Fanatics Fest will return to New York in 2025 with an expanded three-day show, including more than 500 celebrity guests and a larger exhibit for trading cards and collectibles.
Scheduled for June 20-22, Fanatics Fest NYC returns to the Javits Center for the second time with what is expected to be “significantly” more event space.
According to Fanatics Events, the guest list of celebrities, athletes and artists in attendance will greatly increase from roughly 300 in 2024 to more than 500 in 2025.
Fans who attended Fanatics Fest NYC in 2024 will be able to purchase tickets for the 2025 dates in a presale Thursday through Sunday. A second presale window for tickets will open Dec. 9-12, with public sale beginning on December 13.
Prices for ticket packages weren’t immediately available.
Billed as a comic con for sports fans, Fanatics Fest NYC debuted in 2024 as the most ambitious sports-themed festival to date, with more than 70,000 fans attending the three-day event.
Heavily targeted toward a younger sports fan, Fanatics Fest launched with dozens of activities and experiences that included 40-yard dashes and WWE entrance recreations.
The event also delivered on a promise to bring fans closer to top athletes from a number of sports — Tom Brady spent time shopping for sports cards, and Rob Gronkowski ran the 40-yard dash against kids — and live programming that included podcasts and interviews.
Anchored by a strong fan experience, the first Fanatics Fest NYC earned an overall “B” grade from cllct in 2024, with the trading card show and autograph signings both areas for major improvement.
Along with additional space for the card show and autograph signings in 2025, an earlier summer date will likely be a highlight for many collectors.
Held from Aug. 16-18 in 2024, Fanatics Fest NYC debuted less than three weeks after the 2024 National Sports Collectors Convention in Cleveland. There are currently 37 days between the end of Fanatics Fest NYC and the start of the 2025 National Sports Collectors Convention in Chicago (July 30-Aug. 3).
Ben Burrows is a reporter and editor for cllct.