Fanatics Fest NYC Returns in 2025: Dates, Tickets and What to Expect
Fanatics Fest NYC is coming back.
The sports retail company behemoth announced the big news this morning. The show will return to the Jacob Javits Center in New York City on June 20-22.
The show is set to return earlier in the calendar than last year, bringing together sports, athletes, collectibles and more under one roof.
“Seeing the pure joy, excitement and enthusiasm from all the fans who attended our first event last summer was absolutely incredible and I could not be more excited to bring Fanatics Fest back to New York City this June,” said Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin in a release.
“We’re going bigger and better next year, adding hundreds of athletes and celebrities to the roster, blowing out the event space to add many more interactive experiences from the top leagues and teams, creating more opportunities for fans and collectors to meet their favorite athletes, more exclusive product drops and overall taking the entire event to a new level. June can’t come fast enough!”
The inaugural Fanatics Fest NYC took place last August. It brought together most sports leagues, including MLB, NBA, WNBA, NFL, and NHL along with entertainment outlets like the WWE. Each booth had different experiences set up to get adults and kids involved in the event.
Hundreds of athletes set up for fans to get autographs, including Knicks star Jalen Brunson, MLB Hall of Famers Pedro Martinez, Frank Thomas, Ozzie Smith, NFL legends like Emmitt Smith and Barry Sanders.
Collectibles and cards were also a focus of Fanatics Fest NYC with a card show inside the event. The Topps Hobby Stage put the focus on cards while collectible companies such as Topps, CGC and PSA were on hand to enhance the showgoer experience.
Most of the big moments from the debut Fanatics Fest came from celebrities and athletes.
Some of the stand out moments include musician Travis Scott putting on an impromptu concert during a panel, before stopping by the Topps booth to a huge crowd for an exclusive Cactus Jack trading card release.
Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski walked the floor while running into fans, and celebrity and LSU gymnast Olivia Dunne dressed up as her Pittsburgh Pirates boyfriend Paul Skenes.
More than 300 celebrities and athletes attended last year’s show and Fanatics is anticipating to raise that number to 500 for the 2025 event.
“The inaugural Fanatics Fest NYC delivered on our vision to create a unique, first-of-its-kind space that brought together fans from all backgrounds to celebrate their passions across sports, culture and collecting,” said Lance Fensterman, CEO of Fanatics Events in a release “The ‘FoMO’ was real, and we’re committed to taking everything fans loved about year one and making it bigger and better, while also taking the great feedback we received to heart and improving select areas.”
Those who attended Fanatics Fest last year will be able to purchase their tickets first. They will be eligible to buy tickets during an exclusive presale, prior to the general public.
Tickets go on sale to the general public on December 13.
Susan is an award-winning journalist who spent over a decade working in the sports card industry. You can follow her at twitter.com/yanxchick