Fanatics Fest to return to NYC in 2025. But is it worth it?

Fanatics Fest, the sports and collectibles event launched by sports retailing megahouse Fanatics in 2024, will return for a second year from June 20-22 at New York City’s Javits Center.

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.” 

But what does that mean, and what is it really? 

Well, it’s a collectibles show, an autograph event, a sports interview show, and a Super Bowl week activation type-event, all rolled into one.

But with an adult get-in price of $69 per day (discounted to $173 for a three-day pass), the question is: is it worth it? What do you get for that, and what don’t you get? And how did fans feel about it after last year’s show?

Collectibles, autographs, and photo ops

At its core, this is first and foremost a collectibles and autograph event, like those that have been around for 20+ years in places like Houston, Chicago, D.C., New York, and elsewhere. And while they may not have the glitz and splashy marketing that Fanatics has brought to Fanatics Fest, they are huge shows that deliver exactly what fans expect: chances to get autographs and photo ops with their favorite sports (and, sometimes, non-sports) celebrities, as well as a chance to browse a huge trade floor of collectibles from hundreds of vendors.

So what’s the difference between those shows and this one? Really, not much, which isn’t to say anything negative. It’s just simply pointing out that this show is nothing new in the collectibles world. 

Except for one big difference that we see, which is – cost. 

The way these events work is that there is usually an admission ticket that is required to gain access to the convention center and the general collectibles show, and then autograph and photo-op tickets are sold a la carte. Which makes sense, since each fan has their own interests when it comes to autographs and collectibles, so they can purchase what they want, from specific athletes to specific types of items being signed.

The typical entry fee for these other large collectibles shows is usually around $20/day, with a multi-day discount available. But for Fanatics Fest, that get-in price leaps to $69/day, which is a significantly higher price point.

Are you getting anything different (or better) for that upcharge? Not really, and a number of social media comments from the 2024 show seemed to indicate a level of disappointment over the high price and what it actually included.

But also in terms of cost, a quick comparison of autograph and photo-op prices between Fanatics Fest and other shows demonstrates that there’s also a premium being charged here as well. We picked an athlete at random – C.C. Sabathia – who will be signing autographs at Fanatics Fest in New York, and then at Tristar’s The National Sports Collectors Convention in Chicago six weeks later.

Fanatics Fest ’25 sale

The National sale

So not only is there a difference in the cost of autographs and photo ops, but there’s a significant difference in cost just to get into the event. When you factor in any travel that you might be paying for to attend the event, it gets much worse, since hotel prices in New York City will be significantly higher than those in the suburban areas of Chicago, Houston, and elsewhere that these other companies typically host their events.

The Media event

So if you’re going to pay significantly more for your tickets, what else are you getting? Well, Fanatics Fest does have media sessions with some of their athletes where you can see them being interviewed on stage. And if those athletes are of interest to you, that’s certainly great. Will you hear anything phenomenally different than you would if you watched them being interviewed on a YouTube clip? Probably not, but you never know.

The only thing to consider with this is that you could easily have time conflicts between these sessions and the time slots where your autograph events may be taking place. If you want to get an autograph from Anthony Volpe, but his autograph time is the same as when Tom Brady will be speaking, you obviously won’t be able to do both. 

So if you’re planning on purchasing a lot of autograph tickets, just be aware that you may not get much value from these media sessions.

The activation floor

This is definitely a point of differentiation between Fanatics Fest and the other shows, in that Fanatics’ reach and marketing power helps bring a ton of brands to the event that want to activate with fans. So this is where you’ll see the participation events, the athlete interactions, the giveaways, and other things that will be available to everyone. Depending on how well those are done, these can certainly be a lot of fun, and we’d suggest that this is where you’re making up some of the difference in price between Fanatics Fest and the other large shows that don’t have the same marketing muscle.

So – is it worth it?

Well, as with most things, that depends on what you’re looking for. If you’re just about the autographs and photo-ops, you should consider whether you need to go to New York for Fanatics Fest, or if you can get the same opportunities at another large show somewhere else, which might be cheaper both in event prices, as well as travel costs.

But if you’re looking for this overall experience, and the $70 entrance fee doesn’t chase you away, then this might be compelling. Fan reaction from last year was mixed, with some fans citing an overcrowded atmosphere with far less access than they thought they might have had, which doesn’t surprise us. So don’t believe all of the hype – if you think you’ll be catching footballs from Tom Brady and Joe Montana, you may want to reset your expectations. But if you’re looking for an autograph show on steroids, then this may be for you.