How locals can make KC a World Cup success story
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Crown Center is decked out. Photo: Travis Meier/Axios
World Cup organizers and neighborhood leaders say the way Kansas Citians engage with the tournament's festivities will play a big role in the city's success during the monthlong event.
The big picture: Local organizers expect lots of visitors and a big economic impact, but questions remain over whether KC is ready to handle the event — and whether the projections will actually pan out for local businesses.
Catch up quick: The last time there was a fan festival downtown was the 2023 NFL Draft, an event that brought in more than 300,000 visitors and helped some local businesses while others saw decreased sales.
- Some say fans didn't explore the greater downtown area and locals purposefully avoided the area for fear of massive crowds and traffic jams.
- Pittsburgh businesses experienced similar slowdowns during the draft in April.
Key differences with the World Cup include a more spread-out metro footprint and a longer timeline.
- Fan Fest is still insulated, but organizers expect visitors to stay longer and spread across the metro, connected by KC2026's shuttle service.
- "We really want locals to use the service," KC2026 president and CEO Pam Kramer said in May.
Flashback: "We want locals to stay here," Kramer said at a December press conference. "They will make the experience authentically Kansas City."
- "We get an opportunity now to step back and be tourists in our own backyard," Johnson County board chairman Mike Kelly said at the time.
Zoom in: Many districts are planning ways to draw out both locals and visitors.
In the Crossroads, a night market will replicate First Friday vibes every Friday–Sunday during the tournament.
- Rick Usher, executive director of the Crossroads Community Improvement District, tells Axios he's "cautiously optimistic."
- He says businesses saw bumps around the Chappell Roan concert in October, and KC2026 has helped the Crossroads and other neighborhoods prepare.
In Midtown, businesses are "bending over backwards" to welcome people to the area, Midtown KC Now executive director Kevin Klinkenberg tells Axios.
- He said Westport Road is becoming "Westport Promenade," with enhanced lighting and international flags from Main Street to Mill Street.
- And he called the streetcar extension a "game changer" for getting folks south of downtown.
Zoom out: Leaders say they want to showcase the region, from downtown to Johnson County, KCK, the Northland and eastern Jackson County.
- Kramer says Kansas Citians just being themselves could provide a "hospitable, welcoming, friendly place" on the world stage.
The bottom line: "People need to lean in and enjoy it," Klinkenberg says. "Be part of the fun because it's going to be gone before you know it."