Toronto Evacuates Fan Fest on Thursday — What Channel Is The World Cup On In Canada
Lightning forced the evacuation of Toronto’s official FIFA Fan Festival on Thursday, the clearest disruption yet to what channel is the world cup on in canada for fans gathered at Fort York. The city shut the site after blackening skies rolled in while people were on hand for the tournament’s opening match.
Fans had packed the main stage to watch Mexico’s 2-0 win over South Africa in Mexico City, then were told to leave before the festival could continue. The city said the decision was not made lightly and that safety was the utmost priority.
Fort York Under Black Skies
Abdel Elmaadawi said the atmosphere had felt promising before the evacuation, telling attendees that the “energy was great.” Afterward, he pointed to the event listing, saying, “On the website, they said, 'rain or shine event,' so I'm a little bit disappointed by the area they chose for the viewing.”
Ian Custadillo tried to put the shutdown in perspective, saying, “We all know Toronto's weather is pretty spontaneous … and we had a couple of years to prepare for this.” He added, “You see on the TV it says 'evacuation' and you think it's some sort of crazy emergency, but it's just a little bit of rain. I'll be back for sure, but will I schedule my day towards coming out? I don't know.”
Toronto's World Cup Opening Week
The festival was to remain closed for the day's second match between South Korea and Czechia, leaving Toronto’s opening-day viewing plan unfinished after the weather call. The city had also hosted a countdown concert on Wednesday night with Bryan Adams, Wyclef Jean, Nora Fatehi and The Beaches.
Toronto was already preparing for Friday, when Canada was scheduled to open against Bosnia-Herzegovina and Canada’s newly sworn-in Gov. Gen. Louise Arbour was planning to attend. Toronto Stadium was being prepared on Thursday ahead of its World Cup debut, but the fan festival stoppage gave the city’s World Cup rollout a rough start in front of supporters who had come expecting to stay for the matches.
Canada's Toronto Test
Gabriela Marvan, wearing a Mexico jersey, called the tournament’s arrival in the city “a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” a view that landed differently after the evacuation cleared the site. For fans at Fort York, the first day brought a weather interruption instead of the long public watch party Toronto had been building toward.
