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another incredible year!
Fan Expo Philadelphia definitely lived up to press releases / website. Community involvement / great balance between all aspects / every part made to feel equal. Only a few main points high on the list. Special Thank You to everyone involved with the event, especially behind-the-scenes. You made it another incredible experience and year.
Community involvement: Partnering with Philadelphia School District to feature student artists. Fan Expo seriously proves they care about localities where events happen. How many times do you see student artists featured in a major convention?
Great Balance between all aspects: Artists / vendors / celebrities / panels and more. Fan Expo Philadelphia had something almost everyone could be interested in. Including wrestling demonstrations and a book nook to take a break. Another great break: Video game / gaming section. 2 floors and a packed schedule kept you busy with some new experiences. Downloaded the app, did a "my schedule", great idea! In theory... Seriously, Fan Expo does an excellent job of not overloading one aspect / part of the experience. Example: Celebrities are in the back; you have to walk through main show floor. Giving you a chance to experience a majority of show floor!
This one I mentioned to several people (vendors / staff / artists and more), everyone had same opinion. Fan Expo makes everyone feel an equal and important part of event. Honestly, didn't get any names. A few people were surprised when I said this but gladly agreed. Fan Expo realizes that without everyone involved, an event could not happen. I did thank some staff / volunteers / security for doing an excellent job.
Security: Always huge with me regardless of event type. metal detectors / security team / bag and props check / Philadelphia police officers all made you feel safe. They were on edges of event, ready just in case, not interfering with your experience. Friendly professional staff always ready to answer questions. "Really dumb / strange question" I asked of three staff members. Personal experience here.
Needed to take a break? Trust me, any event like this, you will need one. Stepped outside after 2 hours for a quick smoke and breather. There was more than enough space between 2 floors to sit down away from everything. Hang out with friends / family and relax. Plus, rooms for kids and Book Nook provided that needed quick recharge.
Price: Reality check, they need to make money. I can't imagine cost of doing an event this size. Fan Expo makes a serious attempt to keep tickets low. They want you to spend some cash on the great vendors / artists / celebrities you or your kids want to see. Personally: dropped $20 it could easily have been at least $200. I am talking about the impulse buying!
Main suggestions: Food / beverages. They were available, didn't see any signs directing you toward it. Honestly, could have missed them. Lapped main floor 3 times and still found vendors / artists I missed. There was a large sign when you walked in. It is a great idea to help local food businesses. I realize this may have been out of their control. Having a few more places to grab a quick bite would be nice.
Student Artists display: It was placed when you were walking toward exit escalators / stairs. One aspect I love about the organization / Fan Expo Philadelphia (community involvement), display could have been featured in Artist Alley with a rep from Philadelphia School District. Attended on Sunday, chance someone was there, and I missed them.
Overall: Before I turn this into a short story... Fan Expo is one of my top 3 events between Philadelphia every year!!!! Had to bail for an hour (pick up a food order outside of Fan Expo). Went back until the end. 4:30 p.m. already could not wait to experience 2026 evolution. Tip: purchase tickets in advance to save a few bucks. Fan Expo is so much more than a comic con. It is about fans and fandom. They make every possible effort to achieve all aspects mentioned and more. They prove every word / image on website and press releases. They have hard earned every word in this review. Trust me, not afraid in the slightest to give a bad review. Nowhere close in this case. 2026, hopefully, I can pull off the Ultimate ticket package. Need to treat yourself on occasion. Tip: If it will be your 1st time, go on Sunday. Less packed, everyone still there (vendors / artists / celebrities). I usually do Saturday (9:30 a.m. line at least 3 blocks long, far as I could see). 2025: Sunday (travel glitches) 9:30 a.m. walked right in. Afternoon, pretty crowded even at 4:45 p.m.
Sign up for newsletter, make plans to attend in 2026. Don't have kids? Neither do I. You will still have a memorable experience. Not in / near Philadelphia? Check out Fan Expo HQ events in other cities / locations. Out of sheer curiosity, might make some travel plans next year. See what happens.
