‘Severe weather’ delays opening of Toronto FIFA Fan Fest on Sunday

The Toronto FIFA Fan Fest won't be opening until 3 p.m. on June 14 due to bad weather. (@FWC26Toronto image/City of Toronto photo)

“Severe weather” has delayed the opening of the Toronto FIFA Fan Fest at Fort York and The Bentway on Sunday.

Organizers had initially said that the event wouldn’t be opening until 3 p.m., however it has yet to open for the day as rain continues to fall.

“Out of an abundance of caution, the opening of today’s FIFA Fan Festival Toronto is delayed due to severe weather. The safety of attendees, volunteers and staff remain our top priority. We continue to monitor the weather and will provide updates as the situation changes,” they wrote in a post on X shortly after 3 p.m.

It is not known at this point when the doors will be opening for the day.

“We must prioritize safety,” FIFA World Cup 26 Toronto said in a previous post on X around 1:30 p.m.

In a media bulletin announcing the delayed opening of the event, Sharon Bollenbach, the executive director of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Toronto Secretariat, underlined that the “safety of attendees, volunteers and staff remain our top priority.”

Today’s delay has resulted in a number of programing changes, organizers said, notably the delays of the French Montana (6:15 p.m.) and MurdaBeatz (9 p.m.) performances.

The show by Nagata Schachu has been postponed to another day.

Organizers are saying that they have released a new batch of tickets to Fan Fest online.

Second time bad weather impacts event

This is the second time that severe weather has impacted Toronto’s outdoor fan event.

On Thursday, the first day of the World Cup, it was cancelled in the middle of the match between Mexico and South Africa “out of an abundance of caution” following inclement weather.

Thousands of people were forced to evacuate the site due to the threat of lightening after a cluster of thunderstorms moved into the region from the west.

More details to come. This is a developing story.