Less than two months out from the start of the FIFA World Cup, and an estimated 350,000 visitors arriving in Vancouver, details remain slim on what to expect.
The City of Vancouver tells 1130 NewsRadio that staff have been engaging with more than 80 community groups, but the specifics of those conversations have been unclear.
Patricia Barns, Executive Director of the East Village Business Improvement Association (BIA), says she’s been told there won’t be road closures in the Hastings Sunrise area for the FIFA Fan Fest at the PNE. But parking remains a top concern for residents and businesses.
“That’s always a concern in the neighbourhood,” said Barns.
“With all the construction and development that’s in the neighbourhood, we have a lot of parking issues. And so, there is definite concern about how that’s going to work.”
She says most people are used to the challenges.
“Most of the discussion so far has been, ‘How do we get people out of their cars?’ The expectation is that the majority of Fan Fest will be local tourists, so not necessarily Vancouver, but around Vancouver and local.”
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Despite the potential challenges, Barns says businesses are excited for an expected boost to their bottom lines.
“We know that the fanfest at the PNE has a capacity of 25,000 people, so we’re expecting a huge influx of people,” she said.
“And parking is a major issue, but on the other hand, we’re also excited. We’re excited to have those people; our businesses are excited to welcome so many people.”
The Vancouver Police Department (VPD) tells 1130 NewsRadio that its preparations for the FIFA World Cup are well underway.
Extra officers will be deployed throughout the city and to event locations every day to ensure crowd and traffic congestion are minimized, and police are available.
“While we hope and expect that everyone who comes downtown to catch a game or participate in fan festivities has a great time. We plan for a host of public order and public safety incidents so that we are operationally ready to respond, if necessary,” said VPD Const. Darren Wong.
Wong says, similar to the 2010 Olympics, RCMP members will be supporting the VPD, providing extra resources, along with members from Calgary Police and Edmonton Police Service.
The first FIFA World Cup 2026 match in Vancouver will be played at BC Place on June 13. Team Canada will play on June 18 versus Qatar.