You may get to attend FIFA’s Fan Festival for free after all
The mayor said third-party revenue options would be explored to close the funding gap instead of relying on admission fees
We may be approaching clarity on the price of tickets to Toronto’s FIFA Fan Festival, after some back-and-forth regarding whether admission would be free, as originally promised.
Related: Josh Matlow says hosting the World Cup is “a horrible deal for our citizens”
Back in 2025, the World Cup tournament-adjacent event was promoted as a “free and inclusive space for residents and visitors to connect through the power of sport.” But a staff report that was put before the city’s executive committee this month made a recommendation to charge admission, a measure intended to keep city expenses within budget.
The staff report recommended that general admission to the festivities in Fort York be $10, with VIP options going up to $300. Around 20,000 people are expected to attend.
Following objections from some city councillors, it appears that 80 per cent of Fan Festival tickets could be made available at no cost, while 3,900 premium tickets per day could still be sold for between $100 and $300.
City council will vote on the matter this week. “I hope councillors will support it so that everyone who wants to come to Fort York, no matter what their income level is, can enjoy the games,” Mayor Olivia Chow told reporters today, according to CBC.
The mayor said the funding gap would be closed by looking into “other third-party” revenue.
Related: The province has finally paid its $97-million portion of FIFA World Cup funding
Carly Lewis is a journalist whose work has appeared in the New York Times and the New York Times Magazine, Vanity Fair, Wired, Interview Magazine, Pitchfork, Elle, and Maclean’s, where she is a contributing editor. Her work has been recognized by the National Magazine Awards and the Digital Publishing Awards. She reports on city life, culture—including what people do online—politics, art and crime. She received the Dave Greber Freelance Writers Award for “The Murder of Ashley Wadsworth,” an investigative feature about a Canadian teenager who was killed by a man she met on social media, published by Maclean’s.
