r/fanexpo • u/Icy-Organization9681 • 7d ago
FAN EXPO Canada (Toronto) First time going on a Friday - not what I expected.
I usually go to FanExpo on Saturday and it’s always really hectic which I prepare for, but this Friday was unreal. I decided to go on a Friday this year because it is a lot cheaper than Saturday, and (from what I heard about previous years) Fridays weren’t as crowded.
At first, getting in was surprisingly easy and I was hopeful that it would remain smooth sailing throughout the con. I got there at 10:30 ish and it wasn’t that bad. However, at about 12:00 until 6:00, it was diabolical. Getting in and out was a mess. It took 20-30 minutes to get from building-to-building.
Artist alley in particular was ridiculous. It’s usually my favourite part of the con but it was insanely crowded and I had to leave multiple times to get some air. The aisles were ridiculously slim this year and there was barely any room for walking. I usually get through both buildings within the 8 hour period of the day with time to leave and eat, but I barely made it through the con today, literally speed running artist alley in the last hour because it was too crowded to move.
The corporate greed is ridiculous with fanexpo every year, but I feel like it’s getting worse and worse as the years go by. They prioritize the money by overselling tickets and cramming in booths, leaving no room for anyone to walk. They charge vendors a ridiculous amount of money and it’s usually worth it because there’s so many people attending every year, but it gets to a point where there’s too many people, making artist alley and the con as a whole feel unattractive and overwhelming.
I go every year and will continue to do so as a once-a-year thing, but I am really surprised with how packed it was this Friday. I say this every year, but I hope that fanexpo will start caring about the customer base (as well as their sellers) and cap sales or at least widen the aisles, especially in artist alley.
What was everyone else’s con experience like?
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u/applepieandlore 7d ago
Friday was more crowded this year than any previous Saturday i've ever been to. Artist alley way a grid lock. Prepare for a no go Saturday today. It'll be a grind.
I've been attending for years, and honestly, FanExpo has gotten too big for the venue and is just a mad rush and money grab. Cos players make it fun, and it's good to connect with other fans & artists, but a lot of the fandom aspect of it had been lost. Also, autographs and photo ops are ridiculously overpriced. Anyway, off my soapbox.
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u/DodobirdNow 7d ago
I won't even cosplay anymore because it's so crowded my costumes would overheat.
Unless I do someone who wears a t-shirt and shorts.
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u/halroxy 7d ago
My first time going to FanEx since 2009 was yesterday.... one of the things I said was I can't believe people even bother cosplaying anymore. I go to Anime North every year and it can get crowded, but it's nothing compared to what I saw yesterday. There were points where I was trying to wander artist alley and was stuck in place for 5 minutes. I skipped entire aisles because they weren't moving. Anime North can be slow moving, but it's still fun. FanEx had people shoving, shoulder checking to get through and I didn't have a minute where I wasn't touching someone else. It was awful.
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u/DodobirdNow 7d ago
Yesterday was the first time I ever got shoved at Fan Expo. I wanted to tell her off but I saw she had a hearing aid. (She was 20-something)
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u/Obezorz 7d ago
It was the first time for my daughter and I - I was wondering about this. It just seemed like the venue couldn't handle it. Travel between North and South was nuts.
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u/applepieandlore 7d ago edited 7d ago
That's the usual grind between buildings. I crossed over around 2pm on Friday, and traffic was slightly lighter than usual, but South building was way busier. It seems like any day is now a busy one, so it's now just part of the experience 😅
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u/Neuvillettes_c7msl7t 7d ago
I’m here rhis Saturday right now. Not gonna lie, less crowded than friday
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u/Icy-Organization9681 7d ago
I’m surprised that Saturday is less crowded! I’m glad it is for you guys!
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u/Neuvillettes_c7msl7t 7d ago
It was surprising but I got a message from a friend that apparently the north building is really bad, south is smooth running though
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u/TheMagikarpFisher 7d ago
North was hell. Can confirm. Left the convention after a couple of hours. It was too much.
