Auston Matthews and Henrik Lundqvist are among the distinguished guests who will be in New York City this weekend for a unique event designed for fans, collectors, and athletes. Fanatics Fest NYC, created and managed by Fanatics, the major sports distribution company and NHL partner, will take place from Friday to Sunday at the Javits Center. Lance Fensterman, CEO of Fanatics Events, described it as a truly immersive sports festival. Matthews, who was recently named captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs, will be available for photos and autographs on Friday.
On Sunday, Lundqvist will be joined by former New York Rangers goalie Mike Richter, current Rangers defenseman K’Andre Miller, and forward Matt Rempe for a “No Quit New York” panel discussion, hosted by former Rangers forward Tie Domi. They will also be available for photo opportunities and autographs. Additionally, New York Islanders goalie Ilya Sorokin will be present on Sunday for photo ops and autographs.
Other prominent figures at Fanatics Fest include Derek Jeter, Tom Brady, Eli Manning, David Ortiz, Julius Erving, and Rob Gronkowski on Friday; Kevin Durant, Barry Sanders, Michael Strahan, Jerry Rice, Lawrence Taylor, and Cal Ripken Jr. on Saturday; and Peyton Manning, Mike Tyson, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar across all three days.
“Nothing like this exists in sports,” said Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin on “CBS Mornings” on Monday. “After attending Comic Con, I thought, ‘We need something like this for sports.’ That’s when we decided to create it and bring everyone together. This weekend, we’ll have 200 of the world’s top athletes, artists, and celebrities at Javits for Fanatics Fest.”
Beyond autographs and photo opportunities, many athletes will engage in interactive events with children and participate in detailed Q&A sessions and panel discussions, including the one featuring Lundqvist, Rempe, Miller, Richter, and Domi on Sunday.
Paraphrase Matthews, Lundqvist among participants at Fanatics Fest NYC
Matthews and Lundqvist are among the attendees at Fanatics Fest in New York City.
Paraphrase Auston Matthews and Henrik Lundqvist are part of an elite guest list featuring sporting legends who will be in New York City this weekend for a first-of-its-kind show for fans, collectors and athletes.
Fanatics Fest NYC, a concept conceived, developed and operated by Fanatics, the multibillion dollar global sports distribution giant and NHL partner, will run from Friday through Sunday at the Javits Center.
“It’s really, truly an immersive sports festival,” said Lance Fensterman, the chief executive officer of Fanatics Events.
Matthews, the Toronto Maple Leafs center who was named captain Wednesday, was there Friday for photo ops and autographs.
Auston Matthews and Henrik Lundqvist are among the distinguished guests who will be in New York City this weekend for a unique event designed for fans, collectors, and athletes. Fanatics Fest NYC, created and managed by Fanatics, the major sports distribution company and NHL partner, will take place from Friday to Sunday at the Javits Center. Lance Fensterman, CEO of Fanatics Events, described it as a truly immersive sports festival. Matthews, who was recently named captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs, will be available for photos and autographs on Friday.
Paraphrase Lundqvist will be there Sunday, joined by fellow former New York Rangers goalie Mike Richter, and current Rangers defenseman K’Andre Miller and forward Matt Rempe. They will participate in a “No Quit New York” panel discussion that will be hosted by former Rangers forward Tie Domi.
Lundqvist, Richter, Miller and Rempe will also be doing photo ops and signing autographs.
New York Islanders goalie Ilya Sorokin will be in attendance Sunday for photo ops and autographs.
Other A-listers at Fanatics Fest include Derek Jeter (Friday), Tom Brady (Friday), Eli Manning (Friday), David Ortiz (Friday), Julius Erving (Friday), Rob Gronkowski (Friday), Kevin Durant (Saturday), Barry Sanders (Saturday), Michael Strahan (Saturday), Jerry Rice (Saturday), Lawrence Taylor (Saturday), Cal Ripken Jr. (Saturday), Peyton Manning (Sunday), Mike Tyson (Sunday) and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (all three days).
On Sunday, Lundqvist will be joined by former New York Rangers goalie Mike Richter, current Rangers defenseman K’Andre Miller, and forward Matt Rempe for a “No Quit New York” panel discussion, hosted by former Rangers forward Tie Domi. They will also be available for photo opportunities and autographs. Additionally, New York Islanders goalie Ilya Sorokin will be present on Sunday for photo ops and autographs.
Other prominent figures at Fanatics Fest include Derek Jeter, Tom Brady, Eli Manning, David Ortiz, Julius Erving, and Rob Gronkowski on Friday; Kevin Durant, Barry Sanders, Michael Strahan, Jerry Rice, Lawrence Taylor, and Cal Ripken Jr. on Saturday; and Peyton Manning, Mike Tyson, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar across all three days.
