LeBron James, Jay-Z, and Tom Brady are set to feature in the Fanatics Fest at the Javits Convention Center in New York City. The fest scheduled on June 20 to June 22, is aimed at redefining fan engagement and will be a significant occasion for sports enthusiasts across the world.
Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin on the festival’s vision
“This is really about creating a sports festival that only we can create. It’s a great give back to fans,” Michael Rubin expressed to NYNext.
He also gave insights about the vision of the fest, which is about prioritizing fan experience over immediate financial gains. Rubin expects around 150,000 attendees in the upcoming festival. The event will feature an expanded list of partners, including Formula 1, the Premier League, USTA, FIFA, Nike, and Dick’s Sporting Goods. It will also include NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, UFC, and WWE, covering major sports disciplines.
Popular faces in the festival
Fanatics Fest has a list of famous people to feature in the event. While Jay-Z is set to invest millions to recreate his renowned 40/40 Club as a pop-up venue. Tom Brady, on the other hand, will participate in panel discussions and interactive fan activities.
NBA star player Victor Wembanyama will join Kevin Hart for a live taping of “Cold as Balls,” featuring a cold-plunge segment.
Other famous personalities from sports and entertainment include LeBron James, Travis Scott, Derek Jeter, Livvy Dunne, Kevin Costner, and John Cena. They will engage fans through special autograph sessions.
Fanatics Fest in 2024
The inaugural 2024 event was attended by 72,000 fans. However, it incurred a loss of $15 million loss. Notably, the company is expected to achieve $12 billion in revenue by 2026. “We’re still in investment mode,” Rubin stated.
“It sucked, it was terrible,” Rubin said about the previous year’s failure. “You can’t be afraid to go out and do things and make mistakes, but then you’ve got to be a great listener.”
