Tens of thousands of fans and a star-studded cast of characters made their way to Chicagoland in August for the annual FAN EXPO Chicago at Rosemont’s Donald E. Stephens Convention Center.
With famous jedi and sith, Marvel and DC superheroes, and adventurers from other worlds, the convention August 15-17 featured something for everyone. If you missed your chance to see your favorite stars in person or just didn’t take the leap, here’s your opportunity to get to know the event before it comes around next year.
After finding a spot on one of the five floors in the giant parking garage for $15, hundreds of fans marched through the bridge or across the street to the entrance of the massive convention center. After going through security and receiving their badges, fans entered the sprawling first floor complete with vendors, artists, autograph signing, engaging activities, and photo op areas.
Whether you wanted to buy real swords from famous anime or photographs to have signed by celebrities, you were bound to spend more money than you expected. When you weren’t wandering the rows of eye-catching items, you could play video games, admire unique Lego creations, or pose for pictures with any of the heroes and villains roaming the area.
The second floor offered more unique opportunities, with groups teaming up for the free escape room, exchanging books in the manga library, or listening intently to voice actors and movie stars at Q&A panels. Fans adored hearing the experiences of the cast of Avatar: The Last Airbender, life lessons from WWE legend and Peacemaker actor John Cena, and the behind-the-scenes details of the Star Wars prequel trilogy from Ewan McGregor (Obi-Wan Kenobi) and Hayden Christensen (Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader).
“George Lucas, in his infinite wisdom, decided not to give hilts to the metal sparring swords used by lightsaber combatants during filming,” joked McGregor. He explained to the full theater and the overflow crowd viewing from monitors in a separate room that the most common injury on set came from metal swords sliding down to hit their hands while battling. The life of a jedi is clearly never an easy one.
The details here barely scratch the surface of the action-packed three-day event that brought together unique fans, voice actors, comic writers and artists, and celebrities from diverse fandoms. Writers could learn from published authors, aspiring comic artists could witness the greats in action, and concert lovers could sing karaoke at a dance party or hear the hottest metal band in the galaxy.
To stay informed about the stars big and small coming to FAN EXPO Chicago 2026, sign up for their newsletter at fanexpohq.com/fanexpochicago/sign-up/.
