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The basics:

• Flag Cities adds Bayonne, Paterson to NJ World Cup fan festival lineup
• Series expansion supported by $1.3M New Jersey World Cup grant
• Village People, Soulja Boy headline early entertainment announcements
• Events will feature match broadcasts, food vendors, beer gardens, cultural activations

Goya Presents Flag Cities, in partnership with Hackensack Meridian Health, is expanding its World Cup fan festival series across North Jersey. The series announced new host cities and headline entertainment as well as sponsors and partners Tuesday.

Axiom Communications is producing the program on behalf of the Meadowlands Chamber. According to organizers, the developments were made possible in large part by the state’s recently announced $1.3 million World Cup grant award.

The series added two new event locations this week:

• Stephen Gregg Park in Bayonne June 28
• Hinchliffe Stadium in Paterson July 3

Organizers continue to build what has become one of the state’s largest activation platforms ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026 matches at MetLife Stadium. The expanded lineup joins previously announced events in:

• Jersey City June 12
• Overpeck Park in Bergen County June 14
• Laurel Hill Park in Secaucus June 21
• Newark June 24
• Riggins Field in East Rutherford June 26

Making the most of the moment

“We love doing great big events here in the Meadowlands, certainly from New Jersey,” Meadowlands Chamber President and CEO Jim Kirkos said during a May 12 press conference in Lyndhurst. He noted lessons learned during Super Bowl XLVIII in 2014 about assuming business would simply flow into local communities because of their proximity to the event. “That was wrong,” he said.

“We’re going to take it upon ourselves to make sure that we don’t make that mistake again,” said Kirkos. “It’s not the NFL’s job or FIFA’s job or WrestleMania’s job, or anybody else to fill our pockets. It’s our job to create opportunities and to make sure that local businesses have an opportunity to do some business.

“That local residents in New Jersey gets to feel the pride of hosting these big events, and then we get to showcase our great state and our great region.”

It’s our job to create opportunities and to make sure that local businesses have an opportunity to do some business.
— Jim Kirkos, president and CEO, Meadowlands Chamber

Kirkos described the newly awarded state funding through the World Cup 2026 Community Initiative Grant Program as critical to scaling the series.

“We are one of the large event grant recipients. We couldn’t be more thankful,” he said. “I don’t know that we could do all the great things that we’re about to do and the answers that we’re making here today without that chance.”

The power of partnership

Organizer and Axiom Communications President Ron Simoncini credited the state and regional partners for helping accelerate the initiative.

“In those quick five days, however, we were able to secure additional locations, and we were able to secure additional sponsors. And we were able to secure the performers that you’re going to hear about today,” he said.

Simoncini continued, “The fact that we were aligned with the governor’s vision for how the World Cup could integrate with communities.”

He credited the work of Choose New Jersey, the New Jersey Economic Development Authority and NJ Transit. “The fact they were able to create this program and welcome us into it and provide some resources that we need to make this the best World Cup celebration possible is a calling that I can’t even describe in terms of its impact.

“And it’s promise for us.”

Each event will feature live entertainment, DJs, giant LED screens broadcasting World Cup matches, food trucks and beverage vendors, beer gardens, kids’ soccer zones, shopping vendors, cultural activations and immersive fan programming celebrating participating nations.

‘This needs to be better’

Among the biggest announcements was the unveiling of the first entertainment lineup.

The Village People will headline the June 12 kickoff event in Jersey City. Rapper Soulja Boy will perform at the June 24 Newark event.

Organizers also announced Steely Dan tribute act The Royal Scam for the June 14 Bergen County event at Overpeck Park. Meanwhile, indie rock band Easy Honey will play at the June 26 East Rutherford activation. Additional performance announcements are expected in the coming weeks.

Bergen County Executive James Tedesco said the World Cup effort reflects a deliberate push to ensure local communities benefit economically from hosting matches at MetLife Stadium.

“This needs to be different, this needs to be better,” Tedesco said, recalling early discussions with Sherrill’s administration. “There needed to be a benefit for the million people that live here in Bergen County. We are the host county for the largest sporting event in the world.”

He said the initiative is about more than soccer. “It’s about supporting local businesses, bringing people together, welcoming visitors and showing the world who we are,” said Tedesco. “Northern New Jersey is one of the most diverse regions anywhere in the world. Bergen County alone is home to more than nearly 1 million people from every corner of the globe.

“The world is coming here in about one month – and our region is ready to shine. And we’re all ready to kick the ball.”

Soccer’s big score

Paterson Mayor Andre Sayegh said Hinchliffe Stadium’s inclusion adds another culturally significant venue to the growing series. “Paterson is one of the most diverse cities in the country, and this event will be an incredible celebration of culture, soccer, and community pride,” he said in a statement. “We welcome the world to Paterson.”

Baye Adofo-Wilson said the World Cup’s long-term legacy could extend well beyond the matches themselves. “What’s going to happen after the World Cup is that our young people are going to be excited about soccer,” Adofo-Wilson said during the event. His New York Cosmos organization partnered on the Paterson activation. “What do we do to ensure that our children have the most access they can to the expertise? To the facilities, to the spaces to play?”

In Bayonne, Commissioner Kenneth Kopacz tied the event directly to the region’s longstanding soccer culture. “Soccer has always been more than a game here — it is part of our culture, our neighborhoods, and our identity,” Kopacz said. “Celebrating the World Cup in Bayonne honors that proud history and inspires the next generation to carry it forward.”

Expanding the roster

The organizers also announced a growing list of sponsors and institutional partners supporting the series.

American Dream and the Cosmos will serve as new event partners.

Added sponsors also include Hackensack Meridian Health, Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, JCT Solutions, Colliers Engineering & Design, RevNJ, Volo Sports and Fox Fence. They join existing sponsors such as Goya Foods, NJ Transit and Diageo.

“As Goya celebrates our 90th anniversary, we are proud to continue supporting Flag Cities and celebrating the communities and cultures that make New Jersey so special,” said Peter Unanue, executive vice president of Goya Foods.

“Choose New Jersey congratulates Flag Cities on the kickoff of their event series and for creating an exciting opportunity to showcase New Jersey on a global stage,” said Amy Herbold, president and CEO of Choose New Jersey. “Events like these highlight the energy, diversity, and innovation that position New Jersey as a leading destination for international investment, tourism, and long-term economic opportunity surrounding the FIFA World Cup.”

Planting a flag

The series will officially launch June 8 with a “Summer Soccer Celebration” event at American Dream. The kickoff will bring together host communities, sponsors, tourism officials as well as World Cup stakeholders ahead of the tournament start.

“American Dream is excited to align with Flag Cities and welcome fans and visitors from around the world to New Jersey,” the mall said in a statement.

Tickets for the Flag Cities events are now on sale at flagcities.com. Organizers expect to draw thousands of visitors across Bergen, Hudson, Essex and Passaic counties.

Admission is $20 for adults and $10 for children. However, the June 12 kickoff is free thanks to support from JCT Solutions and Colliers.

“Flag Cities started as a vision to create community-centered celebrations around the World Cup. It has evolved into a major regional event series that will bring together residents, tourists, businesses, and fans from around the world,” said Kirkos. “The support from the State, our host communities, sponsors, and partners has allowed us to build something truly special for New Jersey.”