Fan Expo Philadelphia 2025 Writeup And Gallery
Fan Expo Philadelphia returned to the Pennsylvania Convention Center on May 16-18, 2025. This was Fan Expo’s fourth annual show in Philadelphia after their acquisition of six events from Wizard World in 2021.
Fan Expo conventions are perhaps best known for having popular celebrity guests, and this year’s show in Philadelphia definitely delivered that in spades. Movie and television stars in attendance in Philly this year included John Cena, Mel Gibson, John Carpenter, John Boyega, William Shatner, Jodie Whittaker, Andy Serkis, Anthony Daniels, Christopher Lloyd, and Dolph Lundgren.
A host of voice actors were also in attendance at the show to meet and greet fans. Yuri Lowenthal, Nick Apostolides, Nadji Jeter, Tara Platt, Kyle Hebert, David Matranga, and Monica Rial were among the guests featured at the event.
Cosplay is a big part of Fan Expo events, and the Creator HQ on the first floor of the convention center was the place to be for anyone interested in learning more about the hobby and lifestyle. Cosplay related panels and workshops were held in Creator HQ throughout every day of the show, which entertained and educated attendees on topics such as 3D printing, how to accessorize with makeup, and cosplay competition preparation. Fan Expo featured a number of cosplay guests who hosted some of these panels to share their experience with fans at the show. redfield, cobaltcosplay srona58, cosplayben, candescent_cosplay, and stattingup were among the cosplay experts set up in the Creator HQ this year.
The cosplay red carpet was in the hallway just outside of the Creator HQ this year. This event, held daily during Fan Expo shows, gives cosplayers an opportunity to strut their stuff and show off their creations on the red carpet in a non-competitive, stress-free atmosphere. This unique event is always a hit among attendees, as the queue for the red carpet on Saturday stretched as far down the lower-level hallway as my middle-aged eyes could see.
The Kids’ Zone, also located on the first floor of the convention center this year, was a great place for younger attendees to participate in age-appropriate activities. Some of the community groups in attendance took time out of their schedules to entertain the next generation of superheroes in this area. Hero training with the Philadelphia Avengers included S.H.I.E.L.D. training to prepare young initiates for the active life of a hero. During “Slime Time” with the Philadelphia Ghostbusters, kids could roll up their sleeves and make their very own slime. The early convention hours on Sunday featured a dance party with the Amazing Spiderlings where kids could learn the spidey shake, a Star Wars disco dance, and more.
Labor of Love Wrestling also had their own room on the first floor of the venue, which featured live wrestling matches, training demos, photo ops, autograph signings, and meet & greets with stars of the squared circle in attendance.
The exhibit hall on level 2 of the convention center was home to the dealer’s hall and artist alley. Attendees could browse a huge variety of collectibles, comics, artwork, apparel, games, and much more there. Celebrity autographing and photo ops were located in the rear of the second floor.
The Gaming Zone sponsored by the U.S. Army featured tournaments in Tekken 8, Street Fighter 6, Guilty Gear Strive, Mortal Kombat 1, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
Nerds looking to get their groove on closed out their day on Saturday with musical performances by former teacher and nerdcore rapper Mega Ran.
By most accounts, this appears to have been another successful event under the Fan Expo HQ banner. Attendance was a bit lopsided again this year, as it was absolutely packed on Saturday, which was no doubt in part due to the fact that some of the popular celebrities, including John Cena and Mel Gibson, were only in attendance for that day. Fan Expo is still not using much of the venue in Philadelphia, so there’s plenty of room for expansion in the future.
Fan Expo Philadelphia will return to the City of Brotherly Love on May 29-31, 2026.
Cosplays in this gallery include phillyavengers, gamegoddess4ever1, helluva_mammon, loammaxxer, glitterabomination, skiidmarked, divinelykylie, eman7673, sad_rugs, gelly.of.gen, cosplayattorney98, anna.squats, gia.lee_, dc_cosplayers_east, starlightgoddess_cosplay, bewitched.belial, xo_bluebear_xo, loserzclownz, _blxck_fox_, samrock.doc, stattingup, dollstrawberryy, redleaf.creations, ready.aim.cosplay, laurelizabetharts, bodypillowprincess, big_daddy_cosplay, ladyjcosplay, expressionsbyaly, thenotoriousalice, jennyjuiceboxxx7, joekleinkauf, and many more.
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