NEW YORK—Fanatics recently transformed New York City’s Jacob K. Javits Center into a massive arena for fandom across all major sports organizations. Fanatics Fest, taking place June 20-22, was a case study in curating memorable touchpoints. The B2C event drew more than 125,000 fans to spend the weekend immersing themselves in activations, meet-and-greets, exclusive merchandise drops, and sporting competitions at the intersection of sports, pop culture, and collectibles.
Attendance was up from 70,000 at Fanatics Fest's inaugural 2024 event—but it wasn’t the only thing that saw significant growth.
“We’ve made a big investment in fan experience in general,” Fanatics Events senior vice president Mike Armstrong told BizBash on site. “When people walk in the front door, they see a 40-foot, inflatable Lady Liberty holding an LED basketball."
It was an eye-catching switch-up from last year, when Fanatics-branded banners were the only decor elements greeting attendees. 
Fans were welcomed to the 2025 Fanatics Fest by a larger-than-life Lady Liberty mid-dunk. The iconic statue was 40 feet tall, held an LED basketball, and donned bright neon sneakers.Photo: Courtesy of Fanatics Fest
More than 125,000 fans attended Fanatics Fest 2025—up from 70,000 fans at the inaugural fest last year.Photo: Courtesy of Fanatics Fest
Speaking of what's new, Armstrong said that rather than keeping brand activations and trading card-related touchpoints separate, “one of the things that was really important to us was integrating the trading cards more into the show.”
“Last year, [the trading cards] felt like they were kind of off to the side. Here, if you want to get to anything—WWE, MLB booth, Center Stage—you’ve got to walk through cards. And while you’re doing that walk, we want you to discover cards,” Armstrong explained.
Fanatics Fest integrated more than 250 trading card dealers between larger-than-life brand activations and sports-centric experiences, where cards sold for tens to thousands of dollars. In just one of many viral moments from the show, LSU gymnast Livvy Dunne purchased a trading card featuring her beau, baseball player Paul Skenes, for $2,850, Sports Collectors Daily reported. 
LeBron James' talk show was the inspiration behind "The Shop," a barber shop lookalike space that offered free haircuts and sports-themed manicures.Photo: Courtesy of Fanatics Fest
"The Shop" was fabricated by Fulwell Entertainment, which tapped experiential agency Go MLR to bring in licensed barbers and nail technicians to complete the experience. “We styled over 300 attendees," Go MLR founder Lou Rod told BizBash.Photo: Courtesy of Fanatics Fest
Two of the rarest LeBron James cards ever made were side by side in the display—just steps away from “The Shop,” an activation space inspired by James’ talk show of the same name, during which the NBA star invites special guests to gather in barber shops and chat about sports, music, pop culture, and more. Fittingly, "The Shop" at Fanatics Fest was fabricated by Fulwell Entertainment (which now owns and produces the TV show post-merger with James’ SpringHill Company that finalized earlier this year) to replicate a barber shop. The firm tapped experiential agency Go MLR to bring in licensed barbers and nail technicians to complete the experience.
“We styled over 300 attendees—from shape-ups to detailed nail art—proving that self-care belongs in the same arena as sneakers, jerseys, and championship energy,” Go MLR founder Lou Rod told BizBash.
The "Netflix Sports Club" invited fans to step up to a golf simulator and take a swing—just like Adam Sandler’s iconic move in Happy Gilmore.Photo: Getty
Also drawing inspiration from television, the "Netflix Sports Club" invited fans to step up to a golf simulator and take a swing—just like Adam Sandler’s iconic move in Happy Gilmore. (Happy Gilmore 2 is debuting on the streaming service in July.)
Elsewhere, New York City itself was among the most popular muses. Merchandise Village, in particular, boasted a bodega courtesy of sports apparel company Mitchell & Ness. Nestled among shelves of branded props—including “puck drop” candies, “Wrestle-Os” cereal, and packages of toilet paper playfully named “Rebound Rolls”—were hats, jerseys, and exclusive merchandise drops for sale.
“The Mitchell & Ness Bodega at Fanatics Fest was a tribute to New York City and all of the neighborhoods and icons that have shaped the brand over the decades," said Mitchell & Ness president Emilie Arel. "We wanted it to feel authentic, unexpected, and a real celebration of where sports, fashion, and culture meet.”
