The City of Toronto is proposing a $10 charge for admission to its World Cup fan festival after initially promoting it as a free event.
A report presented to the city’s executive committee on Wednesday proposes a ticket tier for the soccer festival, starting at $10 for general admission with VIP passes ranging from $100 to $300.
The festival, which is set to include live game broadcasts, food and music events, was promoted by the city last year as a “free and inclusive space” for fans to enjoy the tournament.
The report says the ticket model aims to use the $10 admission fee to “responsibly cap daily attendance and prevent overcrowding” and assist with operational planning and more comfortable viewing spaces.
A city spokesperson acknowledged a request for comment but did not immediately provide further details on the move.
Toronto councillor and mayoral candidate Brad Bradford called on Mayor Chow to honour the original commitment and keep the Fan Festival free for all Torontonians.
“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,” Bradford said in a statement. “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.”
“The whole point of a fan festival is that it belongs to the city – all of it, not just the people who can afford a ticket. Toronto is about to host the world. We should be showing the world what this city is capable of, not nickel-and-diming our own residents for a party we promised would be free.”
Toronto is among 16 cities across Canada, the United States and Mexico that will host a combined 104 games during the expanded 48-team tournament, running June 11 through July 19.
Vancouver, which is also hosting the tournament, is set to hold a free fan festival with premium paid experiences.
The Toronto report says general admission to its festival will account for more than 80 per cent of all tickets, with ticketing expected to bring in $6.2 million.
Toronto’s $380 million budget for the soccer tournament includes funding from the federal and provincial governments, with FIFA previously estimating up to $940 million in economic output for the Greater Toronto Area.
