For One Camden Festival, The World Cup Felt Like Home

Hundreds of soccer fans packed Camden’s waterfront last week for a World Cup being played 90 miles away. For three days, Wiggins Waterfront Park became a place where families could come together to enjoy soccer, food and local businesses.

SoccerFest 2026 was hosted by Visit South Jersey and ran from June 25 to June 27. Not only did fans get to watch the games on a big LED screen, but kids participated in a youth soccer camp operated by Rutgers University Camden and NJ Youth Soccer Association. 

“In the mornings we did youth soccer camps and we had like 300 kids per day,” said Mike Snyder, Director of Operations at Visit South Jersey. “It was really meant for the Camden community, so they can get that experience.” 

Along with the camp, kids could play in  inflatable forts and a gaming van. Visit South Jersey also had attractions aimed at adults, too. Local vendors such as Marie’s Caribbean Lemonade, and La Ingrata Camden prepared food and drinks for attendees, while other vendors sold local wine and other alcoholic beverages. 

Kerleen Beaubrun, one of the founders of Marie’s Caribbean Lemonade, a first-generation Haitian-owned business, said the festival reminded her of life back home in Haiti, where soccer was a source of camaraderie. 

“Everybody gathers around the TV or the bars,” said Beaubrun. “Everybody put the TV on, everybody’s playing dominies, watching the game, rooting for their team.”

According to Snyder, Visit South Jersey’s mission is to promote tourism in the region. While community growth is not a direct mission of the organization, the two go hand in hand.

“Tourism is economic development,” said Snyder. “If I’m promoting a region, I’m trying to make the community stronger so they can serve the tourists. So if they’re stronger then there’s more tourism.” 

And while Wiggins Waterfront Park, along with the next door Adventure Aquarium and Freedom Mortgage Pavillion, are common tourist attractions in the city of Camden, Snyder says the downtown area is somewhere he wants people to explore. 

“This [the waterfront] is definitely a centerpiece of the city, but really the city has become its own centerpiece,” said Snyder. “All the community groups are really putting their heart and soul into making the city just a wonderful place. And it is.” 

The SoccerFest drew crowds from across the region. Lifelong soccer fans like Raj Makhija drove nearly three and a half hours to watch the multiple games showcased. He said as a soccer fan, “it’s wonderful to see,” the World Cup hosted by the United States, and that watch parties have helped with the expensive cost of game tickets. 

“It’s very expensive to watch a game. But you know what? At least it’s close to home,” said Makhija. “All the communities have done a great job having watch parties to compensate for the expensive tickets.” 

Gov. Mikie Sherrill, who spoke at the festival on Friday, helped fund the event through the $5 million NJ World Cup Community Initiative she launched. According to the initiative’s announcement from her office, it was created to support “communities across the state in creating extraordinary fan experiences throughout the World Cup.” 

While SoccerFest may be over, Snyder says Visit South Jersey is hosting eight World Cup finals watch parties, not just in Camden but in Salem, Glassboro and Burlington Counties as well. He hopes that their World Cup events can bring New Jerseyans together across the state. . 

“It’s hard to get people together nowadays,” said Beaubrun. “This was a reason for everybody to come together.”