Toronto officials cancel FIFA fan fest due to lightning risk

1 hour ago 7

The fan fest was being held at Fort York and The Bentway when a storm cell with heavy rain passed through the area during the afternoon

Published Jun 11, 2026 • 1 minute read

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Soccer fans celebrating the opening day of the FIFA World Cup tournament were told to leave Toronto’s fan festival areas Thursday afternoon for precautionary measures relating to the risk of lightning.

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The City of Toronto shared the update on social media shortly after 4 p.m.

“Out of an abundance of caution, the FIFA Fan Festival Toronto is being evacuated due to risk of lightning,” the advisory reads on social platform X.

“The decision was not made lightly, however safety is our utmost priority. FIFA Fan Festival Toronto will not reopen tonight.”

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According to the Weather Network, a storm cell with heavy rain passed through the fan festival area during the afternoon.

The fan fest was being held at Fort York and The Bentway.

Toronto DJ Skratch Bastid and Burlington indie pop band Walk off the Earth were set to perform on the main stages between 5 and 7 p.m. following the broadcast of the Mexico and South Africa match to open the soccer tournament.

Performances on Friday include Canadian rock band Big Wreck, WWE Hall of Famer and actress Trish Stratus, singers Choir! Choir! Choir!, and Toronto singer-songwriter Jessie Reyez.

Both free and premium ticket reservations were required to gain access to the fan festival.

Team Canada plays Bosnia-Herzegovina on Friday afternoon at Toronto Stadium to open their tournament.

Toronto is hosting six games overall while Vancouver, the other Canadian host city, will anchor another seven games. The rest of the matches are in the United States and Mexico.

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