The big FIFA Fan Festival near Union Station and the National World War I Memorial in downtown Kansas City has drawn a lot of attention as scaffolding and cell phone towers go up.

With a crowd capacity of 25,000, the free event will be the hub of Kansas City fan activities during the global soccer tournament in June and July, featuring live music from headliners like TechN9ne, Flo Rida and the Chainsmokers, as well as food vendors, fan activities and matches broadcast on giant screens.

Fans who want a posher experience can even sign up to pay for guaranteed access to private areas with shade and air conditioning. (Free general admission also requires a ticket, and admittance depends on the crowd capacity limit. Register here.)

But if you want to watch the matches amid a smaller crowd at venues closer to home, Johnson County and some local cities have got you covered with watch parties and activities in multiple places around the county.

Here are some of the most notable city- and county-run World Cup watch party events scheduled. (Note: Pubs and sports bars, too numerous to mention here, also plan to host match watch party events.)

Theatre in the Park (SM Park)

The Johnson County Park & Recreation District is hosting the most extensive watch party venue at Theatre in the Park, at Shawnee Mission Park.

Watch parties there will happen most days from June 16 through July 19.

JCPRD will show 28 matches in 20 days on a new 20×30-foot LED screen. (Full schedule of matches and dates here.)

There will also be live entertainment, food trucks, a concession stand, soccer play spaces and art and family-friendly activities.

Theatre in the Park is an outdoor space usually showing plays and musical productions by local actors. Rentable chairs and chairs with umbrellas are available.

Theatre in the Park’s entrance, 7710 Renner Road, is not a stop on one of the new bus circulator routes, so you’ll have to drive or find some other way there yourself.

There is limited paved parking at the venue. Overflow parking will be on a nearby grass field. Staff and volunteers will be on hand to direct parking.

Rideshare drop-offs at Gate 2 will be allowed, as long as the driver’s rideshare company sign is displayed.

Admittance is free, but registration is required for each game attended. The watch party website also lists what items fans will be allowed to bring with them.

Overland Park

Watch parties in Overland Park will take place in different parts of the city on different days.

The first match played in Kansas City — Argentina vs. Algeria — will be aired on June 16 in the Clock Tower area of downtown Overland Park near the new farmers market pavilion, which is expected to open early next month. Another watch party will take place there again on July 11 for Kansas City’s quarterfinal match.

Both events start at 5 p.m. and end at 10 p.m. or 30 minutes after the final whistle.

Other Overland Park celebrations and watch parties will take place at:

• the Scheels Soccer Complex, 13700 Switzer Road, for the U.S. vs. Australia match, from noon to about 5 p.m. on June 19;
• the Prairiefire Museum area, 5661 W. 135th Street, for the final match on July 19;
• and the Bluhawk district, 7951 West 160th Street, from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., for Kansas City’s Round of 32 knockout game on July 3.

At Bluhawk, the soccer matches will be combined with fireworks for the annual Independence Day celebration. That event kicks off with a pre-party from 5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at Advent Health Sports Park. It continues with music at 7 p.m. at the Marketplace and fireworks at 9:45 p.m.

Attendees for the Bluhawk event aree advised to park in designated spaces facing the open area of the development for the fireworks and to remain in their vehicles. A map can be found here.

Overland Park’s World Cup festivities are set to include family-friendly activities, street festivals, food, drink and games. All are free, but the city requires registration to attend.

Lenexa

Lenexa’s City Center development will be the location for watch parties for four matches on three different days.

All will take place at the corner of City Center Drive and Hampton Street, and all are free. They include:

• June 12, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
• June 25, with two matches shown, one at 6 p.m. and a second at 9 p.m.
• July 11 (a quarterfinal with teams yet to be decided), from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Matches for all three watch party nights will be shown on two 20×12-foot and two 14×8-foot LED screens

The parties will also offer food trucks, a live DJ and all-ages activities.

Parking – offered for free but on a first-come-first-served basis – is at the Kiewit parking garage, 8900 Penrose Lane. Parking time limits for the surrounding area will be enforced.

The City Center watch party location is near a stop on the Johnson County United Link, a temporary bus route during the tournament. The event web page also has information on bag, animal and prohibited item policies.

Leawood

“Don’t forget your lawn chair!” is the city’s advice for people wishing to attend the festivities as Algeria meets Argentina in the first match played in Kansas City on June 16.

The city will host a watch party for that match at Park Place, 11549 Ash Street, beginning at 6 p.m., two hours before the match, which starts at 8 p.m.

The match will be broadcast on four giant screens, with food available from nearby Park Place restaurants. The event also advertises a live DJ and special pop-ups and giveaways.

It’s free, all ages welcome.

Mission

Mission’s watch party on June 25 will feature the group stage match between Tunisia and the Netherlands.

The festivities begin at 6 p.m. at the Mission Market, 5701 Broadmoor Street.

There will also be food and drink vendors and “all your market favorites.”