Atlanta World Cup celebration ends as crews dismantle Fan Festival

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — The FIFA World Cup celebration in Atlanta came to an end Thursday as crews began dismantling the FIFA Fan Festival at Centennial Olympic Park after a month of matches, concerts and festivities that drew hundreds of thousands of visitors downtown.

Workers spent the day taking down stages, tents and giant video screens that helped transform the park into one of the tournament’s largest gathering places for fans.

“We are hearing that we were the most attended Fan Festival out of the U.S. host cities,” said Chincie Mouton with the Georgia World Congress Center Authority.

The Atlanta World Cup Host Committee said more than 544,000 fans attended eight World Cup matches at Atlanta Stadium during the tournament. More than 500,000 people also visited the Fan Festival.

“I went to Miami, Atlanta and New York City, and I think this was the best,” said visitor Raul Diaz.

The tournament also had a major impact on transportation and volunteer efforts. MARTA reported carrying more than 2.5 million riders during the tournament period, nearly tripling its typical ridership. More than 2,000 volunteers contributed more than 55,000 hours welcoming fans from around the world.

Arthur Blank, CEO of AMB Group, said FIFA officials praised Atlanta’s performance as a host city.

“I just spoke with the leadership and president of FIFA, and they couldn’t be more enthused, excited and supportive of what we’ve done here in Atlanta,” Blank said.

The Atlanta World Cup Host Committee also reported generating more than 140 million social media impressions worldwide during the tournament.

“We definitely exceeded expectations,” Mouton said. “I think we showed the world what we are capable of. We wanted to show off our Southern hospitality and be a welcoming city, and we did that.”

Organizers said the tournament strengthened Atlanta’s reputation as a destination for major international sporting events, 30 years after the city hosted the 1996 Summer Olympics.

“Atlanta gets an A+ for this effort,” Mouton said. “We had eight matches in the Atlanta stadium, we had a beautiful Fan Festival here, and we welcomed the world. It truly was a celebration.”