Fairmount Park to Host Philly’s World Cup Fan Festival in 2026

The center of Philadelphia's World Cup Fan Festival in 2026 will be at Lemon Hill in East Fairmount Park.

Meg Kane, host city executive for Philadelphia Soccer 2026, confirmed the details with Axios, stating that the Lemon Hill location was the next-best option for fans without tickets to catch the World Cup soccer action. The park is located eight miles from South Philly's Lincoln Financial Field, where the matchups will take place.

Kane said the choice of Lemon Hill for the festival is intentional per safety and security requirements imposed by FIFA.

"The fan festival cannot be within a certain proximity of the stadium, given the number of fans that would access both," she said to Axios. "There were a lot of things out of our control about where it could be."

Lemon Hill is expected to attract at least 15,000 people daily to the fan festival during the six days in which Philly will host World Cup matches. The World Cup tournament runs for 39 days, from June 11 to July 19, 2026.

Lemon Hill was chosen for the fan festival partially because of its walkability and access to public transportation, according to Kane. Public transit around Lemon Hill, however, is limited to SEPTA's Girard Avenue trolley and some bus routes. The area doesn't have a metro stop, and parking could also be problematic.

Meanwhile, Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker's administration is investing upwards of $5.2 million to get Lemon Hill ready for the World Cup Fan Festival, city spokesperson Natalie Faragalli confirmed with Axios. Improvements to the park include cleaning up obstructive vegetative growth, ensuring pathways are ADA-accessible, and making sidewalk and street repairs. Significant landscaping and utility work could occur later this summer at the earliest, officials said.

Kane said she's working on transportation planning to and from Lemon Hill with officials from the city and others involved with the FIFA World Cup in Philadelphia.