For most of the history of pro sports, fans didn’t expect much of the venues where they watched games. There were good seats and the bleachers, hotdogs and burgers. Beyond tailgating and the occasional parking snafu, few people focused on what happened before or after the game.
But then things changed and fans expected more. We saw the quality of food shoot up. New seating products and VIP experiences emerged, giving people a reason to come early and stay late. People stopped talking about a game and started talking about an experience.
Today, that trend is getting supersized as stadiums and arenas across North America are expanding their reach to actively engage the districts that surround them. Now, restaurants, entertainment, retail, public spaces, and other amenities surrounding the arena position the game as the anchor of a longer, richer experience. And it’s working: Sports districts have become one of the fastest-growing real estate projects in cities, but surprisingly, little research has explored what people actually want from them.
To help answer that question, we surveyed nearly 6,000 residents across major metropolitan areas in the United States and Canada. At the same time, we launched the Voice of the Fan online experience , a new dashboard that tracks fan conversations taking place in and around the 16 World Cup venues this summer. Together, the survey and dashboard provide a more complete picture of the fan experience at venues and the districts around them, combining what people say they want with what they’re talking about as experiences unfold. By understanding these drivers, we can design stadiums and districts that reach their full potential as platforms for community.
The District is Part of the Draw
Three out of four respondents (75%) say they actively seek out events at specific venues because of the areas surrounding them. When attending an event, many fans are looking for more than a seat inside the stadium. Restaurants, bars, shopping, tailgating, and simply spending time around the venue have become part of the experience. Roughly half of attendees spend 20 minutes or more shopping, tailgating, or engaging with athletes and performers before or after an event. For many visitors, the district is part of the reason they bought a ticket.
The Biggest Opportunity Happens When Nothing is Scheduled
Sports districts are often evaluated by what happens on game day. Our findings suggest they may be judged just as much by what happens when the home team is away. Nearly nine in ten respondents (92%) say they would be open to visiting the area surrounding a venue even when they’re not attending an event. Food festivals, seasonal events, farmers’ markets, restaurants, cafés, and shopping all emerged as reasons to visit on non-event days. The strongest districts may be the ones that function as neighborhood destinations first and event destinations second.
Safety is the Foundation
When we asked respondents what makes a great sports district, one answer stood above all others: safety. Nearly seven in ten respondents ranked safety among their top three priorities, and more than one-third selected it as the single most important factor. It outranked all other qualities, including family-friendliness, convenience, and vibrancy, by a significant margin. The finding is a reminder that before districts can become vibrant, they must first feel welcoming, comfortable, and easy to navigate.
Family-Friendly Means More than Kids
As sports districts evolve, “family-friendly” may increasingly mean “multi-generational.” Nearly six in ten respondents (57%) say they would be more likely to attend an event if there were activities nearby for the whole family. Yet only about half of respondents have children under 18 living in their household. The appeal appears to go beyond playgrounds and children’s activities. Instead, respondents point toward a broader desire for safe, welcoming, and well-curated environments where people of different ages and interests can spend time together. Despite this demand, only 39% felt the venue they most recently visited provided a family-friendly environment.
Listening to Fans in Real Time
The survey is only part of the story. This summer, the Voice of the Fan Dashboard is tracking social-media conversations during World Cup 2026 matches, offering a view into how people experience venues, districts, transportation, atmosphere, food, and community. The findings shared here offer an early preview of a larger Sports Urbanism report coming this fall. Until then, the Voice of the Fan Dashboard will continue surfacing insights from the people who matter most: the fans themselves. More stats and stories you need to know: Learn what fans are saying about stadiums, atmosphere, and the live event experience from our Voice of the Fan dashboard . See why the future of sports venues depends on what happens beyond the stadium gates . See how rising temperatures are changing the way we design sports venues . Discover why Latin America is emerging as the world’s next entertainment destination . Learn how women’s sports venues can become year-round hubs for community.