MetLife Stadium in New Jersey is hosting eight World Cup games from June 11 to July 19, including the final. Although there won’t be games in New York City proper, Mayor Zohran Mamdani has indicated that he wants to celebrate the games throughout all five boroughs.
The Bronx Chamber of Commerce launched a website that serves as a directory for World Cup-themed events happening in the borough.
“There’s a lot going on for the World Cup, a lot of different coalitions and initiatives, but there was a gap for the Bronx,” Gisselle Galerotti, the communications and marketing manager for the Bronx Chamber of Commerce told the Bronx Times.
“The Bronx is the forgotten borough. This is an opportunity to highlight everything that is going on because the Bronx does have so much to offer.”
Galerotti, who designed the website, said that the idea came from the Bronx’s World Cup steering committee. The group, formed in April, includes representatives from the Bronx Zoo, the New York Botanical Garden and local BIDs.
Aside from a watch party in Lou Gehrig Plaza, there are not yet concrete plans for events hosted by Bronx BIDs yet. There’s been confusion on the permit process, and some applications for events have been left alone as the city balances approvals with public safety concerns.
Per Mayor Zohran Mamdani, there will be a number of different kind of watch parties across the city and his administration plans to do so as safely as possible — yet the specific details are still in the works.
“We’re excited to make it easier for New Yorkers to celebrate,” Mamdani said. “It’s a time to celebrate but to also be safe.”
Trey Jenkins, the executive director of the 161st Business Improvement District said that he’s been looking forward to hosting a FIFA watch party at Lou Gehrig Plaza since he took the job four years ago.
The event hasn’t been announced yet, but Jenkins says there will be a watch party for the game at Lou Gehrig Plaza featuring a West African team due to its cultural roots in the Bronx. There will also be an art installation of two soccer balls as part of a collaboration with LeMonde Studio..
“The plaza has been, like, my baby for the BID, with the end goal of doing a World Cup watch party,” Jenkins said. “It started out slow. It was frustrating because, like, we knew [the World Cup] was happening eight years ago. It seemed like the city was caught off guard, in a sense.”
Jenkins says he thought the delays in permitting were “par for the course” for city government and sometimes, they don’t have permits until days before events are set to begin.
Pedro Suarez, executive director of the Third Avenue BID, says he will not be hosting FIFA-related events over the summer, citing high costs.
“The permitting process should have been sorted out last year to make things as easy as possible, especially for small non-profit organizations,” Suarez said, adding that he encourages local food establishments to promote the games if they are showing them.
Watch parties can be expensive to host for BIDs because of the large monitors needed, but Jenkins said the Department of Transportation is covering the cost for his. Jenkins said that he is hoping to host another watch party for a semifinal or quarterfinal game but is looking for sponsors.
Peter Madonia, chairman of the Belmont BID, which includes Little Italy, said they are still working on events for the World Cup, though they are a part of the steering committee and hope to showcase local small businesses.
“We would love to host several limited community watch parties to celebrate the World Cup and we have ideas that make sense in the context of our overall business district and cultural heritages, but we are also waiting for more clarity and details,” Madonia said.
“With the games fast approaching, in order for us to invest precious resources, we need clear direction from the City, State and FIFA.”
Bronx residents can also expect matchday and cultural programming at the Bronx Terminal Market on June 13 and 14. The event, hosted by the city, is free, but tickets can be reserved here.
Additional reporting by Lesley Cosme Torres.
