More than 2,000 tickets were issued this past weekend for illegal parking near the FIFA Fan Fest in Lemon Hill, according to the Philadelphia Parking Authority. On Tuesday, June 16, PPA Acting Executive Director Gabe Roberts released the total number of parking tickets that were issued during the first weekend of the FIFA Fan Fest, which began on Thursday, June 11, and will run until July 19. Roberts said after monitoring 587 residential blocks in the Fan Fest enforcement zone, the PPA issued 2,497 tickets for illegal parking. Of those, 173 tickets were written in error to residents with valid parking permits. “The PPA’s internal system has already flagged these tickets for cancellation by cross-checking them with our existing residential parking permit holder lists,” Roberts said in a statement. In addition, out of 162 tows for illegal parking in the enforcement zone this past weekend, four vehicles were towed in error. Roberts said the PPA “immediately returned those vehicles to their owners and waived all fees and fines.” “The PPA will conduct this ticket review process daily to help ensure accuracy. We sincerely apologize to those residents who were ticketed or towed in error,” he said. Roberts said the PPA’s internal system is automatically catching these ticketing errors and canceling them. Every single ticket written in error is being canceled automatically through the PPA’s permit database filters. “Those who were ticketed in error do not need to take any action or worry about paying,” he said. Residents can call the PPA at 215.683.9421 or 215.683.9677 or email the PPA at [email protected] with any questions or to confirm that their ticket has been canceled. On May 12, the PPA announced that residents who live near the Lemon Hill area would be required to get a temporary residential parking permit during the FIFA World Cup. The reason behind the special permits, according to the PPA, is to give residents “protection” from parking overflow on neighborhood streets during the festival. The parking permit requirement drew criticism from some residents who called it an “inconvenience” for those who live in the area. According to the City of Philadelphia, the Fan Fest welcomed 100,901 visitors during its first four days, including 42,933 attendees on June 14 alone. “This is exactly the Philadelphia we always knew we could show the world,” said Daniel J. Hilferty, Co-Chair of Philadelphia Soccer 2026. “More than 100,000 fans came through FIFA Fan Festival™ Philadelphia in just four days, bringing together families, visitors, and supporters from around the globe. The energy throughout the city has been incredible.” ...read more read less