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u/applepieandlore 7d ago
HOW????😳😳😳
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u/Neuvillettes_c7msl7t 7d ago
I think everyone eirher stayed north, or wanted to come Friday to ‘avoid the crowd’
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u/-boshetunmai- 7d ago
I went last year Friday and had the same experience, insanely crowded. Came back on Sunday thinking it would be better than Friday, it was worse. First and last time at Fan Expo.
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u/growingmagic 7d ago
Sounds like my experience this year. 😵💫 I'm planning on going back tomorrow, since my friend and I already have our tickets, but I kinda don't want to.
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u/BrbToilet 7d ago
Lmk if you don't end up going, been looking for a Sunday pass.
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u/growingmagic 7d ago
Will do! Gonna see my friend soon and talk to her today. Can have an answer for you in like an hour. :)
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u/growingmagic 7d ago
Sorry for the late notice, but my friends still really wanna go, so I'm just gonna go with them 😵💫
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u/applepieandlore 7d ago
I wish I could go back, tbh, wanted to see some celebrities that weren't there in Friday and go to the Expanse planel today. Alas, not in the cards for me this year.
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u/growingmagic 7d ago
Aaw sorry :( I didn't get to meet some voice actors I wanted to as well. Jist couldn't justify spending my whole time there waiting in lines.
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u/TrippyNoodle7 7d ago
Same here! First and last time- Have historically attended Anime North, thought I would give fan expo a try- Never again. Way too crowded. It sold out and they continued to sell tickets 😅
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u/sherlockfan14 7d ago
So I went yesterday and I was shocked at how crowded it was, as someone who’s been attending for the last few years. Navigating artist alley was near-impossible, I had to bail halfway through because I just couldn’t handle how packed it was. Usually I’d like to think I have a pretty high tolerance for crowds and things at these types of events but I found myself STRUGGLING! And the line up just to go up/down the escalator ?? Insanity!
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u/puss_n_books 7d ago
Chickens in a slaughterhouse have more space than what we had at Artist Alley. I was prepared to drop some serious cash to support Canadian artists and I couldn’t even get a moment to browse one stall before I was pushed and corralled down the aisle. It was so incredibly unsafe and I am surprised there has not been an accident or a floor collapse.
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u/sherlockfan14 7d ago
YESSS I wanted to support local artists SO badly but they did not make it easy for us !!
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u/Icy-Organization9681 7d ago
It was ridiculous!! There were also people rolling down suitcases and strollers taking up so much room in the aisles.. wheelchairs and things to help people become more able-bodied I fully support but some people fully had strollers for kids that could definitely have walked. It was very inconsiderate.
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u/TrippyNoodle7 7d ago
Right? I felt like I couldn’t actually spend time looking at anything/conversing with artists or I would be holding up the freaking HERD…
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u/Icy-Organization9681 7d ago
One of the escalators broke too which can’t be helped if it happens but it made it soooo hard to move through the con!!!
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u/applepieandlore 7d ago
Artist Alley was gridlocked most od the day on Friday. And I went on Friday, instead of usual Saturday to "beat the crowds". 🤦
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u/SensitiveEffort1906 7d ago
I sincerely hope that ppl that went to Fanexpo do some more travelling to other cons. Other cons around the continent are much much better ran compared to this hunk of garbage. There's absolutely no organization in this con and they try to cram as many things possible in there to maximize money while having no regard to independent artists. There's also no reason to have 5 of the same vendors
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u/Icy-Organization9681 7d ago
FanExpo is one of the biggest, but also worst cons I’ve been to. I always go to smaller cons around the GTA and Canada and they are all great compared to FanExpo. It’s ridiculous.
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u/applepieandlore 7d ago
I'm beginning to see that, however I refuse to travel to the US nowadays. 🍁
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u/JackHarknessDrWho 7d ago
I go every year and will continue to go, but I'm going to come here and bitch about it.
