May 19, 2026
Provided image/Philadelphia Soccer 2026
The FIFA Fan Festival will be held in Lemon Hill from June 11 to July 19. The above image is a rendering of soccer fans attending a World Cup watch party at the festival.
Multiple roads near Lemon Hill soon will be shuttered in preparation for the World Cup.
The travel restrictions are designed to ease pedestrian flow around the park, which is hosting the FIFA Fan Festival. Beginning Monday, the local lanes of Benjamin Franklin Parkway will close and remain inaccessible through Labor Day, except for July 4th.
Six additional road closures take effect Tuesday at 6 a.m. and continue until July 26 at 8 p.m. They are:
• Sedgley Drive from Kelly to Poplar drives
• Poplar Street from Poplar Drive to 30th Street (local access will be maintained)
• Poplar Street from 29th to 30th streets (westbound only)
• Poplar Drive from Sedgley Drive to Girard Avenue
• Sedgley Drive from Girard Avenue to Lemon Hill Drive
• Lemon Hill and North Lemon Hill drives
Any cars that park in these areas while the closures are in effect will be towed.
Also, Waterworks Drive will close at 10 a.m. each day of the festival, though the city will maintain controlled access to the Water Works and Philadelphia Museum of Art. Parking on Waterworks Drive will be permitted on mornings until 9 a.m.
The festival runs concurrently with the World Cup from June 11 to July 19.
Police may implement additional restrictions at a later date in the interest of public safety.
The city is boosting cycling options through an Indego station at Kelly and Sedgley drives with temporary capacity for 100 bikes. Fans also can take the Philly PHLASH to the specially designated FIFA Fan Festival stop on the downtown loop at Pennsylvania and Fairmount avenues. Though the bus typically operates from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., it will extend service on days when the festival runs later into the night.
These additional travel options will augment SEPTA's plans for the World Cup. The transit authority is boosting service on the Broad Street and Market-Frankford lines, and offering overnight service at select stations. Buses on routes 32 and 48, which stop near Lemon Hill, will run more often during the festival.
Through the expanded service, the city is hoping to push soccer fans onto buses, trains and bicycles — really, anything but cars. Rideshares will have limited access to Lemon Hill during the World Cup and parking will not be permitted on the site or surrounding area. Residents in Fairmount, Brewerytown and Spring Garden must apply for a free, temporary permit to park their vehicles.
Fans can sign up for free World Cup weather and event alerts from the city by texting "CUPPHL" to 888-777. They can access water, restrooms, maps and visitor information at six pop-up visitor centers between Center City and Lemon Hill. These hubs will be located at City Hall, LOVE Park, Eakins Oval, Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Sister Cities Park and the Lloyd Hall recreation center.
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