Fellow apparel brand Champion built its shop in a mock subway car, and New Era Cap was behind the New Era Exchange, which drew heavily from stores that line New York’s Diamond District—complete with diamond-shaped streetlamps, “We Buy Gold” signage, and display cases of jewels that fans could purchase to customize their hats. 
In Merchandise Village, Mitchell & Ness built an apparel shop inspired by a New York City-style bodega.Photo: Courtesy of Mitchell & Ness
Nestled among shelves of branded props—including “puck drop” candies, “Wrestle-Os” cereal, and packages of toilet paper playfully named “Rebound Rolls”—were hats, jerseys, and exclusive merchandise drops for sale.Photo: Courtesy of Mitchell & Ness
‘47 Brand also sold hats out of “Bar Petroni,” where celebrity chef Christian Petroni recreated his iconic tiramisu (which is served in mini-Yankees helmets at Yankee Stadium) out of a mock, Italian-inspired kitchen right on the expo floor.
A staggering seven other activations were spearheaded by the team at Brand Activation Services. Of all the elements involved, the Plinko-style arcade game in the Fanatics Sportsbook space was the most challenging to pull off, BAS founder Simon Miller dished. He said it was because each peg of the casino game had a sensor, which triggered different lights and sounds as the ball randomly made its way down the pegboard and into a slot that awarded Sportsbook users more than $100,000 over the three-day event to use in their app, or immediately at Fanatics Fest. 
Brand Activation Services built out the Fanatics Sportsbook space, which was home to a series of casino-style games awarding cash for fans to use at the Merchandise Village. BAS founder Simon Miller said this Plinko-style game was the hardest to pull off because each peg had a sensor, which triggered different lights and sounds as the ball made its way down the pegboard.Photo: Courtesy of Fanatics Fest
Armstrong concluded: "Our goal with this event in general is to create brand evangelists for Fanatics, and so everything that we do is with the fan in mind. A lot of our brand partners and league partners showed up in a really big way.”
Impressively, it took just two iterations of Fanatics Fest to make one thing clear: The event is no longer just a fan convention—it has become a cornerstone of sports culture.
Keep scrolling for a closer look at highlights from Fanatics Fest 2025 that caught BizBash's eye...
Brand Activation Services erected a custom merch shop disguised as an NYC pizza establishment dubbed "Slice of the Game."Photo: Courtesy of Brand Activation Services
Here, fest attendees could create and "order" custom T-shirts and fleeces from a kiosk. Moments later, they emerged from pizza ovens and were delivered to customers in a branded pizza box.Photo: Courtesy of Brand Activation Services
Brand Activation Services was also behind this Nike display in Merchandise Village.Photo: Courtesy of Brand Activation Services
Netflix was on site this year with its "Netflix Sports Club."Photo: Courtesy of Netflix
Attendees flocked to the streamer's golf simulator that promoted Happy Gilmore 2. Netflix will release the movie on July 25.Photo: Getty
Kevin Hart's "Cold as Balls" stage saw celebs lowering themselves into a bone-chilling locker room ice bath while the comedian asked hard-hitting questions. Tom Brady, Victor Wembanyama, and Ja'Marr Chase were among the athletes to participate.Photo: Courtesy of Fanatics Fest
When Rob Gronkowski arrived at Fanatics Fest, he pulled a prank on longtime teammate Tom Brady—joining 20 lookalikes all dressed in Patriots game-day gear and waiting in Brady’s green room. The challenge? Brady had to pick out the real Gronk. The moment quickly went viral, captured on video by none other than Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin.Photo: Courtesy of Fanatics Fest
DICK'S Sporting Goods boasted a massive footprint at Fanatics Fest. Aside from a "Collectors Clubhouse" showcasing memorabilia, there was a live podcasting stage and a kid's zone in partnership with RCX Sports where youngsters could join open play activities.Photo: Courtesy of Fanatics Fest
Seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady made multiple appearances at Fanatics Fest. He also won the first-ever Fanatics Games, taking home the $1 million prize after competing against fellow athletes and fans alike in eight competitions over the weekend-long event. Brady ultimately gave $5,000 of the prize money away to each of the 50 fans who competed and donated the rest to charity.Photo: Courtesy of Fanatics Fest
