At Lemon Hill in Fairmount Park, where the FIFA Fan Fest is set to take place, volunteers are gearing up for the festival's opening day on Thursday. It will run for 39 days, from June 11 to July 19.
Even though it hasn't started yet, some people living near Lemon Hill are concerned about the road closures and increased traffic the festival has already caused throughout their neighborhood.
"It's a good thing maybe for the city, but not a good thing for the neighborhood," said Troy Jackson, of Brewerytown. "One of the things I'm majorly afraid of is that a lot of cars are getting frustrated because streets are blocked. Without having officers at certain corners, cars are speeding through."
Delia Turner, of Brewerytown, told Action News, "We're all kind of clueless and doing the best we can."
Turner said a lot of people typically cut through her neighborhood.
"But, it's all blocked off," Turner said. "So it's been bizarre before it's even started."
Neighbors told Action News the sound checks for the festival started on Monday, as they gear up for the first concert at Lemon Hill on Thursday.
Natalie Frantz and Gavin Kelly live just steps away from the festival entrance. They said they heard the sound checks loud and clear.
"I was on a call on Zoom, and I was like, 'Can you hear the background?' And she was like 'No'. But the room was shaking," Frantz explained.
Kelly added, "It's the bass that picks up, and it's very distracting."
As preparations are underway in Fairmount Park, bars and restaurants throughout the city are also gearing up.
"We've been preparing for this for a while, and it's exciting that it's happening," Kerry Dougherty, the assistant general manager at Craft Hall in Northern Liberties, said.
Dougherty said Craft Hall is hosting soccer fans for the games, even the late ones on the West Coast. Because of that, they applied for the 'Philadelphia 250 Permit' to have the option to stay open until 4 a.m.
"It would give us the ability just to be able to stay open and make sure we're capturing all of those games, and people can come out and enjoy while it's going on," she said.
Craft Hall is one of 65 establishments in the city to apply for a permit.
However, as of Tuesday night, all 65 spots were still waiting on final approval from the state's liquor control board.
A spokesperson told Action News in a statement:
"If an applicant submitted all required documentation - and filed in time - they will receive the Philly 250 permit for the full period... We anticipate approving applications that meet all of the requirements and were filed on time very soon."