainly, weren’t ready to see it go.

Asked whether he’d miss the festival, Oscar Bibian chuckled.

“Of course,” said the 38-year-old, who lives in the Philly area. “Watching soccer and drinking a beer is great.”

Not surprisingly, it wasn’t just soccer that brought people to Lemon Hill on the festival’s final day.

“My wife wanted to get one of the bracelets,” said Wise.

The ultra-viral — and difficult to procure — charm bracelets have been a social media sensation, and the primary objective of at least some of those in attendance. (As has been common all summer, Sunday’s line for the free bracelets, a Bank of America giveaway, snaked through the festival grounds.)

But by game time, the festival’s main viewing area was packed with fans hoping for a dramatic conclusion to the summer tournament.

As fans congregated around the main stage viewing area, and Michael Buffer bellowed, “This is the moment you’ve all been waiting for ...” from the screen, it felt to some like the unofficial conclusion to a Philly summer that has included no shortage of high-profile events.

“It’s too bad this is it,” said Bachman. “I don’t know what there is to look forward to the rest of the summer.”

“But what can you do?” she added. “Just enjoy what you have.”