Three free World Cup watch parties are planned at RiverEdge Park in Aurora, with the first event set for Tuesday evening, organizers said.
The watch parties, sponsored by the city of Aurora and RiverEdge Park, will be held for the Mexico vs. Ecuador match at 8 p.m. Tuesday, with gates opening at 6 p.m.; for the game between the U.S. and Bosnia and Herzegovina at 7 p.m. Wednesday, with gates opening at 5 p.m.; and for the World Cup final at 2 p.m. Sunday, July 19, with gates opening at noon.
Admission to RiverEdge Park, at 360 N. Broadway in downtown Aurora, will be free and World Cup soccer fans are invited to “bring blankets and bag chairs and watch the knockout round action live on the big screen,” according to RiverEdge Park officials.
There are no permanent seats in the park, officials noted.
Jon Zaghloul, director of communications for the city of Aurora, called the viewing parties “a really exciting initiative that the city and the Aurora Civic Center Authority have collaborated on.”
“The fact that it’s free and the fact that the World Cup is ongoing right now, it’s really going to enhance peoples’ viewing experience,” he said. “The park is brand new and just reopened after significant renovations and so to be able to utilize this for a community event, to open up the park for free and invite people to come on in and watch multiple World Cup matches including the championship match, is really just an exciting opportunity to bring people downtown and allow them to check out the new park and be part of the community.”
Jim Jarvis, general manager for RiverEdge Park and also the chief marketing and programming officer for the Aurora Civic Center Authority, is excited about the upcoming watch parties.
“We talked to the city about it and said this is a great community event,” Jarvis said. “It’s free. It brings people of all different backgrounds together to take it in and that, first and foremost, is the coolest thing about doing something like this. You watch the World Cup and you see every walk of life watching in the different stadiums.”
Matches will be shown on the screens throughout the park, organizers said. Beverage pavilions will be open with alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks available for purchase. There will also be food trucks and the park’s concession stand will also be open, officials said.
Outside food is allowed in the park as well as coolers no larger than 12 inches by 12 inches by 12 inches. No alcohol or drinks of any kind can be brought into the park, except sealed water bottles, park officials said.
Entry for the viewing parties will be through Gates 2 and 4 at RiverEdge Park. Gate 2 is located across from the Post Office at 525 N. Broadway and the Aurora Transportation Center North End Parking Lot, official said. Gate 4 is located at the south end of the park near the pedestrian bridge across the Fox River.
For more information, go to www.paramountaurora.com/riveredge
David Sharos is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
