Fanatics Fest 2025 is set to unfold at the Javits Center in New York City from June 20-22.
The sports industry giant founded Fanatics Fest last year to create “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.”
The event last year featured more than 300 athletes and celebrities, and 2025’s lineup looks to present even more, with names like Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Cal Ripken, Jr., Kevin Durant, Derek Jeter, Allen Iverson, and more slated to make an appearance throughout the weekend.
Fans can purchase tickets at the Fanatics site. A three-day adult pass costs $173 and single-day passes are $69. One three-day kids pass is $74, while single-day passes are $35 a piece. These tickets allow for entry to the event itself, access to the show floor where exhibitors and dealers will be set up, and access to the Theatre and Center Stage live programming, per the ticketing site.
Fanatics Fest 2025, at least on paper, promises to be a one-of-a-kind event. Whether or not it fits the bill is up for debate. We see several flaws with Fanatics’ marketing of the event and have concerns over their presentation of the three-day spectacle.
The exhibition’s normal entry prices aren’t terrible. In contrast, however, we believe the VIP passes, while sold out, are exorbitantly overpriced. For just under $600 each, fans only get additional access to a limited list of largely underwhelming perks, including “dedicated check-in/entrance, gift bag, early access to show floor, fast-lane to photos, autographs, and superstore, dedicated stage lines, and $100 bonus bets with Fanatics Sportsbook.”
The primary focus of these benefits seems to be skipping lines and avoiding crowds, which should tell you something about the anticipated attendance of the event and the amount of waiting fans will have to do to fully enjoy any of the exhibitions.
Fanatics claims the event will allow fans to “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 on-stage…” While this description may be true for a very small number of lucky fans, for the most part, we think fans will be stuck in long lines and busy navigating crowds, rather than taking in the experience as Fanatics advertises, because that’s just how these massive events typically work.
Even if fans brave the crowds and spend considerable time in line, which seems like it will be the case, their exposure to the featured guests probably won’t be more than a few minutes to make time for the thousands of other fans who want to do the same thing. Simply put, it’s physically impossible for guests to play catch with or run a 40-yard dash against every fan who wants to, and the odds that fans will be among the select few who are chosen are very low.
We see the real strength of Fanatics Fest as being primarily a collectibles and trade show. Fans will likely have much better odds at purchasing tradable items and purchasing an array of exclusive merchandise than meeting athletes and celebrities. The show’s featured guests probably will spend most of their time either at autograph tables or taking pictures with fans, both of which will no doubt feature extremely long and apparently expensive lines, or at on-stage panels answering a list of pre-determined questions.
Reviews for last year’s inaugural Fanatics Fest aren’t exactly glowing and confirm our suspicions. The primary complaint among fans who attended felt as if the event was a cash grab that didn’t deliver what Fanatics marketed. Many felt the prices weren’t worth the price of admission, particularly when it came to meeting athletes, with some claiming to have paid upwards of $100 just to wait in line and then paid an additional fee for autographs and pictures, if they had the chance to meet them at all. Others claim the perks of the VIP pass were disappointing and overpriced, just as we suspected.
While the concept of Fanatics Fest 2025 is unique and Fanatics’ marketing is certainly impressive, we take issue with the probable overselling of the event and think many fans could leave the Javits Center feeling underwhelmed and maybe even ripped off, as history has already shown from last year’s exhibition.
We think that, for most fans, Fanatics Fest 2025 will simply be too expensive and won’t deliver on the promise of essentially becoming buddies with their favorite sports icons.