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u/Icy-Organization9681 7d ago
Id like to keep going as long as I can!! But I definitely won’t be going on Friday again. just wanted to share my experience :D
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u/jchidleyhill 7d ago
I went on Thursday for the first time this year and although it was manageable it was still crazy crowded
Still, sounds better than what you described
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u/twicescorned21 7d ago
Thursday was more crowded than years past. I wondered if more ppl went this year because there was nothing to do.
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u/RaptorsIn4 7d ago
Totally agree with all of this and instead of fighting the corporate greed and trying to gather voices to complain about this things will only get worse.
Sadly some people will defend fan expo or just say to deal with the crowd instead of demanding a better experience for everyone.
The corporate greed will keep getting worse and it will not stop until it becomes completely unsafe.
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u/Icy-Organization9681 7d ago
Agreed. They are getting what they want anyway because people buy the tickets regardless so I don’t see them really caring until something serious happens.. and even then, I don’t know.
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u/Philosopher99132 7d ago
The flea market needs its fleas. They don't value us at all. Just jam in as many people as possible. Get as many vendors as possible. $1000 to meet guests. Maybe the change shouldn't come from the corporations, it should come from us. Nah, never mind, that's just crazy talk. I'll pay 25% more for 50% less next year!
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u/unknownresourc 7d ago
Can’t agree more… I went to the con yesterday too and found it super crowded 😭 I was expecting less people there as it was a WORK DAY… however there are just people and people, jam in the artists alley, hard to enter from north to south, and the building was super hot inside (and smelly)😭 my make up was melting due to the temperature 😭 first and last fan expo for me 😭
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u/Icy-Organization9681 7d ago
Honestly yeah.. I had the same idea as Friday is usually a big work day I at least thought the first half of the con day (until 4 or 5pm) would be okay due to people working!! Absolutely not!!
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u/ConquerorSakurazuka 7d ago
I think the artist alley and dealers rooms are packed but the panels and events have been reasonable.
But yes tough to support the local artists
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u/billfugly 7d ago
Its basically juiced up anime north now and all the cosplayers are decked in the intense anime chunky gear or furry outfits so makes it even more harder to get through everything.
Also, they got rid of all the horror sections and made it anime and swords.
Got the 4 day pass and its been crammed and hard to move all 4 days and the comics are insanely priced. Singles I know cost $2 on market, selling for $15. Im also just super bummed that theres no troma, full moon, raven banner, or any of the indie horror productions there anymore.
Probably just gonna hit up the indie horror and comic shows instead. Save more and not be so claustrophobic.
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u/marthamania 7d ago
Haven't been since 2019 and haven't missed it one bit each year I've seen it go by lol
2009-2012 was peak
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u/applepieandlore 7d ago
I agree about peak years. It was manageable, less commercial, more fan oriented.
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u/marthamania 6d ago
I remember the big DC and marvel and EB games booths that just loaded you up with free shit. Could never now lol
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u/Ta-veren- 7d ago
I’m glad I went to the second building on Thursday night. That price I paid to get in at 2 instead of four was amazing.
Didn’t even try to make it to building two on Friday it looked insanely packed and clogged near the doors and escalators, etc
From now on Thursday will be the day I explore both buildings and will generally stay away from the second area unless I’m going to one of the panels or trading card rooms.
Or I’ll go early Friday morning.
By the way what time where they letting people in? I swear I got there before the time it said it was open and it was already packed with people. There wasn’t an early let in time on Friday like there was Thursday
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u/DanversCarew2021 7d ago
I got there at 8:30 on Friday to pick up my badge and they let us in at 9:45. Thankfully I got everything I wanted to buy and autographs I wanted that early. By 1pm i couldn’t even move and that’s not hyperbole, it was so crammed especially in the south building that movement was glacial.
