• Atlanta's FIFA Fan Festival features concerts, activations, and a stadium-like atmosphere for fans.
• It's drawn 450,000 visitors so far, offering free entry and a vibrant atmosphere.
• Attendees praised Atlanta's diversity and welcoming vibe at the lively FIFA Fan Festival.

I'm not the biggest World Cup fan, so when the first general-admission tickets went on sale earlier this year, it didn't cross my mind to check the prices for an individual game.

World Cup tickets reportedly hit the market at seven times the expected rate, with one consumer telling Business Insider that they spent over $2,000 on a single ticket through FIFA's resale portal. Unfortunately, even if I wanted to attend, my bank account wasn't prepared to support such behavior.

Lucky for me, in addition to the actual games, FIFA launched 13 Fan Festivals across Canada, Mexico, and the US. I figured this would be my best option for joining the festivities.

I found it hard to ignore all the World Cup fanfare in Atlanta, my home city

It was equally hard to ignore the starting price for attending the Atlanta FIFA Fan Festival: $0.

Guests still had to reserve both free and paid tickets online.

The sold-out festival is taking place at the Centennial Olympic Park, right around the corner from Mercedes-Benz Stadium, where seven World Cup matches have already been held. Atlanta will host its final match on July 15.

With tickets ranging from free general admission to $325 VIP packages, Atlanta's FIFA Fan Festival has drawn more than 450,000 visitors, according to organizers, making it one of the country's most-attended events alongside Philadelphia's FIFA Fan Fest and Miami's.

After checking out the hype for myself, I had such a good time with the music, concerts, activations, free swag, and energetic crowds that I went twice.

On my second visit to the Atlanta FIFA Fan Festival on June 26, I asked attendees why they think it's consistently been one of the country's most-attended Fan Festivals.

Here are the guests who stood out from the crowd and what they shared.

Atlanta's diversity is on full display

Twin sisters Shanteria and Siera W. told BI that World Cup tickets were out of their budget. They only spent $15 on drinks to stay hydrated at the Atlanta Fan Fest.

"Atlanta has just upgraded into something more and more popular," Shanteria said. "Atlanta is diverse. You can come from any culture, any background, and just have fun."

"Everybody comes from different places, and we welcome everybody," Siera added.

The crowd and giant screen create a stadium-like atmosphere

Another team Mexico fan, Daniel S., caught my attention with his small group of friends.

Daniel, who shared that he's also an Atlanta FIFA Fan Fest volunteer, was enjoying the match between Spain and Uruguay on the 40-foot jumbo screen. Out of all the ways to watch the World Cup, being in a crowd of up to 15,000 with a few close friends is memorable and one of his highlights.

Atlanta knows how to host major sporting events

Torrence, a Chicago native who lives in Atlanta, said he didn't bother looking at World Cup tickets.

He spent about $40 on drinks and enjoyed running into his frat brother while taking in the festivities. He was rooting for Côte d'Ivoire, which lost to Norway in the first knockout round.

"Atlanta's a good city, good atmosphere. Super Bowl, College Football Championship — they're always doing something here," Torrence said. "I'm with it. I'm out here having a good time"

Visitors found getting to the festival easy

Friends Rebecca and Anna took MARTA into the city to watch Spain, which has advanced to the semifinals.

The pair said they spent about $6 each after driving from Johns Creek, Georgia, to the nearest train station. They also didn't bother looking up World Cup tickets due to the high prices.

Both ladies found the Atlanta FIFA Fan Fest to be a fun and affordable way to experience the World Cup.

The Atlanta FIFA Fan Festival celebrated more than the World Cup teams

The festival was filled with jerseys from countries that weren't even competing in the World Cup. As a Liberian, I immediately spotted a Liberia soccer jersey in the crowd and had to speak with Jordan McGlotten, whose family is also from the country.

McGlotten, who is from Virginia and lives in Atlanta, was on his third visit to the festival and said he spent roughly $80 altogether.

"We've got a little bit of everything," McGlotten said. "It's very diverse. We have a lot of different nationalities. We have the trees, we have the skyline, we have everything."

He also reminded me that the US Soccer headquarters and national training center are just south of Atlanta, making it somewhat of a soccer city.

Being at the festival felt like being a part of history

Joi and Xavier, a couple cheering for Haiti, said the Atlanta FIFA Fan Festival had amazing vibes.

This was Haiti's first time in 52 years competing at the World Cup. Speaking with Haitian fans felt like being a part of the long-awaited return. Though Haiti was knocked out in the group stage, the Atlanta FIFA Fan Festival wasn't about fans simply cheering on their team. It was about culture, pride, and unity.

After spending time there, I can see why Atlanta's FIFA Fan Festival has become one of the country's busiest.

• I promised my sons a trip to the World Cup. Sixteen years later, I couldn't afford to make it happen.
• After I wrote about breaking that promise, a stranger offered to fly all three of us to the match.
• I was so sure it was a scam that I reported it to the FBI.

For sixteen years, the same photo has been my Facebook cover. It's me and my twin boys, Charlie and Thomas, then 3, in matching Australia jerseys, taken before I flew to the 2010 World Cup. I crouched beside them shortly after my marriage ended and promised that when they were older, I'd take them to a World Cup of their own. They were too young to understand, but I meant it.

