Mexico City Mayor Clara Brugada on Wednesday announced plans to establish 18 free fan festivals during the upcoming World Cup, saying “the capital will be like one big grandstand.”

There will be at least one designated fan fest in each of the city’s 16 boroughs, in addition to the FIFA-sponsored venue in the Zócalo, the main public square in the heart of the Historic Center.

“We don’t view the World Cup as being limited to the matches taking place inside the stadium,” Brugada said. “It’s lived in the streets where communities play, on the neighborhood pitch, in the market, in the public square … because when the pelota comes home, passion overflows in our streets.

Brugada’s reference was to the slogan her administration is using to promote the tournament — “Pelota Vuelve a Casa” (“The ball is coming home”) — as she presented the information about the festivals.

In addition to free broadcasts of the matches (seven venues will screen all 104 games, while the remaining 11 will feature Mexico’s games and selected matches), festival sites will feature cultural programming, sporting activities and gastronomic offerings. 

Brugada said each site will include big screens, as well as concerts, public art, family entertainment, traditional games and workshops. There will also be food carts and products from local and Indigenous communities, as well as special events such as expos devoted to corn and ice ⁠cream.

Although the goal is to extend the World Cup atmosphere beyond the stadiums, Brugada made clear that alcohol sales will be prohibited at the Fan Zones, which she justified by saying “the aim is to promote safe and family-friendly spaces.”

This announcement continues Brugada’s focus on popular events, which some say comes at the expense of needed infrastructure and security work It even earned her a scolding from President Claudia Shienbaum earlier this month.

During a meeting with Sheinbaum on March 30, FIFA president Gianni Infantino expressed concern over unfinished infrastructure projects in the vicinity of Estadio Azteca, which will host five matches. The media has also made much of the scramble to finish an ambitious renovation of the capital’s subway before the tournament kicks off on June 11.

As a result, Sheinbaum reprimanded Brugada and announced the federal government was taking a bigger role in order to manage risks and ensure preparations in Mexico City meet FIFA standards.

With reports from Reuters, Medio Tiempo, La Jornada and Infobae