Paraphrase In sports, nothing like this exists,” Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin said on “CBS Mornings” on Monday. “When I went to Comic Con I’m like, ‘We need this for sports.’ That’s when we said we’re going to build it, we’re going to bring everybody out, and we’ve got this coming weekend 200 of the best athletes, artists, celebrities in the world coming together to launch fanatics fest at Javits.”
In addition to autographs and photo ops, many of the athletes will be participating in interactive events with kids and various in-depth Q&As and panel discussions like the one that will feature Lundqvist, Rempe, Miller, Richter and Domi on Sunday.
“Nothing like this exists in sports,” said Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin on “CBS Mornings” on Monday. “After attending Comic Con, I thought, ‘We need something like this for sports.’ That’s when we decided to create it and bring everyone together. This weekend, we’ll have 200 of the world’s top athletes, artists, and celebrities at Javits for Fanatics Fest.”
Beyond autographs and photo opportunities, many athletes will engage in interactive events with children and participate in detailed Q&A sessions and panel discussions, including the one featuring Lundqvist, Rempe, Miller, Richter, and Domi on Sunday.
Paraphrase There’s a huge presence for cards and collectibles; it’ll be the largest card show that has ever happened in New York City,” Fensterman said. “But then there is everything else. There will be about 50-60 panels with athletes in conversation, podcasts that will be recording live, an entire stage dedicated to just learning about card, hobby, memorabilia collecting, and we’ll have the entire show floor filled with activations just like what the NHL is doing. All of the leagues will be there with memorabilia displays, interactive features. There will be autograph and photo ops with probably 200 athletes that are there appearing, signing.
“It’s this idea of saying, ‘Let’s take all of the things about collecting memorabilia in sports that people love and bring it together in one place to let people celebrate their fandom.’”
In addition to the players on the guest list, the NHL will have an 8,800-square-foot activation booth for fans on the main floor at Fanatics Fest featuring the NHL shield and logos for all 32 teams.
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“There will be a massive focus on cards and collectibles; it will be the largest card show ever held in New York City,” Fensterman stated. “But that’s just the start. We’re featuring around 50-60 panels with athletes, live podcasts, a whole stage dedicated to card and memorabilia collecting, and the entire show floor will be filled with activities similar to what the NHL is doing. All the major leagues will have memorabilia displays and interactive features. With approximately 200 athletes available for autographs and photos, it’s about bringing together everything people love about sports memorabilia in one place to celebrate their fandom.”
Additionally, the NHL will have an 8,800-square-foot booth on the main floor at Fanatics Fest, showcasing the NHL
The League will feature memorabilia cases showcasing Hall of Fame artifacts, a virtual reality game, an accuracy shooting challenge with targets in the four corners of the net, and a washer/dryer shooting game.
Fensterman remarked, “You’ll see Fan Fests, like the impressive one the NHL hosted in Toronto during All-Star Weekend, but that focuses on a single sport. Our concept is unique in that it combines multisport experiences, interactive elements, cards, collectibles, and content all in one place. It’s inspired by the idea that major fan-centric events typically have a unifying theme—Comic Con for pop culture, South by Southwest for film, music, and television, Coachella for music and influencers, CES for technology.
Each industry has its major platform for fans to celebrate and engage with creators and brands, but sports hasn’t had something like that. We thought it was time to create such a space, and Fanatics was ready to invest in making it happen.”
Fensterman noted that creating the event wasn’t a huge stretch for Fanatics, thanks to its extensive network with top athletes and its various business ventures.
Assets from Topps, Mitchell & Ness, and Lids—companies owned by Fanatics—will be featured at Fanatics Fest.
“We realized we could create something intriguing without going far outside our own operations. By building additional relationships, we can enhance and enrich the event even further,” Fensterman explained. “We’re taking a bold step here, and I believe it will offer fans an exciting opportunity to deepen their passion for sports and discover new aspects of fandom.”
He added that the panel discussions and live interviews will facilitate deeper connections and engagement between fans and athletes, offering more meaningful interactions than simple autographs or photo opportunities.
Fensterman emphasized that events like these are excellent for fostering deep connections and sharing stories. “The live event format naturally supports that,” he said. “It’s also perfect for discovery; you might come for one thing and end up discovering a new passion. I’ve seen this with big pop culture events like Comic Con.”
“Not many people wake up thinking they want to dress up as a superhero, but if you attend a show with the intention of buying a comic or a Funko Pop and then see others in costume, you might find it appealing and decide to join in. This kind of cross-pollination and discovery is a key feature of immersive live events.”
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