What to expect at Philly’s World Cup fan festival in Fairmount Park
The FIFA Fan Festival, Philly’s official World Cup fan experience, is a free, 39-day celebration of the world’s largest sporting event, running from June 11 to July 19 on the grounds of Lemon Hill.
Part of Fairmount Park will become a monthlong “soccer Coachella” festival over the coming weeks, welcoming an expected 15,000 fans daily during the 2026 World Cup.
The FIFA Fan Festival, Philly’s official World Cup fan experience, is a free, 39-day celebration of the world’s largest sporting event, running from June 11 to July 19 on the grounds of Lemon Hill in East Fairmount Park.
On Thursday, the City of Philadelphia and Philadelphia Soccer 2026, the city’s World Cup host committee, unveiled plans for the event open to not just locals but the half million fans expected to come to the region this summer.
The festival is slated to transform a million square feet of land, roughly 46 acres, at Lemon Hill into a live watch party with World Cup matches shown on a giant screen, accompanied by musical performances, dozens of local vendors, more than 70 local food trucks, and lots of chances to play soccer.
“FIFA Fan Festival is where the city shows up for its residents and the world, and we want every person who walks through those gates to feel the pride and energy that makes Philadelphia unlike any other host city in North America,” Mayor Cherelle L. Parker said.
The festival will be free to enter, with items to purchase inside, , but attendees must register online. Information on free registration will be announced in the coming weeks.
Guests will enter the festival through gates at Sedgley and Lemon Hill Drives, above Boathouse Row on Kelly Drive. There is no designated parking area, so festival organizers strongly discourage visitors from driving.
“We really encourage people not to drive to Fan Festival because there is nowhere to park,” said Michael DelBene, the festival’s executive producer. “They should take public transportation, they should walk, they should bike. Driving is really the worst way to come here.”
According to Philadelphia Soccer 2026, SEPTA will add more buses to routes that service nearby stops, and Philly PHLASH, the Center City looping bus service, will create a new stop at Boathouse Row for closer access to Lemon Hill.
Additionally, road closures will be in effect around the festival, and the Philadelphia Parking Authority will be patrolling the area heavily to keep residential areas clear from festival parking.
Organizers will have a location for taxis and rideshare options.
Once guests enter through security at the main gates, the festival will have areas to play soccer, several monitors to watch World Cup matches, in addition to a large screen on the main stage, and several areas to hang out with international soccer fans.
DelBene and Meg Kane, the host city executive and CEO of Philadelphia Soccer 2026, said the festival will be a “free-roam” environment for fans, meaning that very few activations will be cordoned off to the festival-goers.
A lineup of food vendors, highlighting small, diverse, and independent chefs, will rotate throughout the tournament. No outside food or beverages will be allowed inside.
Additionally, DelBene noted that news surrounding bag policies will be announced closer to the start of the tournament. The festival will feature a mix of public and private security policing inside the festival and within a perimeter that will span from Kelly Drive to Girard Avenue.
“That’s a granular-level detail that we are ironing out as we speak, DelBene said. ”How many bodies will be here in terms of police and public safety officials vs. how many will be private, we’re still working out. But again, it will be a real symbiotic relationship between all partners involved.“
Vendors will showcase artists, artisans, and makers from across the region, selling Philadelphia-inspired handmade goods and merchandise. Philadelphia Soccer 2026 is still accepting vendor applications.
FIFA fan festivals across North America will kick off June 11, when the first World Cup match is played in Mexico City, with host nation Mexico facing South Africa. The first match in Philadelphia is on June 14.
On match days, the festival will open one hour before the start of the first match and close one hour after the day’s last match. On non-match days, operating hours are determined by the entertainment schedule.