A quarter million people have attended FIFA Fan Festival at the PNE
The free festival has surpassed 250,000 attendees as of Thursday, June 25, well ahead of attendance at the four matches held at BC Place Stadium so far.
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The free FIFA Fan Festival Vancouver at the PNE fairgrounds in Hastings Park has surpassed 250,000 attendees as of Thursday, June 25, marking a major milestone in its 28-day run.
That's more people than the four matches held to date at BC Place Stadium, each a sellout of 52,497 spectators for a combined total of just under 210,000. The festival is one-third through the 39-day FIFA World Cup tournament period.
The 244,863 people who attended over the first 10 operating days — Thursday, June 11 through Wednesday, June 24 — set a strong baseline. The highest single day was Thursday, June 18, when 40,943 visited the fairgrounds on the same day as Canada's first-ever FIFA World Cup victory against Qatar. June 24 drew 40,550 attendees, the second-highest, buoyed by live broadcasts of Canada versus Switzerland, Scotland versus Brazil, and Czech Republic versus Mexico.
Unlike the annual PNE Fair, there is no gate admission. Visitors can enjoy a wide range of free activities and programming spread across 10 giant screens in four outdoor viewing areas, including a covered amphitheatre.
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 a round of 32 match on Thursday, July 2 and a round of 16 match on Tuesday, July 7. Following Canada's loss to Switzerland, the national team will play its knockout matches in the United States instead of Vancouver.