World Cup
The 16-day festival run became one of the defining gathering places of Boston’s World Cup experience.
Ghana fans react during a game against England at City Hall Plaza’s Fan Fest on June 23. Finn Gomez for The Boston Globe
Boston’s FIFA Fan Festival at City Hall has come to an end, even though the World Cup is far from over.
After 16 days of matches, music, and cultural programming and thousands of fans gathering at City Hall Plaza, the festival officially closed Saturday following the conclusion of the tournament’s group stage.
More than 155,000 people from more than 108 countries have visited the free festival since it opened June 12, according to the Boston 26 Host Committee.
“From the outset, our goal was to deliver a free, safe and welcoming experience for everyone throughout the Group Stage matches, and that was made possible through extraordinary planning, collaboration and teamwork,” Boston 26 officials said in a statement.
The closure may surprise some fans, as dozens of World Cup matches are still to come.
FIFA had initially required host cities to operate fan festivals for the entire duration of the tournament but later relaxed its requirements due to concerns from host cities about funding, Sports Business Journal reported.
Mayor Michelle Wu said she had hoped the festival could remain open longer, but financial constraints prevented that from happening.
“This was a point that we had gone back and forth with the host committee a lot, and frankly, I had been and others were hoping that we could have kept it and signed the contract for much longer,” Wu said in an interview with WBUR. “Ultimately, the committee decided that they didn’t have enough resources to guarantee that they could continue funding that event past the group stage portion.”
Although Boston’s Fan Fest has ended — after weather delays and days of maxing out registration — it became one of the defining gathering places of the city’s World Cup experience.
Thousands of Scottish supporters from the Tartan Army transformed City Hall Plaza into a sea of navy blue during Scotland’s stay in Boston, while New England Patriots legends Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski made surprise appearances that energized crowds.
A Scottish six-year-old’s enthusiastic review of the Fan Fest also became one of the tournament’s most viral Boston moments, drawing more than 90,000 likes on Instagram.
Boston Police Sgt. Connor Hardy likewise became an unlikely internet sensation after he was captured on video juggling a soccer ball with fans during Fan Fest.
Another unexpected hit came in the form of World Cup “Fan Bands.”
Each morning, long lines formed outside City Hall as visitors waited — sometimes up to four hours — to receive the free braided bracelets, which were customizable with up to five World Cup-themed charms, The Boston Globe reported. Boston’s collection included a lobster, a four-leaf clover, and the Zakim Bridge.
While the official Fan Fest has concluded, Wu said the city is exploring additional public viewing opportunities for the remainder of the tournament, including possible watch parties at City Hall Plaza and elsewhere in Boston.
In the meantime, fans will still have plenty of places to watch the action. More than 100 free watch parties scheduled across Greater Boston are expected to continue throughout the remainder of the tournament.
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