World Cup 2026: Lessons Vancouver learned and what comes next

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Chwin said that while many events were paused during the tournament, 10 major conferences are scheduled in Vancouver over the next few months, and hotel occupancy is expected to reach 90 per cent this summer.

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Restaurants

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Iani Makris, with daughters Nefeli, 5, left, and two-year-old Maelle, co-owns Anatoli Souvlaki near Canada Soccer House in North Vancouver. Photo: Lori Culbert Photo by LORI CULBERT / PNG

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On Monday, the province announced restaurants granted temporary patio approvals during the Cup can now keep them open until summer’s end.

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Ideally, Tostenson said, restaurants and bars can find ways to keep patrons coming, perhaps through food specials or community events, or dine-out themes on certain evenings.

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“What can we do as an industry to activate these things and make it interesting for people to still come out, because we are going to see, obviously, a downturn,” he said.

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“We realize what the possibilities are. Now we’ve just got to go get them.”

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The biggest challenge may be how to include restaurants on the edge of popular areas, so they can also be part of the trend.

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Anatoli Souvlaki, a popular Greek restaurant, sits across the street from Canada Soccer House, a large fenced-off fan zone in North Van’s Shipyards District. Restaurants inside were booming, but outside the perimeter Anatoli’s was quieter than usual because its clientele didn’t want to battle the congestion.

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“We experienced an influx of customers when Canada was playing,” said co-owner Iani Makris. “However, our regulars were looking to stay away.”

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Overall, eateries across the province stocked more alcohol in June, according to the B.C. Liquor Distribution Branch: sales to restaurants, bars and pubs between May 31 and June 27 were $51.5 million, which was $5 million, or 11 per cent higher, than in June 2025, a spokesperson said.

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Granville Strip

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Jane Talbot, president of Downtown Van, on Granville Street in Vancouver on July 9. Photo: Arlen Redekop Photo by Arlen Redekop /PNG

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It isn’t clear yet what exactly will happen on Granville Street after the Cup ends July 19.

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It also isn’t clear how the $4.74 million set aside to keep it open for seven more weeks will be spent, beyond the general plan to dole out portions of the money to the city for sanitation and engineering, Vancouver police for security, and Downtown Van for activities.

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Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim called a special meeting of city council on July 2 to get the vote passed so the city could immediately build on the “overwhelming success” of the pedestrian strip. But Coun. Pete Fry voted against the plan, arguing for more financial clarity.

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“We don’t really know what an activation without a World Cup, and the tens-of-thousands of visitors downtown, would possibly look like,” Fry added.

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One week after the vote, Talbot said her organization was still finalizing plans for the street post-Cup and couldn’t share specifics yet.

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“We see an opportunity to create a more vibrant daytime destination that welcomes families, gives retailers a boost like our bars and restaurants have experienced, and celebrates arts, culture, and public spaces in new ways,” she said Thursday.

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“The change will start on week one, but we’ll have an evolution over the seven weeks.”

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The street is primarily known for its bars and nightclubs, and has in recent years been the site of disorder and unruliness, especially in the evenings.

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Granville’s needs are “urgent and acute,” which made it hard for businesses to conceptualize making it a pedestrian strip — until witnessing the success of the last four weeks, Talbot said.

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Downtown Van agreed to support extending the car-free idea as long as there was funding for additional police, she added.

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Talbot is optimistic this summer’s experiment will help carve out future plans for Granville Street.

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“There will be learnings about what worked well, what can be improved on for next time and what the street can do in terms of supporting pedestrianization.”