Kansas City’s FIFA Fan Festival will take over the National WWI Museum and Memorial lawn in just over two weeks. The free festival is open to the public and will host fans for music, food and football watching over 18 days from June 11-July 11.
KC2026, the city’s World Cup planning committee, announced Sheryl Crow as its latest headliner Tuesday. Crow, a Missouri native and graduate of the University of Missouri-Columbia, will headline the festival July 10, during a quarterfinal match.
The committee said people from 125 different countries have registered for the festival. Others are coming from cities within driving distance, like Chicago and St. Louis. Pam Kramer, CEO of KC2026, said those visitors will get a chance to experience Kansas City’s food, culture and love of sports at the festival.
“I'm guessing many of those registrants have never heard of Kansas City before, and now they know where Kansas City is because of the FIFA World Cup, and they will experience what Kansas City is because of fan festival,” Kramer said. “That's the goal of all of this: not only that short-term visitor impact but the way that we change the way the world thinks about Kansas City, and how we tell our story.”
With the addition of Sheryl Crow, here’s a look at Kansas City’s FIFA Fan Festival lineup:
- The Chainsmokers, June 13
- Flo Rida, June 19
- Cimafunk, June 20
- Gabby Barrett, July 3
- Sheryl Crow, July 10
- The All-American Rejects, July 11
- Tech N9ne, June 12 and July 11
A total of 40 local bands and DJs will perform at the festival.
The majority of the food and drinks at the FIFA Fan Festival, about 60%, will be from local vendors. Kramer said more than 300 interested vendors submitted applications to be a part of the festival. A local catering company will provide tens of thousands of hot and boxed meals to the tournament’s staff and volunteers.
General admission to the festival is free, but fans can also purchase passes for VIP areas in the front row of the lawn with a Premium Garden Pass or in a two-tier viewing area called the Legacy Lounge. Those passes are $55 and $225, respectively.
Premium passes are sold out for five of the festival days, and Kramer sign-ups for one of the 25,000 general admission passes for each of the 18 dates are filling up. KC2026 expects that fans who did not get a free or premium pass to a festival date will attend watch parties or festivals in other areas around the city, like in the 18th and Vine district.
Kramer said she hopes area residents will also attend the festival. She said she wants locals to feel like “this moment belongs to them,” just like a championship win for one of Kansas City’s sports teams would.
“I want them to feel like they own this moment and to look back and say ‘I was part of it,’ whether they were a volunteer, attended Fan fest, or just were friendly to visitors in whatever part of town,” Kramer said.
