Of all the World Cup fan zone pop ups and viewing party destinations, the FIFA Fan Festival Vancouver at PNE Playland is the largest of them all.
This is a free and accessible for all ages, welcoming both families to devoted football fans. You can catch FIFA World Cup matches live on various screens across the site, then keep the celebration going with live music and entertainment from Canadian and global artists throughout the grounds. Set within the historic PNE Grounds at Hastings Park, the FIFA Fan Festival Vancouver immerses you in football activations, elevated food and beverage offerings, and interactive experiences from commercial partners.
There are several entry points, so finding the right one closest to where you park, or where your bus gets off can help you on your journey. We visited during a non-game time, which meant there were no lines, despite security and staff being prepared for lengthy waits, and the need to snake through metal gates. There is bag check required, and a list of codes of conduct to adhere to, as an official FIFA site.
There are various big screens to gather in front of and to watch from. On the grassy field across from the food huts or before the main outdoor stage with four screens and seats. There is even a wine/beer garden for those who want to watch and drink. However if you are visiting you might as well go to the amphitheater.
After all, everything is centred around the new PNE amphitheatre, that only opened two week prior. The newly renovated concert venue now has a striking and unique wooden roof. Not only is its design aesthetically driven, it is also built to maximize the sound quality of future musical performances. So today the acoustics of the televised games travelled well.
Here, general floor entry is free, but be warned of waits and lines as they may be at capacity. There are plenty of security guards to keep the flow of traffic moving, and to ensure you are only allowed to travel where your wrist band allows. I would recommend getting your spot at least 1 hour before any match starts. As I was more interested in the architecture, I waited for half time to visit and experience this for myself. In between matches they had live musicians performing to keep the energy up.
For a lot more freedom of movement and a secured seat, guests have the ability to pay for ticketed assigned seating. This allows you into the bleachers and offers an elevated view of the stage. There is a dedicated concession stand within this walled space, but the best eats are definitely out on fair grounds: along restaurant row or the parked food truck area.
The FIFA Fan Festival Vancouver has a fan zone plaza with official sponsor stalls like Coke Cola and Michelob Ultra offering seating, the ability to purchase their drinks, and branded freebies for signing up and giving them your personal information. Other sponsors like degree/dove/axe had a Photo Booth moment and Home Depot hosted games for prizes. Lego showed up with a giant brick World Cup, and a fun zone for kids that included the ability to make their own Lego jerseys.
There were also live performers like stilt walkers engaging with you s families. A couple of them were even dressed like soccer players, kicking around a giant soccer ball to match their giant stature. There’s plenty to do and you can definitely spend the entire day here. All of it sort of functioned like a preview to The Fair at the PNE come late August
As for food, there is a so much to choose from, which made things hard to decide. However given the warmer weather, we kept it light and refreshing with sushi and ice cream.
Located closest to the Dundas entrance is a row of restaurant huts offering paella, bbq, crepes, pretzels, etc. Here you can get elevated fusion sushi from Riz. I have been going to Riz sushi for years now and knew of them when they first opened up their original, stand alone location on Broadway and Renfrew. So to see them here now, I had to take advantage.
Their event menu consists of grab and go staples that their current private commissary kitchen prepares and delivers to the site. When here it gets sliced, torched, and topped to order. They have tuna, salmon, and vegetable options.
The best value is in one of their combos. The salmon is sockeye salmon done three ways with a side of ginger, soy, and wasabi. Six pieces of the popular aburi salmon oshi, six small salmon maki rounds, and two pieces of salmon nigiri. This offered variety while being a cohesive set. Best with a side of miso soup. Not just a soup, but a flavourful mix with bits of mushroom and green onion.
If you are looking for smaller bites, their hand rolls are a good option and today they were offering aburi maki upgrades on any of them. For this they squeeze on mayo and torch it for a lovely char and a creamier finish. We had it over a spicy salmon roll and a citrusy crab one.
The Salmon Crunch is a spicy salmon mix, masago, chive, crispy rice puff, and shichimi mayo. With its non-existent heat and mashed texture, the crunchy topping is what made this roll a memorable.
The Yuzu Crab was a sweeter roll with bright citrus that made things pop. Imitation crab, yuzu mayo, cucumber, avocado, and yuzu tobiko.
In short this was the perfect amount of food for two, than kept us full without bloating or overheating in the hot sun.
For dessert we headed over to the Tochi food truck, in keeping with an our Japanese fusion theme. They are known for their French toast squares made with mochi for a unique eggy, sweet chew; plus the ability to fill each square with a flavoured custard of your choosing. I usually get their kaya coconut, but they were out, so got their other four flavours instead: cinnamon sugar, Nutella, ube, and matcha; along with a large scoop of vanilla ice cream to have it à la mode. This was so filling that it could have also served as a sweet breakfast option.
The downside of visiting the FIFA Fan Festival Vancouver is the parking situation. You are advised to take transit. I grew up in the neighbourhood, so was surprised to discover that all the previously free residential parking a couple of blocks away now had new signs saying “except with permit”. However, given the crowd that these games draw, I did see this as necessity for those living in the area. So you can drive all the way down to Dundas and Penticton like I did or look to the services of the parking grannies and grandpa‘s offering a spot for $10-$20 on their property.
