Fanatics Fest opened its doors June 20 at New York City’s Javits Center, drawing fans and fitness enthusiasts to a high-energy celebration of athletic achievement. Across three days, the event brought together legendary figures from sports and entertainment, including MMA personalities alongside icons like Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski, and LeBron James, who appeared onstage to discuss their peak conditioning, diet, and training routines.
Among the standout moments was the comedic mishap when Brady and Gronkowski accidentally broke a replica Lombardi Trophy on stage, creating a viral highlight that perfectly captured the event’s playful spirit. Later in the weekend, Brady embodied a WWE-style heel persona—dramatically spitting on and tearing apart rival team jerseys, reigniting old rivalries and eliciting both laughter and jeers from the audience.
The event wasn’t all antics and nostalgia. Fanatics Fest featured robust fitness programming, including interactive strength-training demos and MMA-focused conditioning sessions. Attendees had the opportunity to learn directly from elite athletes—traversing everything from fight techniques and recovery protocols to nutrition strategies aimed at optimizing performance and longevity in sports.
A highlight of the festival was the debut of the Fanatics Games, a first-of-its-kind skills competition where fans competed head-to-head with pros—and celebrities like Brady, Durant, and Gronkowski—in athletic challenges spanning football, basketball, soccer, baseball, hockey, UFC striking, WWE entry sequences, and golf skills. With prizes totaling $2 million—including a $1 million cash prize, a Ferrari, and a rare LeBron James rookie card—the games underscored the Fest’s fusion of entertainment, fitness, and fan empowerment.
Adding to the spectacle was the “Museum of Greatness,” a 10,500-square-foot exhibit showcasing an estimated $200 million worth of memorabilia. Iconic artifacts included jerseys, trading cards, and equipment from Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Tom Brady, and other legends—offering fans an immersive journey through sports history.
Fan engagement soared thanks to autograph sessions, photo ops with stars, and chance encounters with athletes like Mark Wahlberg, who even squeezed in a pre-event workout at Equinox, complete with a cold plunge—his dedication emblematic of the Fest’s health-focused ethos. Panels and live discussions enriched the experience, featuring icons such as Peyton and Eli Manning, Derek Jeter, Travis Scott, Kevin Costner, Victor Wembanyama, and others, all sharing insights into fitness, training, and evolving roles in sports culture.
Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin described the event as an investment in the broader Fanatics ecosystem—merging collectibles, betting, advocacy, and live fan interaction—expecting attendance to double to 150,000 in its second year.
Fanatics Fest seamlessly blended athletic training, star power, and interactive fan experiences into more than just a sports convention—it was a fitness-forward celebration where enthusiasts could learn, compete, and engage directly with their heroes. With top-tier MMA content woven throughout, the event also built bridges between mainstream sports and combat fitness culture.
Looking ahead, this high-energy fusion of celebrity, competition, and conditioning suggests Fanatics Fest is gearing up to become an annual destination for anyone passionate about sports and wellness—a platform where fitness meets fandom in unforgettable ways.