FAN EXPO Chicago ran August 14-16 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois. This is one of the largest pop culture conventions in the Midwest and draws over 75,000 fans. This years event showcases a massive celebrity lineup with several major cast reunions, comic creators, cosplay competitions, and extensive shopping opportunities.
The last day of the convention and we are finished with ourphotos. This is the last batch of photos. Unfortunately, my camera glitched so I didn’t end up with a lot of the red carpet photos, which is a shame because they are the adorable. If you want to see the full set of Sunday Kids Red Carpet photos Moorcroft Photography LLC was there to capture it all. Josh is the official Red Carpet Photographer and you can find all three days in Google Drive. His photos are the official photos.
Our past cosplay coverage can be found here: 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025
Or Wizard World 2017-2021 Here
Now comes the time to air all of the problems that occurred with this event. Not all the problems were directly related to FAN EXPO, but quite a few of them were.
- Communication – This ALWAYS seems to be a big problem for FAN EXPO and this year it seems to have covered the whole gamut of the event.
- Press Pass Approval wasn’t granted until two weeks before the event. We were told to fil out a form to confirm our press passes, but even after filling it out, there was no follow-up emails, luckily the approval was there when we arrived.
- Some Vendors claim to have gotten rejection notices only weeks before the event. If you have have your whole year of vending already planned, this can really throw a wrench into the works
- Panels – Panel approval was pretty much a last minute thing giving people almost no time to promote their panels. If people had submitted for multiple panels they didn’t know which panels were approved as the response emails simply stated their panel was approved.
- Photo Ops – Photos Ops always have problems. They run people through like cattle and you only have a few seconds to get into position. This year things were complicated by the inability to produce the photos. LeapEvents had printer failures and people that paid for photos ops could not get their photos. With the amount people paid for this opportunities, you have thought that Leap Events had a backup plan.
- Seating – There was a definite lack of seating around the event. All the seating was confined to the food court area and there was not nearly enough seating. Entire families found themselves having to pull up a chunk of wall or floor so they could sit and eat a meal. A few more chairs and tables would definitely have made it easier for everyone.
The Rest of our 2026 Coverage is here:
Friday Pt. 1, Pt. 2, Red Carpet
Saturday Pt. 1, Pt. 2, Pt. 3
Sunday Pt. 1, Pt. 2
… More to Come
Sunday cosplay was a lot more casual and a little more sparse than the rest of the weekend, but I still managed to get quite a few photos.
ABOUT FAN EXPO
FAN EXPO Chicago is the ultimate go-to event for sci-fi, horror, anime, and gaming event in Chicago that attracts hundreds of thousands of people to the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center.
FAN EXPO Chicago offers exciting family-friendly attractions, events, and world-renowned Celebrities! The show, which started as Chicago Comic Con in 1972 and became Wizard World Chicago in 1998, has featured celebrities and creators like Stan Lee, Michael J. Fox, John Travolta, Carrie Fisher, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, WWE® Superstar John Cena®, David Boreanaz and many more headliners.
Everyone is a fan of something, and FAN EXPO Chicago is a place to celebrate all things pop culture. Get an autograph or a photo with your favorite guest then get the inside scoop about your favorite movies and TV shows at our celebrity panels! Watch professional comic artists battle it out in our popular Sketch Duels, learn from our “How To” workshops, and take photos with your favorite costumed characters! It’s also a great place to buy a unique gift (or treat yourself!) with a huge show floor for shopping madness.
FAN EXPO HQ is the largest comic con producer in the world. Collectively, it hosts over one million fans annually at FAN EXPO Canada, MEGACON Orlando, FAN EXPO Denver, CALGARY EXPO, FAN EXPO Chicago, FAN EXPO Dallas, FAN EXPO Boston, FAN EXPO Philadelphia, EDMONTON EXPO, FAN EXPO San Francisco, Toronto Comicon, FAN EXPO Cleveland, FAN EXPO New Orleans, FAN EXPO Portland, FAN EXPO Vancouver, and Dallas FAN FESTIVAL.
To see what cosplay conventions are coming up
be sure to check out our Cosplay Convention List!