Scroll down for video review / photos / videos.
Community involvement: Partnering with Philadelphia School District to feature student artists. Fan Expo seriously proves they care about localities where events happen. How many times do you see student artists featured in a major convention?
Great Balance between all aspects: Artists / vendors / celebrities / panels and more. Fan Expo Philadelphia had something almost everyone could be interested in. Including wrestling demonstrations and a book nook to take a break. Another great break: Video game / gaming section. 2 floors and a packed schedule kept you busy with some new experiences. Downloaded the app, did a "my schedule", great idea! In theory... Seriously, Fan Expo does an excellent job of not overloading one aspect / part of the experience. Example: Celebrities are in the back; you have to walk through main show floor. Giving you a chance to experience a majority of show floor!
This one I mentioned to several people (vendors / staff / artists and more), everyone had same opinion. Fan Expo makes everyone feel an equal and important part of event. Honestly, didn't get any names. A few people were surprised when I said this but gladly agreed. Fan Expo realizes that without everyone involved, an event could not happen. I did thank some staff / volunteers / security for doing an excellent job.
Security: Always huge with me regardless of event type. metal detectors / security team / bag and props check / Philadelphia police officers all made you feel safe. They were on edges of event, ready just in case, not interfering with your experience. Friendly professional staff always ready to answer questions. "Really dumb / strange question" I asked of three staff members. Personal experience here.
Needed to take a break? Trust me, any event like this, you will need one. Stepped outside after 2 hours for a quick smoke and breather. There was more than enough space between 2 floors to sit down away from everything. Hang out with friends / family and relax. Plus, rooms for kids and Book Nook provided that needed quick recharge.
Price: Reality check, they need to make money. I can't imagine cost of doing an event this size. Fan Expo makes a serious attempt to keep tickets low. They want you to spend some cash on the great vendors / artists / celebrities you or your kids want to see. Personally: dropped $20 it could easily have been at least $200. I am talking about the impulse buying!
Main suggestions: Food / beverages. They were available, didn't see any signs directing you toward it. Honestly, could have missed them. Lapped main floor 3 times and still found vendors / artists I missed. There was a large sign when you walked in. It is a great idea to help local food businesses. I realize this may have been out of their control. Having a few more places to grab a quick bite would be nice.
Student Artists display: It was placed when you were walking toward exit escalators / stairs. One aspect I love about the organization / Fan Expo Philadelphia (community involvement), display could have been featured in Artist Alley with a rep from Philadelphia School District. Attended on Sunday, chance someone was there, and I missed them.
Overall: Before I turn this into a short story... Fan Expo is one of my top 3 events between Philadelphia every year!!!! Had to bail for an hour (pick up a food order outside of Fan Expo). Went back until the end. 4:30 p.m. already could not wait to experience 2026 evolution. Tip: purchase tickets in advance to save a few bucks. Fan Expo is so much more than a comic con. It is about fans and fandom. They make every possible effort to achieve all aspects mentioned and more. They prove every word / image on website and press releases. They have hard earned every word in this review. Trust me, not afraid in the slightest to give a bad review. Nowhere close in this case. 2026, hopefully, I can pull off the Ultimate ticket package. Need to treat yourself on occasion. Tip: If it will be your 1st time, go on Sunday. Less packed, everyone still there (vendors / artists / celebrities). I usually do Saturday (9:30 a.m. line at least 3 blocks long, far as I could see). 2025: Sunday (travel glitches) 9:30 a.m. walked right in. Afternoon, pretty crowded even at 4:45 p.m.
Sign up for newsletter, make plans to attend in 2026. Don't have kids? Neither do I. You will still have a memorable experience. Not in / near Philadelphia? Check out Fan Expo HQ events in other cities / locations. Out of sheer curiosity, might make some travel plans next year. See what happens.
Scroll down for video review / photos / videos.
show floor entrance
video review
Winding down
Back to the future panel
professional wrestling demo
cosplay red carpet
