KC's World Cup Fan Fest: Dates and themes
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That's one big KC heart. Photo: Courtesy of Populous/KC2026
World Cup organizers have unveiled Fan Fest dates and themes and are asking those planning a visit to register in advance.
Why it matters: Outside the stadium, Fan Fest will be Kansas City's largest World Cup gathering, designed to hold up to 25,000 people at once.
The big picture: Fan Fest won't be open every day. Programming will span 18 days, including the matches in KC, with themes meant to appeal to everyone:
- Heartland Hello, June 11–14 and June 16: Consider this KC's official welcome with food and our patented "Midwest nice."
- Sports Town USA, June 19-21: Organizers will work with our local teams to highlight their successes.
- The World's Game, June 24-27: Focusing on global traditions, colors and rhythms.
- Home Team, July 3-5: Expect Fourth of July celebrations. We hope there will be hot dogs.
- KC Creates, July 9-11: Celebrating regional artists with interactive elements.
What they're saying: KC2026 chief executive Pam Kramer says they want to distribute the economic impact of the tournament to other parts of the metro.
- Kramer teased potential watch parties at Sporting Park, the Northland, Lee's Summit and Johnson County.
- She noted that June 17, the day England enters the tournament, will be a day Fan Fest is closed.
How it works: People wanting to visit Fan Fest should register their interest now on the KC2026 website, organizers say.
- Registration to get inside the gates will open in a few weeks, they say. Attendance will be free.
- The World War I Museum and Memorial's south lawn, the location of the fest, will be closed on off-days.
The bottom line: "I want people to walk out of Fan Fest with the feeling that they had their World Cup moment, but it was different from the moment they could have had in any other city," Kramer says.