Toronto city staff asked to devise plan to keep World Cup fan fest free after proposing to charge for admission

Janice Golding reports from Toronto City Hall following discussions on Wednesday to keep the city's World Cup Fan Fest free after proposing admission charges.

Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow’s executive committee asked city staff on Wednesday to go back to the drawing board and put a new plan that would allow residents to attend World Cup watch parties for free.

The upcoming FIFA Fan Festival, which will take place from June 11 to July 19, at Fort York and The Bentway, was initially promoted as a “free event,” which would feature live match broadcasts, cultural performances and food vendors.

However, city staff proposed this week to make the festival a ticketed event, with general admission costing $10. VIP tiers would range from $100 to $300.

• Toronto announces ‘free’ FIFA Fan Fest

The report stated that ticketing would generate about $6.2 million, which would offset part of a newly proposed $9 million incremental increase linked to expanded programming, safety and operations.

Chow initially defended the proposal, explaining that the move is primarily about planning and safety ahead of a highly anticipated event.

“Actually, (ticketing) gives organizers and emergency services better data to plan effectively, because then people can purchase ahead, and know how many we can expect,” she said ahead of Wednesday’s executive meeting.

“The worry is, if it’s free… how many people would show up?”

After the proposal received backlash, the mayor put forward a motion during the meeting asking staff to create a “free general admission category.”

When asked if her motion would eliminate the $10 general admission tier, Chow said that it would be up to the city staff to come up with a new proposal, but her intention is to keep it a free event.

“By and large, you shouldn’t have to pay. And that’s because you’re already paying for your property taxes,” Chow said when asked about her motion.

She wants staff to present a new plan for the FanFest at the city council meeting.

The mayor, in her motion, is also requesting that staff report at next week’s city council meeting on details of the planned free community access to FanFest, including the provision of 11,000 tickets to community groups.

To offset any costs incurred in expanding free access to FanFest, the mayor’s motion calls on the city council to direct staff to seek out private sponsorship.

Charging $10 ‘feels really petty’: councillor

Coun. Josh Matlow was vocal in his opposition to a paid FanFest, especially after it was announced that it would be a free event.

“This is kind of one of the few things that are really bringing people together, to then charge $10 feels really petty to a lot of people,” Matlow said during the meeting.

He also said he didn’t like the introduction of VIP tiers at FanFest. City staff told councillors that 80 per cent of the tickets will be general admission, while less than 20 per cent will be set aside for premium packages.

“I think for a lot of people it feels like a slap in the face when they’re already paying $178 million for these really expensive games, being left with very little legacy, having lots of restrictions on their own lives in the city, and then they’re told the one big thing that they’re given for free is now going to be for a fee,” Matlow said.

“I don’t like how this was done, and I think that we can do better.”

Meanwhile, Councillor Brad Bradford, who has previously announced his intention to run for mayor has labelled Chow’s move as “the wrong call.”

“Ten dollars might not sound like much at City Hall. But for a family of five, that is fifty dollars before anyone has bought a drink or a meal. For a lot of families in this city, that is the difference between going and staying home. And for a moment that was supposed to bring Toronto together, that is exactly the wrong call,” he said in a statement.

Crowd control concerns

The festival site is expected to accommodate roughly 20,000 people, with officials expressing some concern about overcrowding if access remains unrestricted.

Chow also says that other North American host cities have adopted similar ticketing approaches.

Despite the added costs, Chow emphasized that the broader World Cup budget remains unchanged.

“The city’s budget is exactly the same,” she said. “The fan fest is now a bit more because when the fan fest team showed what they’re doing, other levels of government got quite excited,” she said.

FIFA has estimated the tournament could generate up to $940 million in economic spinoff for the Greater Toronto Area.