MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – MARCH 31: Declan Rice of Arsenal and Erling Haaland of Manchester City during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Arsenal FC at Etihad Stadium on March 31, 2024 in Manchester, England.(Photo by Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)
Calling all Soccer fans! The Premier League Fan Festival is coming to the Midwest for the first time, bringing thousands of fans together to cheer on their favorite English soccer teams.
With Chicago's rich sports culture, it's no surprise the event chose Chicago to host its next major viewing party at 72 W. La Salle Drive.
“It’s the Bulls, it’s the Blackhawks, it’s all of our primary kind of bread-and-butter sports teams, but then it’s also things like NASCAR who say this is a great backdrop, this is a great sports town let’s be here," said Kara Bachman, director of the Chicago Sports Commission.
Now the Premier League wants a piece of the action too.
“I think it says a lot," Bachman said. "Premier League is one of the most popular, biggest brands in sports in the world. So for them to see the value of Chicago, the sports town that we are, we have the fans, they know we have people who come out.”
Premier League is the most-watched soccer league in the country. This weekend's events at Lincoln Park will contain massive jumbotrons for a live watch party. Several matches will air on Saturday, with the weekend's biggest match pitting the league's top team Manchester City taking on second-place Arsenal on Sunday.
Nine previous fan fests drew in a combined 85,000 people, with Chicago aiming to add to that total.
Local
Games can be viewed Saturday and Sunday across NBCUniversal platforms.
Premier League Saturday fixtures (CT):
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- 6:30 am -- West Ham United vs. Chelsea
- 9:00 am -- Aston Villa vs. Wolverhampton Wanderers
- 9:00 am -- Fulham vs. Newcastle United
- 9:00 am -- Leicester City vs. Everton
- 9:00 am -- Liverpool vs. AFC Bournemouth
- 9:00 am -- Southampton vs. Ipswich Town
- 9:00 am -- Tottenham Hotspur vs. Brentford
- 11:30 am -- Crystal Palace vs. Manchester United
Premier League Sunday fixtures (CT):
- 8:00 am -- Brighton & Hove Albion vs. Nottingham Forest
- 10:30 am -- Manchester City vs. Arsenal
