Returning for its second year is Phoenix Comicon Fan Fest! This winter convention takes place at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale. Guaranteed to be one of the most unique venues you’ll experience a comic convention at, Fan Fest is set to deliver a fun and family friendly experience. This guide is to help gather useful links and information about this year’s Fan Fest.
To check out coverage of last year’s Fan Fest, click it here
The Guests
The guest lineup up for Fan Fest is highlighted by Doctor Who companion and Guardians of the Galaxy bad ass Karen Gillan. Her first trip to the valley should be a memorable one and in anticipation of a large crowd, Fan Fest has actually moved her 11am Sunday panel to the Renaissance Hotel. The hotel is just a short 10 minute walk from the stadium as shown here.
Joining Karen at Fan Fest is Sean Maher from Firefly, Gareth David-Lloyd from Tourchwood, Kevin Sorbo from Hercules, among others! For the complete list of guests (so far) as well as any panel times, photo ops, and autographs, head on over to the Guest Page on the Fan Fest website.
The Programming
Fan Fest has a small variety of programming compared to Phoenix Comicon (honestly you shouldn’t compare the two, not much alike) but does offer a few options almost every hour of the weekend. The neat thing about Fan Fest is that it offers a lot of outdoor programming, as it should, the weather is usually great. My little one enjoyed all of the inflatable obstacle courses/bounce house type things just outside of the entrance.
To start putting together your own schedule, check out the full listing of all the happenings on the Progamming Page
The Food
You’ve got a few options for food at Fan Fest:
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the typical food sold inside the convention at prices higher than that Keyblade keychain you have your eye on.
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The food trucks parked just outside of the stadium. Last year attendees only could choose between a hamburger food truck and an ice cream food truck. This year, we’re looking at 5 food trucks.
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An assortment of restaurants at Westgate, which depending on your energy level, you can walk or make the very short drive to (free parking at both the stadium and Westgate!).
Westgate has an updated list and map of its current offerings
The Nightlife
You’ve got a few options to have fun outside of the convention on Friday and Saturday night
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The Westgate website has a list of all the happy hour specials the restaurants provide on Friday night. That list can be seen here
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Friday night Cosmic Shindig will be playing at the Fountain Park, 6:30-9:30pm
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Saturday night the Laura Walsh Band will be playing at the Fountain Park, 6:30-9:30pm
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The unofficial Phoenix Comicon fan group, Blue Ribbon Army, will be holding the “Fan Fest After Dark” Party at the Renaissance Hotel. Tickets are only $10 and can be purchased on the Phoenix Comicon website.
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A few of the restaurants at Westgate such as McFadden’s turn into a night club/bar and keep the dancing going until 2am.
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The Coyotes are out of town during Fan Fest so no Yotes games to attend.
Miscellaneous
Parking is free! Plenty of parking at the stadium as well so if you’re getting their 2 hours early just for parking, don’t sweat it!
Speaking of hours, Fan Fest hours of operation look like this:
Friday 10A-7P (registration opens at 9)
Saturday 10A-7P (registration opens at 8)
Sunday 10A-5P (registration opens at 8)
Hope to see you guys in a few weeks at Fan Fest, make sure to follow Legion of Sand on Twitter for live updates from the con!
Legion of Sand 