After two weekends, what do visitors think of Kansas City’s FIFA Fan Fest?
After going to the opening of the FIFA Fan Fest in Kansas City, The Star’s Rashad Alexander wrote that if you give something some time, it can be a lot better than you expect . At the conclusion of the second weekend of the free soccer festival located near downtown KC, his words seem to have resonated with those in attendance.
Sunday, June 21, marked the end of Sports Town USA, the second block of the free festival headlined by EDM-pop superstars The Chainsmokers. Official numbers aren’t available yet, but to the thousands within the grounds, it looked like it was the day that was the closest to reaching the 25,000 capacity.
Officials with KC2026 said it had more than 63,000 attendees and over 178 countries represented at the festival through from June 11-16, the first block titled Heartland Hello. This block featured Argentina’s first game of the tournament, played at Arrowhead Stadium (Kansas City Stadium), and thousands who didn’t buy tickets to the game flocked to watch it at the festival with their fellow countrymen.
A press release shared by the KC Streetcar Authority says that the streetcar say it reached 196,284 passenger trips between June 11-17, also setting a single-day record with 39,234 passenger trips on June 16. Tom Gerend, the executive director of the streetcar authority, said in a statement that the streetcar system was built to meet this exact moment
With long lines to get into the festival when it opens every day and a steady stream of visitors while it’s open, everything points toward FIFA Fan Fest being a success, but do those in attendance agree? This is what guests said about the festival.
First time, not the last time
The Chainsmokers drew a lot of attention to Fan Fest, bringing in thousands of people who had yet to step foot on the festival grounds, including KC native Alyssa Hayes, who just moved back home after graduating from Kansas State. It caught her friends Kylee Haxmeier and Taylor Covert by surprise, considering Hayes’ mom is one of the many volunteers assisting guests while the festival is open.
Hayes’ first thoughts? She can’t believe it’s free (not counting the prices for food and drinks inside).
“It’s awesome to come back with the summer that Kansas City’s having,” Hayes said. “We’re all together, and we’re vibing with all the people all over the world.”
Haxmeier, who’s from Iowa but now lives in KC, said in the multiple times she’s been at the festival that she’s enjoyed the atmosphere created by the international crowd.
While it wasn’t Haxmeier’s first time, it was for Roeland Park’s John Cunningham. He wasn’t too excited going into the World Cup or Kansas City hosting the festival, but he quickly changed his mind after seeing it all in person.
“Once I got here, I’m like ‘wow, this is really big thing,’” Cunningham said. “It’s really cool to see Kansas City take that next step.”
It ended up being a lot of camaraderie at the festival for Cunningham, as he kept running into different people he knew. By the end, he and a bunch of friends were all together roaming the grounds.
“Thought it was going to be a little more disorganized”
You know what they say: Prepare for the worst, hope for the best.
That was the mindset of Independence resident Jasmine Harmon, who’s been to the festival multiple with his partner and his childhood friend Derek McDonald. The previous times they went were also some of the busiest times: the previously mentioned Argentina match and the United States’ first match against Paraguay on Friday, June 12.
After their first visit, their only concern was related to the prices. They’ve yet to have a bad experience inside the festival grounds.
“Honestly, I was really surprised,” Harmon said “I thought it was going to be a lot more disorganized.”
McDonald said he loves seeing how packed it gets with the diverse crowds. He compared to the 2023 NFL Draft, which was hosted on the same lawn of the National WWI Museum & Memorial.
The bulk of the people going to the festival aren’t heading to Arrowhead to see one of the six matches scheduled throughout the month-long global soccer tournament. The impact of the festival only shows how Kansas City has left its mark, McDonald said.
McDonald also said that the festival highlights one fact: People who visit Kansas City for the first time often find a reason to return.
“Kansas City is a place that people want to come back, and they’re like, actually, let’s just buy a house,” McDonald said. “Everyone comes back to Kansas City.”
This story was originally published June 22, 2026 at 8:13 AM with the headline "After two weekends, what do visitors think of Kansas City’s FIFA Fan Fest?."
