The FIFA Fan Festival in East Downtown (EaDo) will be closed Monday due to “inclement weather conditions and the guidance of public safety officials,” per a statement from Houston’s World Cup host committee. Fans planning to attend the Fan Festival are encouraged to check the @FWC26Houston social media channels and the FIFA World Cup Houston website for updates on the Fan Festival’s status for Tuesday.
Houston’s World Cup Fan Festival opened to the public on the first day of the 2026 World Cup matches last Thursday. The Fan Festival remained open through Thursday, Friday and Saturday, then closed for a portion of Sunday as rain began to hit Houston. Soccer fans in Houston were also hit by significant rain outside Reliant Stadium—renamed Houston Stadium for the 2026 World Cup—during a downpour before Germany’s 7-1 victory over Curacao. Sunday marked the first of seven World Cup matches at Houston Stadium, with the next match scheduled for Wednesday when Portugal faces DR Congo.
Heavy rains in Houston led to the Fan Festival’s cancellation on Monday. There’s little guarantee a similar situation won’t follow in subsequent days, given the forecast across Southeast Texas.
Jeff Linder, a meteorologist for Harris County, reported Monday morning that there could be up to 7″ of rain in large swaths of Southeast Texas due to rainfall “bombs” over the area. Houston is at risk of flooding each day from Monday through Thursday, and the city could receive 10″ of rain across the next five days, per Kenton Gewecke of ABC News.
Houston’s Fan Festival installed a number of measures to help fans stay dry and beat the heat in the lead-up to the month-long event. But the torrential rains on Monday were too much to overcome, leading to the first of potentially multiple days of closure for the marquee event of June.