Fanatics Fest NYC Is Fun, But Not Worth The $70 Price Tag | My Experience At FFNYC 2025
FANATICS FEST NYC 2025: I Waited 90 Minutes In Line For The Summerslam Kick-off Panel VLOG On My YouTube Channel
I attended Fanatics Fest NYC for the first time this year, marking the second year the event has come to NYC, following its successful inaugural convention in August 2024. It was a last-minute decision on my part to attend the event, and I had fun, but I don’t think the experiences offered are worth the $70 Saturday price tag, which is comparable to one-day prices at events like New York Comic Con and Anime NYC. Here is my experience attending a sports-centric convention for the first time.
About Fanatics Fest
Fanatics Fest NYC is the world’s largest arena for sports and collectibles that brings together die-hard enthusiasts, renowned athletes, and passionate collectors for an unparalleled celebration of all things sports, collectibles, and pop culture. Fanatics Fest NYC has something for everyone – meet your sports heroes live with photo ops and autographs, immerse yourself into live activations from the top leagues and brands in sports, join conversations with A-listers and athletes live onstage at the Theatre and Center Stage, snag exclusive merch and Topps products from limited-edition FFNYC drops, and even buy, sell, and trade all weekend long with over 250 dealers from around the world! Summary From FanaticsFest.com
NO Direction & You Can Easily SNeak In
20 minutes before the event opened
When I arrived, entering the Javitis was easy. I went straight to will-call, and after 20 minutes, I had my badge and was able to scan in and walk the show floor. But it was all downhill from here.
If you already have your ticket or you are simply reentering the building, there is no direction on how to do so. I left the building to eat at one of the food trucks parked outside and walked back in the same way I exited. Later, I exited the same way to get some water at the food truck, and when I wanted to return, I was informed that I had to walk back down to the will-call area to reenter the Javitis.
This makes no sense.
There was no type of line management or signage indicating where to go, and this became a running theme for the event.
Once I entered via the will-call section, I was able to slip right into the event, and no one checked to see if I had a valid badge. It was very easy to sneak into the event without a ticket, which is frustrating since the tickets were $70 for one day, and someone probably snuck in for free since the staff was not checking badges.
Lack of Diversity With Merch
I found the lack of merch very odd. There was a very cool pavilion that was NYC-themed and decked out with merchandise, but it offered a minimal selection. There was not much merchandise available for the NY teams, and they lacked a good variety of merchandise for any professional sports league. The only brand that had a decent variety of merch was WWE.
I was on the hunt for some WNBA merchandise and NFL merchandise, specifically Baltimore Ravens merchandise, but I only found four WNBA players with jerseys and zero Ravens merchandise. It was odd. And all of the merch was extremely overpriced. A WWE shirt was $40 - $50, and the quality was terrible. The material was so thin and cheap that it felt like it would fall apart after five washes.
Fanatics Fest NYC brands itself as the world's largest arena for sports and collectibles, but its merch section is incredibly underwhelming. But if you’re into sports collectibles, this is the place for you. There were numerous booths where people bought, sold, and traded collectibles.
The Music Is Too Loud
I have attended a dozen conventions and events, but for some reason, this one was deafening. Some booths were blasting music so loudly that you could hear it from other parts of the event, which created terrible noise pollution. Concerts and events are getting louder and louder because everyone is cooking their hearing with headphones.
And on top of this overstimulation, there is no quiet room. They need to create one for fans on the autism spectrum or for individuals who just get a little overwhelmed and need a place to decompress.
There are no fan run panels
WWE superstars Chelsea Green and Big E
One missed opportunity was the lack of fan-run panels. The only panels on the schedule were presented by the brands that attended the event, such as the WWE. However, between walking the show floor and attending those big panels, the event was quite dull. It is cool that you don’t know if athletes or celebrities will make appearances at booths, but there has to be more to do and more ways to connect with other fans.
I randomly stumbled across WWE superstars Big E and Chelsea Green at a booth, and then walked over to the WWE booth to see Seth Rollins doing his entrance. That was cool, but you have to wait so long for these moments.
Fan-run panels with engaging topics are a perfect way to fill the time between autograph sessions, photo op sessions, and walking the show floor.
The Summerslam Kick-Off Panel Was A ShitShow
WWE Superstar Rhea Ripley
Attending the WWE Summerslam Kick-Off panel was the main reason for my attendance at this show, as I wanted to see my favorite WWE superstars like John Cena and Rhea Ripley, but getting into the panel was an absolute shitshow.
The panel was at 3:00 pm and before I went to lunch I went down to the queue hall and asked a worker, who seemed to be a apart of a third party company that was hired for line management, what time I should come back to line up for the WWE panel and to my surprise he asked me what time that panel was scheduled to begin.
As an employee, they are expected to be aware of the scheduled times for these events. It’s as if Fanatics Fest cut corners and hired a third party the day before the event, providing them with no training. He then tells me to come back at 2:00 pm.
WWE Superstar Tiffany Stratton
I came back at 1:30 pm, and people were already lined up, but no one knew which line was for what. People were pushing and shoving and yelling and cursing, and I felt bad for the children who had to witness grown adults acting in such a disgusting manner. Only one woman on the staff was doing a great job of managing the line. Still, we couldn't hear what she was saying because Fanatics Fest thought it would be a great idea to put a screen in the queue hall that would livestream any of the panels inside the Theater and have the volume at 100%.
I managed to get near the front of the line, got into the panel, got a decent seat, and had a good view of the stage. Jey Uso even went by my section during his entrance. The panel was great, but the queuing experience was dangerous, and Fanatics Fest is fortunate that no one got seriously injured, as a stampede-like situation was close to happening.
Final Thoughts
Although this event was incredibly underwhelming and disappointing, I still had a good time and it’s partly because I was able to get into the Summerslam panel and see wrestlers I idolized as a child, like John Cena and Triple H. However, nostalgia aside, this event has significant issues with signage and a lack of knowledgeable staff. They should take a page out of NYCC or Anime NYC’s book and have a fully trained staff, rather than cutting corners and seemingly hiring a third party.
I am also upset about the lack of NY Liberty representation at the event. They brought a sports championship to NYC last year, and this event had zero NY Liberty presence. I was wearing my Stewie jersey, and someone came up to me and we talked about our disappointment with the lack of NY Liberty at the event this year compared to last year, and honestly, a part of it has to do with their schedule, and I have MANY thoughts on the 2025 WNBA schedule.
I would consider attending the event next year, and I hope they have learned from their mistakes.
Hi! I’m Andrea, the creator of Cinematic Excursions.
I am a video editor, photographer, travel and events vlogger, and blogger who likes to write movie analyses and yap about fandom. I also have a useless film degree.
I have been creating videos since 2018. In 2023, I started Cinematic Excursions to share my unfiltered experiences traveling, cruising, going on excursions, and using city cards that are supposed to save money.
I also use my platform to document my experience attending events like New York Comic-Con, MCM Comic-Con London, and the Food Network New York City Wine and Food Festival, advising others and covering news from these events.
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