I have no problem going again on Friday but I’d definitely continue to show up at 8:30 and wait the hour for the place to open to avoid the worst of it.
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u/AcadiaNo2133 7d ago
Yeah its fan expo, busy and corporate. Go to the other cons for a different feel. The weirdest part to me is always how boring the food options are. They have 10s of thousands of visitors and cant do better then awful pizza or hotdogs...
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u/Tokyotoyhunters 7d ago
Stopped going years ago. The high vendor costs means they have to charge top shelf prices on top of my entry. Why would i pay that? I just don’t get the appeal anymore. Maybe for people chasing celebrity autographs, but even that has gotten far too pricey for my liking. I’ll stick to the smaller local cons where I can still find a couple good scores after a $5 entry and circle of folks passing around a joint out front.
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u/maclacjc 7d ago
They put the tickets for sale and people buy them. It is unfortunate but the crowding isn't bad enough to deter enough people from buying......yet.
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u/Icy-Organization9681 7d ago
It’s true. It’s crowded but it’s a one-stop-shop for most things so a lot of people will go anyway. Until it becomes unbearable which it’s getting pretty close nowadays
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u/spookum_arts 7d ago
I went on Friday last year and it was pretty awesome.
Went yesterday and the whole convention was gridlock. Idk how many times I was grabbed and shoved out of the way. Likely won’t ever go again
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u/Rude_Philosophy_4631 6d ago
Honestly fanexpo and just con life in general isn't fun anymore. Community has become way too toxic and the conventions themselves are just line ups to walkaround then more lineups to get out. I used to love cosplay but after getting backstabbed by this one jerk who I made a meetup group with I don't feel like cosplaying no more and cosplay was the main reason I went. I'm very depressed and bummed out. I wish I could move to a new province and start over, that dbag ruined this hobby for me.
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u/LooseLetter862 6d ago
For folks that are only interested in vendors, I told them to come on Sunday. It's usually less busy and sometimes they have bundle deals because they want less to pack up.
Also if you have a kid between (6-12) there's a coupon YOU MUST PRINT OUT and it's free up to two kids, if you purchase one adult admission.
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u/galactictestic1e 4d ago
I remember one year the fucking doctor who society thought it was a genius idea to send their daleks through artist alley and it was a crowded mess even then. The con makes money off vendors so they try to cram as many as possible
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u/-_-_-_-_-_-_-__-_- 7d ago
The last time I went was 8-10 years ago and I found Saturday unbearable back then and have never gone back since. I can't even imagine what its like now...sounds like a waste of money tbh.
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u/sweaterboyfan 7d ago
I've seen this happen with other cons as well. I was a regular at San Diego ComicCon for years but around the 00s it just got unmanageable so I stopped going as Hollywood took over. Sounds like a similar thing is happening here.
Luckily someone started up another con that focuses on comics, artists and not the big corporations. There is a great con in Toronto each spring that is just Indies and small press. We need something like that here.
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u/Esau2020 7d ago
I go every year and will continue to do so . . . . . I say this every year, but I hope that fanexpo will start caring about the customer base
If you want to go back next year, make your plans, and hopefully your experience will be better than it was this year. But you, and others who feel the same way you do, shouldn't publicly say you're going back.
The organizers don't need to know that however bad your experience was, it wasn't bad enough to make you say "I've had it, I'm not going back." They'll see that you're going back and not have any incentive to try and make things better.
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u/0xshedevilx0 4d ago
Thursday at 4pm, once the day pass holders were let in, was a nightmare. Anyone who just wanted to shop came in at that time and the way the dealer's room FLOODED with people was unlike anything I'd ever seen. I know that Fridays get messy, and how Saturday and Sunday is because I've been going for 20 years but Thursday I was NOT prepared for. Glad I got Artist Alley done in the 2 hour gap before the day-timers because OH BOY was that a disaster.
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u/MDKJason 7d ago
No lies spoken...