The Press Release:
Today, Fanatics Events, the live and special event division of digital sports platform Fanatics, announced details for its first flagship event, Fanatics Fest NYC. Sitting at the nexus of sports fandom, culture and collecting, Fanatics Fest NYC will bring together fans across all sports to celebrate their passions under one roof at New York City’s Javits Center from Aug. 16 – 18. The multi-day event will be laced with interactive features, multiple stages and theaters, exclusive merchandise, products drops, major announcements, live podcasts and more to celebrate and elevate modern sports fandom in all its forms.
Tickets are now on sale at www.fanaticsfest.com with prices ranging between $20 and $400. General Admission Adult tickets will be $50 for each day. (link is at the close)
The event will host many of the biggest names in sports and culture, including seven-time Super Bowl Champion Tom Brady; two-time NBA Champion Kevin Durant, alongside his sports, media and entertainment brand, Boardroom; NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning; two-time Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning; Baseball Hall of Famer Derek Jeter; WNBA superstar Sabrina Ionescu; WWE Legend Hulk Hogan; serial entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk; and more. Fanatics Fest NYC will be highlighted by a 2,500-seat main stage that will serve as a backdrop for a range of bespoke content throughout the weekend. The stage will complement a more than 400,000 square foot show floor with activations featuring many preeminent leagues, teams and brands, such as the NFL, NBA, WNBA, MLB, NHL, MLS, UFC, WWE, Fanatics, Topps, Mitchell & Ness, Lids, PWCC, Fanatics Sportsbook and Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA), with many more to be added.
Among the additional activities on-site, attendees can expect an all-day “trading pit” for card collectors of all ages – which features “Collecting 101” content for novice collectors – as well as a museum display of some of the world’s rarest cards and sports memorabilia. Additional fan engagements include live-streamed collectibles “breaks” through the Fanatics Live platform, a retail superstore offering a significant assortment of products across hundreds of teams and leagues, exclusive apparel collaborations with top brands, athlete meet and greets, exclusive Topps trading card drops and more. “Sports fans deserve a place to gather, celebrate their passions and foster new ones, and Fanatics Fest NYC aims to do just that,” said Lance Fensterman, CEO of Fanatics Events. “Unlike any other events in the world of sports fandom, Fanatics Fest NYC will reside at the intersection of sports, culture, entertainment and collecting, and we couldn’t be more excited to welcome fans into part of what will become a yearlong calendar of premium live experiences.”
Fensterman, who joined Fanatics Events at its inception in July 2023, brings nearly two decades of experience building the world’s premier live and digital pop culture events including New York Comic Con, Complex Con, and Star Wars Celebration. Fanatics Events – which counts the Endeavor-owned global sports, events and representation company IMG as a minority partner – just wrapped the successful operation of its first large-scale activation, WWE World at WrestleMania, a five-day festival which took place from April 4-8 in Philadelphia and became the highest-grossing and most-attended fan event in WWE history.
Fanatics Events will release details on additional in-market fan and collector events later this year.
*** end of transmission ***
Piercing Ken Thoughts: This is some cool news for the area sports fans and beyond and as the world continues to climb towards the way we lived in the Before Times, I love helping to share the news about a new convention offering. While many of our readers know that we lean more to the Pop Culture Geek convention events than sporting things, we will surely help rally the masses to this one with calendar entries and event updates as we are made aware of them. Who knows, maybe I will even look into covering this one to expand my horizons. Only time will tell but as I wrap this notice up I wonder what you all think about it. Chime in down below with your thoughts on it and if you’re interested in attendance at this point in time. There are some big names already set to appear. Okay see you next time.
Official: https://www.fanaticsfest.com