As Boston’s fan festival ends, Providence becomes New England’s World Cup hub
PROVIDENCE — Since the World Cup began, fans of international football have flooded into PVD Fan Zone at Station Park in Providence, turning an underused green space into what Mayor Brett Smiley calls the best display of the city’s “rich diversity.”
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The Fan Zone has attracted more than 70,000 visitors, and after the FIFA Fan Festival Boston shut down following the end of the World Cup group stage, the Providence spot is the only remaining FIFA-sanctioned event outside Boston Stadium (Gillette Stadium).
FIFA required host cities to run fan festivals throughout the tournament, which ends with the World Cup Final on July 19, but relaxed its requirements because of funding, according to the Sports Business Journal.
“From the outset, FIFA worked closely with Host Cities and local stakeholders to help shape meaningful fan experiences beyond the stadiums that are community-led, fan-oriented and aligned with the spirit of the FIFA World Cup,” FIFA said in an email to the Globe. “It is important to recognize that there was no one-size-fits-all model for fan engagement across a tournament of this scale. Fan experiences can take many forms — from large-scale gatherings to more decentralized, community-driven activations — all of which contribute to the unique atmosphere of the FIFA World Cup.”
FIFA said discussions with Boston about the Fan Festival took into account “geographic footprint, existing infrastructure, community priorities, and operational realities” that resulted in different formats from city to city.
A fan festival costs about $1 million a day to operate, according to Fortune.
The PVD Fan Zone costs about a third of that amount, according to Joe Wilson, the director of Art, Culture and Tourism for the City of Providence, and producer of the Fan Zone. City officials have committed to keeping it open for the full World Cup.
Wilson said that cities struggled to pay for security and to make sure that city service costs were being covered. Station Park is located between the Amtrak/MBTA train station, the State House, and Providence Place mall and is an open area that is not typically used for events.
“Every city who had some kind of interface with FIFA and the World Cup were grappling with a variety of challenges related to budgets, scheduling, and safety. One piece that made us say ‘39 days’ is that we already have infrastructure footprint that we cannot move without using cranes that we’re securing 24/7. If we have to secure it, we might as well be open.”
Providence did an economic impact assessment of life in the city two years ago, according to Wilson, and found that between 5 and 9 p.m. the city is “as international a city as Los Angeles” with communities that have rich, strong immigrant populations who love football.
“That became another reason for us to activate as much as possible,” he said. “We knew fans would come and I think you look at the culture and climate across Rhode Island, there are watch parties and activations all across this state, so we knew that would happen.”
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Wilson said the state’s “build-in audiences” and proximity to Boston Stadium attracted groups like the Tartan Army and Ghana to Providence. Ghana’s national football team is staying at the Graduate Hotel and practices at Bryant University.
“This is the first time this format of a World Cup is taking place over a continent, so even down to the logistics of this, we’re producing the singularly largest sustained event in the history of the city,” Wilson said. “I’m proud because we were making decisions that we couldn’t possibly predict the answer or the outcome of those decisions, so to see it working out in a really wonderful way has just been one of the most rewarding moments of my professional life.”
The World Cup has been a unifying event, Smiley said.
“In the context of a moment where there’s so much stress and strife and division, this has been a really wonderful moment for communities to come together,” he said. “It’s been entirely peaceful and family friendly, and just a nice and joyful occasion. And I think that arts, culture, and sports hold a unique place in being able to bring people together through shared experience.”
The economic impact of the World Cup won’t be known for a while, when tourism and hospitality numbers, meals, beverage, and sales tax receipts can be studied.
“We’re not doing this to make money for the city itself, and if the Fan Zone proper breaks even in terms of city impact, but all our businesses thrive, then it will have been a success,” Smiley said. “We’ll have a full accounting of the city’s investment in the Fan Zone by the time we’re done and I’m optimistic that we’ll cover a lot of our expenses.
City Councilman John Goncalves, whose ward covers much of downtown Providence, said the Fan Zone has been an incredible celebration of soccer, culture, and community.
“As Team Cape Verde, we’ve seen firsthand how the Fan Zone has united thousands of people around pride, identity, and joy. The energy has been incredible, from families and young people to longtime soccer fans and first time visitors. Station Park has proven to be an outstanding public space that brings people together and has helped fill an important regional role. We’re proud that Providence has been able to welcome visitors from across New England and create an unforgettable World Cup experience.”
Smiley said the turnout for the Cape Verdean matches is one of his tournament highlights.
“That was a near record attendance night,” he said. “We think we had about 8,000 fans that evening, and not only did I get to see and experience that energy, but to have 8,000 fans at night in a place with adult beverages and have zero issues. That just says that this is truly a celebration and a well-run event.”
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