More than 5,500 people packed Kensico Dam Plaza in Valhalla Sunday to watch Spain edge Argentina 1-0 in the World Cup Final on a giant screen, turning the central Westchester park into an all-day outdoor celebration.

A party before the match even started.

Gates opened at noon with live music, family activities and 18 local food and drink vendors, while more than 25 partners — state agencies, local law enforcement, and area soccer teams — ran interactive programming for kids and adults ahead of the 3 p.m. kickoff. Admission was free, though registration was required. Before the broadcast, The Ice Cold Experience, a predominantly female youth drum line of students ages 7 to 19 from Mount Vernon, took the stage — a group that won first place at a Brooklyn drumline competition last year, beating out teams from Long Island, Connecticut and Westchester County.

A final that came down to the wire.

As the match stretched into extra time, one young fan in a Messi jersey wove through the crowd, the energy building with every minute. Then, in the 106th minute, substitute Ferran Torres broke the deadlock, clinching Spain's second World Cup title and denying Lionel Messi a repeat championship in what he's indicated will be his final World Cup appearance. Spain's title run was historic in its own right — the team allowed just one goal across all eight tournament matches, a record for fewest goals conceded by a champion.

Why Westchester got a seat at soccer's biggest table.

"Westchester County became the place where New Yorkers came together to experience the biggest sporting moment in the world," Gov. Kathy Hochul said. "Families, friends and fans celebrated side by side, showing exactly what the World Cup is all about." The Kensico watch party was the second in a series of state-sponsored viewing events, following one at Stony Brook University in June — part of Hochul's push to spread the World Cup's economic impact beyond host cities like East Rutherford, N.J., where the final was actually played at MetLife Stadium.

This year's tournament was the largest World Cup ever held, with 48 teams and 104 matches spread across the United States, Canada and Mexico.