$18 beers, $7 sodas: ‘Hilarious’ prices at Kansas City Fan Fest shock locals
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- A Reddit post disclosed the FIFA Fan Fest concession menu.
- Three American beers are 25 ounces and cost $18–$19 each.
- Critics noted Boulevard and Modelo were excluded from the beer menu.
At the Tuesday soft launch for Kansas City’s FIFA Fan Fest, a keen observer snapped a photo now posted to Reddit highlighting the staggering drink prices.
The prices include $7 bottled sodas and $18-$19 beer and cocktails — $28 for a double shot. Comments on the post err toward criticism.
“Good god, just no. FIFA really wants to gouge everyone, don’t they? Sphincters, the whole lot of them. They’re squandering a ton of goodwill,” one person commented.
Some seem excited to avoid the $6 bottled water and World Cup event “at all costs.” Others think the prices are “just sad.” A few call out that people who’d be willing to pay for drink would be of “Epstein class,” not for “peasants.”
And, as several pointed out, the prices are not including tax.
Others note that the “hilarious” prices aren’t abnormal for festivals and events nowadays. SportsEpreneur reported that the average 16-ounce domestic beer at 2025 NFL games was $9.76, getting as high as $16.50. All three American beers offered at Fan Fest are 25 ounces and cost $18-$19. The NFL average would be $0.61 per ounce of beer, and at Fan Fest, it’s $0.76 at the most, $0.72 at the least.
In the fall, Chappell Roan hosted a concert on the same grounds, and charged slightly lower prices. Cocktails started at $17 for a single, $19 for a 24-ounce Modelo and $6 for soda.
While many expressed negativity about pricing at the Fan Fest, others note the selections are limited — calling liquors like Captain Morgan and Casamigos “bottom shelf” and noting the exclusion of local brewery Boulevard and other favorites like Modelo from the menu.
The beer offered includes:
- Michelob ULTRA
- Busch Light
- Budweiser
- Stella Artois
NÜTRL Pineapple and Cutwater Lime Margarita are also available.
TheHeavyMetalNerd commented that the alcohol prices may be set high to prevent festival-goers from getting too drunk. Others speculate that the prices may have to do with the event being free to attend.
Even still, someone mentions the prices are “almost what drinks cost in Vegas on the strip.”
Others offered solutions like drinking beforehand, or skipping the festival entirely and going to a local bar to support business. One Reddit comment that resulted in a thread of 15 replies and almost 100 more upvotes than the original post invites “everybody” to their roof, where Liberty Memorial is visible, a TV can be set up and they’ll have a “dirty thirty” pack of Busch Lights.
All he requests? Twenty bucks.
Though concessions may be lackluster or overpriced to some, other food trucks and vendors will be on site, including Mocha Point Coffee and Jack Stack. Attendees can also bring their own water bottles for hydration.
