World Cup Fan Festival At Liberty State Park To Be Replaced By $5M In Events Statewide

JERSEY CITY, NJ — A large fan festival at Liberty State Park for the FIFA World Cup 26 has been canceled, organizers said Thursday. Instead, Gov. Mikie Sherrill's office will provide $5 million to fund events throughout the state, officials said.

Eight of the championship soccer matches will still take place at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford from June through July.

But the FIFA Fan Festival — which was billed as "an exciting opportunity to gather to watch World Cup matches, enjoy diverse food offerings from the NYNJ region and experience entertainment and programming" — is no more.

Ticketmaster said they will offer refunds over the next few weeks to those who bought tickets, which went on sale last month.

Sherrill's office said that instead, they hope to fund smaller events, from street fairs to watch parties.

Business Impacts

The new initiative aims to "support communities across the state in creating extraordinary fan experiences throughout the World Cup — including during the tournament's historic Final — while investing in small businesses, cultural associations, and community nonprofits."

Melanie Rudin of Jersey City's Restaurant Owners Coalition said Thursday that the news was hard on local vendors who'd applied to sell at the fan festival.

But she said there are new opportunities to be involved.

"This is a hit for restaurants that responded to the call for applications to be vendors from FIFA World Cup 26 New York and New Jersey months ago and heard nothing," she said. "Those businesses really hoped they could be involved with what, for many, is the dream of a lifetime. There is also a feeling that Jersey City will go from being a part of this destination event to a place to sleep before heading to Manhattan or MetLife."

But, "I've also heard the hope from the restaurant community that organizations will step up to assist in building local events during the games that include opportunities for independently owned restaurants and food businesses to draw some of the attendees to stay and spend in Jersey City."

Jersey City has been named one of the top 11 up-and-coming foodie cities by Food and Wine Magazine.

Sherrill said Thursday, “New Jersey is the beating heart of the 2026 World Cup, and this initiative makes sure that every New Jerseyan — no matter where they live — can be part of this once-in-a-generation moment. From fan zones to neighborhood watch parties to street fairs, we are investing in the communities and small businesses that make New Jersey extraordinary."

On Thursday, a link to tickets for the event on Ticketmaster said, "Unfortunately, the Event Organizer has had to cancel your event. You don't need to do a thing. We'll issue a refund to the original method of payment used at time of purchase, as soon as funds are received from the Event Organizer. It should appear on your account within 14-21 days."

The FIFA New York New Jersey website still lists some fan events here: https://nynjfwc26.com/fan-festival/