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Old Fourth Ward plans World Cup celebrations
The Old Fourth Ward neighborhood is launching a massive three-day soccer festival featuring a multi-screen watch party, a themed bar crawl and a youth sports rollout. Neighbors can enjoy all the upcoming festivities for free starting next week.
ATLANTA, Ga. - We already know you’ll be watching the U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team take on Paraguay live from Los Angeles next Friday night — so the question is, where will you be watching the match?
Neighborhood leaders in Atlanta’s Old Fourth Ward say they hope it’ll be at their big viewing party, which is part of the O4W Soccer Kickoff Festival happening Thursday, June 11th through Saturday, June 13th. O4W president Tom Boyle says the three-day event is meant to shine a big spotlight on the iconic Atlanta neighborhood, and to make sure all residents have a place to experience the excitement of the World Cup for free.
The festival begins with the O4W Soccer Bar Crawl, happening from 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. on Thursday night. Event "passports" will be available in the tent underneath the bridge between Chiringa and McCray’s on the Beltline and on the patio next to Marcus Bar & Grille on Edgewood Avenue. Participants may then visit participating establishments to sample food and drinks and get their passports stamped along the way!
Friday is the big watch party in Historic Fourth Ward Park, during which the U.S. vs. Paraguay match (which will be aired right here on FOX 5 Atlanta) will be live-streamed on a trio of giant screens. The fun will begin at 4:00 p.m. with food vendors and performances, including a set by Atlanta United DJ EU! The watch party is free and open to everyone!
Finally, Boyle says Saturday will highlight the lasting legacy of the World Cup celebrations with the introduction of the O4W Soccer Program. Starting at 9:00 a.m., kids ages 5 to 13 are welcome to come play some pickup soccer for free at Historic Fourth Ward Park, and parents can learn more about the future of youth soccer in the neighborhood.
As you can tell, Atlanta’s Old Fourth Ward is going all-in on soccer…and since FOX 5 Atlanta is your home for the World Cup, we knew we needed to go all-in, too! Click here for more information on next week’s O4W Kickoff Festival — and click the video player in this article to check out our sneak peek at the landmark event!
The Source: Information for this story comes from the Old Fourth Ward Neighborhood Association website and original reporting by Good Day Atlanta's Paul Milliken.