FIFA Fan Fest temporarily closed because of weather conditions Saturday morning before the Netherlands vs. Sweden World Cup match at Houston Stadium.
Around 30 minutes after the doors to Fan Fest opened, a voice on a speaker announced to hundreds of attendees that the event was closing due to a heat advisory and storms.
LIVE UPDATES: Follow live coverage of today’s Houston World Cup match between Netherlands and Sweden
“Severe weather requires immediate action,” the announcement said. “Exit the grounds now and move to a safe location.”
Some soccer fans who had lined up early said they were disappointed by the news.
“As soon as I got in, we got the disappointment that that we were being kicked out,” said 24-year-old Junior Segura.
Segura, who had traveled from San Antonio to Houston to get the “World Cup experience,” said he waited 45 minutes in line to get in. He said volunteers had told him that if the event reopens, he would have to wait in line again.
25-year-old Ericka Zarate, said she too was disappointed by the closure, especially because she had brought her two children that were getting “fussy.”
Her and her husband said they would wait until at least 1 p.m. to see if Fan Fest would reopen.
“We’re from Houston,” Zarate said. “We’re kind of used to the weather.”
Others, like 44-year-old Mari Sanchez-Mejia, said they were glad they at least got to experience a little bit of the event.
“I’m kind of just glad we got in and got to do something,” said Sanchez-Mejia.
The match kicks off at noon at NRG Stadium, known during the World Cup as Houston stadium. It was preceded by fan marches for both teams that drew thousands of people to Rice University for the Netherlands and the Texas Medical Center’s Helix Park for Sweden.
Subscribe
There’s more to Houston with the Chronicle. Subscribe today for just 25¢.
This article originally published at FIFA Fan Fest in Houston closes before Netherlands vs. Sweden match due to weather.