When it comes to major infrastructural changes implemented under a tight 2026 FIFA World Cup deadline, the City of Decatur has officially entered the game.
The DeKalb County city recently took down the gates on an $8.5-million revamp of Historic Decatur Square, marking the first major updates since the 1980s.
The project, which kicked off construction in spring 2025, is the initial phase of Decatur’s Town Center Plan 2.0. It expanded the size of the square and its greenspaces, scrapping the large bandstand near MARTA’s Swanton Way entrance with a larger and modernized performing arts stage.
Other additions include a standalone building with permanent public restrooms, an open car-free plaza, a new children’s play area (partially built into a hill, as a fun touch), and larger open spaces in general.
Move expansive social zones around the DeKalb History Center Museum, a former courthouse.
Courtesy of City of Decatur/submitted
Courtesy of City of Decatur/submitted
Completion comes in time for what’s expected to be one of metro Atlanta’s largest World Cup events hubs, with a calendar of fútbol parties stretching across the next five weeks.
Decatur WatchFest ’26 will air more than 60 World Cup matches on three large viewing screens, alongside 34 free concerts from regional and national music artists.
No tickets are required for matches. At least one match will be featured per day, including all US Men’s National Team matches in the group stage and (hopefully far) beyond, according to Decatur officials. (For a full list of matches to be shown on the square, head over here.)
Courtesy of City of Decatur/submitted
Courtesy of City of Decatur/submitted
On the Decatur WatchFest ’26 free concert front, three of them will be ticketed—The War And Treaty, Big Boi, Indigo Girls—and the latter two are already sold out.
According to festival organizers, 31 additional concerts will also be free, with no tickets required.
Find a full schedule over here, and a quick photo tour of Decatur’s new digs in the gallery above.
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