We talked about it for years, always aiming for 2026. But when I priced the trip, it stopped being a holiday and became a house payment. I sat them down, showed them the cost, and asked if they still wanted it. They said no and meant it. I was the one who couldn't let go of the dream.

So I wrote about it. Then, everything changed.

A stranger sent me a message

A few days after the article ran, a man named Avi messaged me on LinkedIn. His profile had no photo and 21 followers, and I almost ignored it. He'd read the piece and asked if it was true. When I said it was, he offered to fly the three of us from Australia to Seattle to watch Australia play the US, and to cover the flights, accommodation, and tickets.

I thought there had to be a catch, so I searched his name. Google revealed him to be a business founder, which was enough to give me hope. I sent him photos of our passports.

My family told me I'd been scammed

Then the messages stopped, and my excitement turned into dread. I had sent copies of my children's passports to a random stranger. I pasted the messages into ChatGPT, which stated there was a 100% chance it was a scam. I called my bank, the passport office, and the police. I even emailed the FBI, who surely had better things to do.

My wife said what I already knew. Nobody would offer a free trip to a stranger. "You're stupid," she told me. I had to agree.

Even so, a small part of me thought there was a 1% chance it was real. For the next eight hours, I swung between the certainty I'd been played and the small hope I hadn't.

I couldn't believe my eyes

Avi messaged back. I told him I wanted to FaceTime, sure this would be the moment of truth. He called. Avi told me he was a father too and knew what my promise meant. He wanted to do something good with no strings attached.

Soon after, he messaged to say the airfares were booked. I typed in the confirmation number on the United website, expecting nothing. Three confirmed seats appeared on the screen, under my name and the boys'. It was past midnight, which made it my birthday. I just sat there staring at the screen.

In the morning, the match tickets were transferred to my FIFA account. When they hit my account, I told the boys we were flying to the US in two days. They reacted the way I had, certain it was too good to be true.

When it came time to pack, the only things they put in their bags were soccer jerseys. Even heading to the airport, I was unsure if this was still happening. It was only when the cabin doors closed that I let myself believe it. We were crossing the Pacific and back for four days, all for a single match.

In Seattle, my boys led the chants

We made every hour in Seattle about the tournament, because I wanted my sons to feel what I felt in South Africa in 2010. We visited fan sites and watched every match.

On the morning of the game, we crammed into Victory Hall with thousands of other Australians. I had a beer in my hand at 7 a.m. because I'm an Aussie and it was a match day. Grown men in green and gold, belting out songs, drinking beer out of their shoes, drums banging. My boys had never seen anything like it.

From there, the streets turned into a moving crowd. Singing, chanting, people spilling toward the stadium in waves. Charlie was on crutches, weeks after knee surgery, refusing to slow down. His brother stayed beside him the whole way, leading the chants.

It usually takes an act of God to get a teenager to show that kind of joy in public. Both of mine were grinning the entire way. Walking into the stadium with my arms around both of them felt unreal. For a moment, the three of us just stood there. I thought about the photo from 2010, and how long I'd waited to take another one. Then we took it, the same three faces, same positions, and the same grins. Except I was now the shortest one.

I sent the photo to Avi, who replied: "I'm just so glad I had the balls to do it."

Seventy-two hours earlier, Avi was a stranger with no photo and 21 followers. A man I had never met had spent thousands of dollars so two teenagers he would never meet could be happy. I made a promise to two 3-year-olds who had no idea what I was saying. Sixteen years later, a stranger made it happen in three days.

Now I can change that Facebook photo.

• Candace Parker says one habit makes hectic mornings more manageable as a mom of three.
• "I'm a big Peloton person, so I like to do that and lift. I also use the sauna quite a bit," she said.
• The former WNBA star says even small beauty choices can reflect how she's feeling.

Candace Parker, 39, says she relies on one habit to get going on hectic days.

"I love slow mornings, but if I need a jolt because obviously the kids have school and work and all those things, I usually get up and work out," Parker told Byrdie in an interview published on Saturday.

The former WNBA player is a mom to three kids. She shares daughter Lailaa with her ex-husband, Shelden Williams, and sons Airr and Hartt with her wife, Anna Petrakova.

On those busy mornings, Parker often turns to a mix of cardio and strength workouts to get going.

"I'm a big Peloton person, so I like to do that and lift. I also use the sauna quite a bit," she said.

From there, she gets ready for the day and says even the smallest beauty choices can reflect how she's feeling.

"It's so funny because my friends can tell if I'm having a great day or not by whether my baby hair is done," she said.

Parker says her approach to wellness has evolved over the years. Looking back, she says she would've given her younger self more grace.

"As most athletes do, I kept moving the goalposts. Sometimes, it's okay to stop and smell the roses and realize this is what you worked your whole life for. This generation actually does that better — prioritizing mental well-being and self-care. It's inspiring," Parker said.

This isn't the first time Parker has spoken about how she stays fit.

Before retiring in 2024, Parker told Boardroom in 2023 that she prioritized working out even during the offseason, focusing on "really taking care of my body and making sure I'm getting my lift in."

In 2023, Parker also told Essence that Pilates challenged her more than she expected.

"Pilates is probably the hardest thing I've ever done in my life," she said. "I walked in there like, 'I'm strong! I lift weights.' This grandma [instructor] killed me, so I have tremendous respect for Pilates.'"