SCRANTON — As organizers estimate approximately 16,000 people visited the FIFA World Cup Fan Zone along Courthouse Square over four days this month, downtown businesses reaped the benefits despite some weather and logistical challenges.
Several factors like heavy rain, lightning and extreme heat during Fourth of July weekend and concerns about wildfire smoke and more storms this past weekend put a slight damper on activities.
A water main break near North Washington Avenue and Mulberry Street also forced some establishments like Backyard Ale House and Downtown Deli to keep their doors closed Sunday.
However, Tom Borthwick, co-owner of Electric City Ciderworks, 503 Linden St., felt the event helped bring excitement to the city.
“It’s absolutely wonderful to see Scranton this vibrant,” he said. “For any Scrantonian, Scranton deserves to be on the map … and this just kind of reinforces my own hometown view.”
Despite the broken water main impacting several businesses Sunday, the cidery was allowed to open as customers had access to portable toilets across the street, Borthwick said.
Customers packed the cidery, which first opened in April, leading up to the World Cup final match between Spain and Argentina.
“The water (main) issue has been awful in general,” Borthwick said. “Not so much for the cidery, but for DaVinci’s, Chef Von, and all our neighbors, we feel really bad that they had to close down.”
A note on the door at Bartari, 101 Adams Ave., informs customers on Sunday, July 19, 2026 that the bar/restaurant is closed to a water main break. (ROBERT TOMKAVAGE/STAFF PHOTO)
Alex Hirsch of Clarks Summit controls the ball while Pavle Lalovic of Dalton defense at the Scranton World Cup Fan Zone on Courthouse Square on Sunday, July 19, 2026. (ROBERT TOMKAVAGE/STAFF PHOTO)
Zack Bachman, a member of the Anthracite Football Club, attempts to dribble the ball through several defenders at the Scranton World Cup Fan Zone on Courthouse Square on Sunday, July 19, 2026. (ROBERT TOMKAVAGE/STAFF PHOTO)
Jaynee Wargo, owner of McAdoo-based Wicked Foods, serves a smash burger from her food truck in downtown Scranton on Sunday, July 19, 2026. (ROBERT TOMKAVAGE/STAFF PHOTO)
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A note on the door at Bartari, 101 Adams Ave., informs customers on Sunday, July 19, 2026 that the bar/restaurant is closed to a water main break. (ROBERT TOMKAVAGE/STAFF PHOTO)
The rainy weather actually played into the cidery’s favor, Borthwick added.
“As soon as it rains, because we have these beautiful open doors, people run right in,” he said.
Borthwick hopes added exposure from World Cup fans will translate into more regular customers.
“Eighty percent of the people who’ve walked in have never walked in here before,” he said. “We have a good product, we have a great space, and we’re glad people are checking us out.”
As many brick-and-mortar businesses were closed Sunday afternoon, a steady flow of customers stopped by the McAdoo-based Wicked Foods food truck, operated by Jaynee Wargo.
“It’s a new event for the area and it’s exciting,” she said. “We had some rain, but we’re trying our best.”
Wargo — who also brings her food truck to the Scranton St. Patrick’s Parade — saw a good influx of customers following the Hanson concert Saturday.
John “J.P.” Heim III, owner of Bartari, 101 Adams Ave., stressed any event that drives traffic to local shops makes a difference, however he felt the World Cup fell a little short of expectations.
“Anything that brings people downtown is always a benefit,” Heim said. “The county and (everyone) definitely built it up larger than it actually turned out to be, which was a little disappointing. Unfortunately, I guess it’s just not a soccer town. Four years ago, I was all about doing something for the World Cup and things just didn’t work out the way we thought they were going to work out.”
Downpours disrupted Heim’s plans for the first weekend of the Fan Zone, but he salvaged business by bringing the action indoors.
“For July 4, we were supposed to do two screens out on Center Street,” he said. “We had big plans for viewing parties outside but, because of the weather, we moved the screen inside. When it did rain, everybody was looking for places for cover. We got filled up and people did enjoy the 14-foot screen inside.”
The nostalgia surrounding Hanson’s musical performance overshadowed the third-place match between France and England on Saturday, Heim said.
“We actually drew more people for Hanson than for the soccer game, which is kind of funny,” he said.
Then, as both the Fan Zone and World Cup were wrapping up, a water main break kept Bartari closed on Sunday.
“It’s a little disappointing because we (couldn’t) open because of stuff out of our control,” Heim said.
Scranton Business Administrator Eileen Cipriani categorized the Fan Zone as a success for the city.
“We were thrilled with the outcome of the event,” she said. “We had weather challenges and obviously the challenge with the water main break, but we had so many people downtown and so many people enjoyed it. The crowd (Sunday) was phenomenal. We had so many activities for the children. It was great to see the soccer clubs and high school soccer teams participating.”
While eateries faced obstacles, specifically on the final day, Cipriani believes the World Cup fever boosted downtown shops.
“From everything we’ve heard, it was really great for the businesses,” she said. “There were challenges, but we certainly made the best of it and all the people that came out were great.”
Event organizers estimated that about 12,000 people — representing diverse demographics — attended the Fan Zone between Saturday and Sunday.
“A group would come in for the band, and often a number of them would leave and different people would come in for the soccer game,” Cipriani said. “We had almost two different crowds at times. The first weekend was challenging, because July 4th weekend people have plans and vacations already set up, plus the weather didn’t cooperate most of that weekend. I think this past weekend was more representative of what we thought we would see.”