Victoria Baths - Greater Manchester
Through stained-glass windows, visitors can glimpse the Victoria Baths, a public pool that served Mancunians for nearly a century. While the pool no longer contains water, it now features a large screen and powerful speakers at one end, with the sloped floor providing excellent sightlines for viewers.
Adjacent to the pool area, a long bar is set up, and food trucks are stationed in the nearby car park. Mezzanine balconies are adorned with flags, and DJs will provide music throughout the event.
Organiser Jack Nunes, who conceived the idea just months ago after discussing it with a football teammate, aims to accommodate up to 500 attendees in the Victorian building. He acknowledges the challenges involved.
"We don't have the experience but we have the enthusiasm," Jack says.
Jack has arranged for a large carpet covering approximately 170 square meters to protect the pool floor from spills, which could become slippery like an ice rink.
Regarding refreshments, Jack has secured partnerships with Jubel and the Manchester Union Brewery, and local food vendors will provide catering.
Sunlight streaming through a stained-glass window highlights a century-old depiction of a man dribbling a football across a pitch.
"Watching England games here, it's almost as if it's meant to be."
Tickets are priced at £10, with group discounts available.
Hastings Pier - East Sussex
Mark Graham brings decades of experience in music festivals and events to his football fan parks. His company, 4TheFans, organized watch parties during the 2021 Euros, including one at Hastings Pier, a historic South Coast venue.
During the tournament, 4TheFans hosted events at three locations, selling 12,000 tickets. The company has since expanded to 15 venues across England and Scotland, including Aberdeen, Bournemouth, Leeds, and Margate, expecting around 75,000 attendees for this year's World Cup.
Tickets for London fan zones start at £16, with lower prices for groups and venues outside the capital.
"It's a big room experience and [we have] everything… a massive screen, a large audience and super energy," Mark explains. "Every fan has a great view and it's, sort of, organised chaos."
His events feature light shows and special effects. DJs adjust the music based on match progress, playing more uplifting tunes if British teams are behind and celebrating enthusiastically when England leads.
General admission tickets start from £10.
The venue at Duntarvie Castle - West Lothian
In Scotland, the Tartan Army will celebrate their first World Cup appearance since 1998. Near Edinburgh, a steel and wood barn adjacent to the ruins of Duntarvie Castle will host a watch party. The castle itself is undergoing renovation and will be illuminated in blue.
Kieran White, who manages the venue typically used for weddings, is organizing the event. He expresses enthusiasm about combining his passions for football and hospitality.
"I love football, I love hospitality. For me to be able to combine two of my favourite things and give other people a great space to watch the World Cup - which doesn't happen very often in Scottish people's lives - is fantastic."
Scotland's opening match against Haiti begins at 2 a.m. on 14 June. Kieran, a professional chef, has planned a menu to sustain the 150 guests through the night, featuring haggis pizza with whisky mayo, haggis fries topped with whisky gravy, and Balmoral chicken pies made with haggis and whisky at half-time.
To encourage activity before the game, goals will be set up in the castle's surrounding grounds. Table football and pool tables will be available on the patio.
"We'll give everyone free beer," Kieran says regarding a potential victory over Brazil on 24 June. "Now that's going to be published, I'm going to have to do it, aren't I?"
Ovo Hydro indoor arena - Glasgow
The Ovo Hydro in Glasgow, an indoor arena with a capacity of 10,000, will host watch parties for all three of Scotland's group matches, marking its first time screening football.
Debbie McWilliams, the arena's chief commercial officer, highlights their 20-metre screen as the largest in the country.
"I can confidently say ours is the biggest," Debbie states.
Organizers of the TRNSMT music festival have adjusted set times on 19 June to allow attendees to watch Scotland's match against Morocco on these large screens.
Debbie recalls Scotland's memorable 1998 World Cup match against Brazil and notes the significance of the Hydro hosting fans for this event.
"You don't forget those moments," she says. "For the Hydro to be at the heart of the moment now, in this city with those fans, is incredibly exciting for us."
Pre-game entertainment includes performances by Dougie MacLean, singing "Caledonia," and Donnie Munro, former lead singer of Runrig, leading "Loch Lomond." Debbie anticipates a memorable moment during the tournament.
"We're all anticipating that, at some point, something really exciting is going to happen," she says. "That momentous moment is the thing that people remember."
Tickets start at £19.50, with group discounts available. Designated drivers are admitted free.
Bath on the Beach tropical bar - Somerset
Millie Williamson and Isla Langridge, employees at Bath on the Beach, the largest beer garden in the West Country city of Bath, note that memories of recent tournaments have been marked by English disappointment.
The venue's screening of England's opening game against Croatia has already sold out. Despite its name, the venue does not have a sea view but offers sand and bookable cabanas.
Food and tropical-themed drinks are delivered directly to cabanas by a staff of 50. The venue can accommodate up to 500 people.
Millie explains the concept behind Bath on the Beach:
"The essence of Bath on the Beach is that we really wanted to take people out of the hustle and bustle of town and put them into a kind of tropical escape."
The venue has extended its opening hours to show England's matches late into the evening.
Licensing regulations in England and Scotland have been relaxed for the World Cup, including knockout stages, allowing pubs and bars to remain open beyond usual hours.
The British Beer and Pub Association supports this change, stating it enables communities to gather, enhance community spirit, and enjoy a summer of sport.
