The 2026 FIFA World Cup is just around the corner, and new bylaws are in effect across Vancouver.
New rules have been introduced near BC Place and the FIFA Fan Festival site as the city prepares for the 350,000 fans expected to attend the seven matches hosted in the city.
The temporary bylaws will bring looser rules around outdoor noise within two kilometres of BC Place and Hastings Park. Outdoor amplified sound will be allowed from 8 a.m. until midnight.
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Buskers will face restrictions on where they can perform without a permit, and limits have been placed on where street vendors can operate.
In addition, new rules require the removal of unauthorized commercial signs to protect FIFA branding.
Some business owners say these bylaws go too far. Kingsley Bailey, who manages Vancouver Ticket, says he has found his own ways around restrictions that prevent him from displaying the words “World Cup” or “FIFA.”
“I think that’s too much,” said Bailey.
“There are ways around the sign bylaw, and they’ll get nothing back.”
For example, he says, he hangs officially-licensed products so they are visible in his storefront.
“This is all you really have to do if you want to overcome the signage bylaw dealing with FIFA,” he said.
“The logo is there, I’m going to put it up here, you’re going to see the logo on the front, the logos on the back, and it’s an officially licensed product I am selling at this store.”
Bailey says he thinks businesses that are selling official FIFA merchandise should be entitled to signage that states that.
“It’s a brand that they want to control,” he said.
“When you’ve got a business that’s enhancing your brand, you should want to work with them.”
The new bylaws will also include relaxed rules for building temporary event infrastructure.
Anyone not complying with the new rules could face fines of up to $1,000.
The bylaws will remain in effect until July 20.