Fanatics Fest 2026: see inside the winning experiential builds and viral moments. From a sauce-filled dunk tank to a life-size UFC Octagon, record attendance was only part of the story. Take a look at the activations that had BizBash taking notes. July 30, 2026 Fanatics Fest returned to the Jacob K. Javits Center for the third consecutive year July 16-19, topping its own attendance record with more than 200,000 attendees. NEW YORK - Fanatics Fest is on a winning streak. The event returned to the Javits Center July 16-19 and packed in more than 200,000 sports fans, setting yet another attendance record for itself in only its third year. Call it the biggest celebration of sports fandom this year - second only, perhaps, to New York's victory lap after the Knicks captured the 2026 NBA title. Unlike a one-time championship celebration, Fanatics Fest is a living, breathing showcase of every corner of sports culture. NFL, NHL, MLB, NBA, and MLS diehards mingle with WWE devotees, podcast superfans, card breakers, memorabilia collectors, and fans who follow individual athletes as closely as their favorite teams. The four-day festival brought it all together through 90 live panels, podcasts, and performances; appearances by more than 400 athletes; and immersive exhibits, including a trophy gallery where three of sports' most coveted prizes (the FIFA World Cup Trophy, the Heisman Trophy, and the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy) shared the spotlight. But here at BizBash, we're a different breed of sports fan, and we know our readers are too. We appreciate the celebrity cameos, but we're just as interested in what happens behind the curtain: the guest journey, the production logistics, the creative builds, and the back-of-house operations that make an event of this magnitude feel effortless. Keep scrolling to see standout activations that impressed not only for their sheer size within the Javits Center's 850,000 square feet, but also for their showmanship... American Express fan experience. [Making its Fanatics Fest debut, American Express kicked off a new partnership with a fan experience that paired cardmember perks with playful, home-inspired sports moments. Designed to feel like a house where fandom lives, the activation invited guests to compete in rooms themed around everyday versions of beloved sports, from kitchen golf and bedroom basketball to den hockey.] [Photo: Courtesy of American Express] [A "Champion Chains" station rewarded winners of on-site competitions with oversize, championship-style chains, giving guests a victory moment (and a photo op) worthy of a title celebration.] [Photo: Courtesy of American Express] [One of the featured challenges, "Home Game Throw," turned a backyard football toss into a test of arm strength and accuracy, with top performers earning one of the coveted Champion Chains.] [Photo: Courtesy of American Express] [Another challenge transformed slot car racing into a head-to-head competition, where the fastest finishers also walked away sporting a chain.] [Photo: Courtesy of American Express] UFC Octagon. [UFC delivered one of the show's biggest footprints, anchored by a life-size replica of its iconic Octagon. Designed and fabricated by] Sktch Events[in collaboration with] 160over90[, the centerpiece served as both a visual landmark and a magnet for photo ops, meet-and-greets, and livestreamed card breaks throughout the weekend.] [Photo: Courtesy of Sktch Events] [The action continued outside the cage with the crowd-favorite UFC Striking Challenge, where guests tested the force of their punches and compared scores. A nearby championship belt photo op let everyone leave feeling like they'd just headlined a pay-per-view.] [Photo: Courtesy of Sktch Events] Major League Soccer's "Center Stage" Activation. [Guests entered Major League Soccer's "Center Circle" through The Walkout, an LED-lined tunnel designed to recreate the adrenaline rush of stepping onto the field before kickoff. Inside the 8,000-square-foot activation, a central "Center Stage" hosted a steady lineup of live programming. It was all pulled off by custom trade show exhibit producer] 3D Exhibits[.] [Photo: Courtesy of Major League Soccer] [Fans put their footwork to the test in an official MLS Keepy-Uppy Challenge, where real-time scoring tracked every touch and crowned the weekend's top performers on a live leaderboard.] [Photo: Courtesy of Major League Soccer] [Apple sponsored a Broadcast Booth within Center Circle, where fans could step behind the mic to create personalized content. Steps away, the Heritage Locker Room created in collaboration with MatchWornShirts celebrated the players, iconic moments, and match-worn jerseys that have shaped MLS, turning a memorabilia display into an immersive walk through the league's history.] [Photo: Courtesy of Major League Soccer] [The Matchday Shop & Drop Zone embraced "drop" culture popularized by streetwear brands, offering festival-exclusive merchandise alongside daily limited-edition releases featuring custom designs by artist Gianni Lee.] [Photo: Courtesy of Major League Soccer] [Fanatics Fest wasted no time delivering viral moments. On opening day, Tom Brady sent Rob Gronkowski plunging into 500 gallons of Raising Cane's signature sauce during a live stunt hosted by founder Todd Graves. Gronk emerged claiming his skin felt "silky smooth" in perhaps the most comical product endorsement of the weekend.] [Photo: Getty Images] [Kevin Hart turned the show floor into his own studio, filming live episodes of] [Cold As Balls] [, which is from an ice bath, all weekend long. Serena Williams, Novak Djokovic, Cooper Flagg, Sean O'Malley, and streamer IShowSpeed (pictured) all braved the freezing interviews.] [Photo: Getty Images] [The weekend's biggest surprise came on day three, when Justin Bieber made an unannounced appearance, shedding his shirt to perform "Yukon" before jumping into the Fanatics Games alongside Tom Brady. Bieber ultimately walked away with the event's $1 million grand prize, sharing the winnings among charities and fellow fan competitors.] [Photo: Getty Images] [Fresh off the franchise's long-awaited NBA title, the New York Knicks staged what felt like a victory lap 2.0. The team recreated its championship parade inside Fanatics Fest, with Karl-Anthony Towns towering over fans as they got an up-close look at - and the opportunity to even touch - the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy.] [Photo: Getty Images] [The event's iconic inflatable Statue of Liberty-turned-athlete installation returned this year in a soccer pose as a nod to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.] [Photo: Getty Images] [This is the third year that Fanatics Fest has taken place at New York's Javits Center.] [Photo: Getty] Senior Contributing Editor Shannon Thaler Cherry is a contributing writer for Informa Connect's portfolio of meetings-focused brands, including BizBash, Corporate Event News, and TSNN. She has also worked as a business reporter for The New York Post and Daily Mail.

Publicis Groupe set to acquire 160over90. 160over90 will be integrated with Publicis Sports and powered by the Groupe's technology assets, Epsilon data, and scale in media to create a data-driven sport & culture agency. Publicis Groupe has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire 160over90, the premier global sports and culture-first agency. The move creates a global platform designed to drive measurable business outcomes by connecting brands to fans and audiences through unmatched technology, data, and scale across sport and culture. 160over90, a division of WME Group, is a global sports marketing and creative agency that creates meaningful connections with the people, events, and properties that move sports and culture. The agency has over 670 employees across the US, UK, EMEA and APAC, and supports sports and culture strategies and activations for global brands, delivering unforgettable moments across Super Bowls, Olympic Games, the World Cup, and more. Sports has become the anchor of premium media and modern marketing, commanding unrivalled live audiences and cultural relevance. The sports media market is valued at $150B, while sports sponsorships have surpassed $90B globally. Despite this increased investment, for marketers, these ecosystems and the partners they use to manage them remain disconnected and outdated. To fully leverage the power of sport and its impact on global culture, marketers need a unified approach across media, sponsorships, events, content, creators, and talent, and require the data, technology, and expertise to orchestrate it together. With 160over90, Publicis will offer an end-to-end ecosystem where cultural relevance drives measurable growth through: * Unmatched Scale & Reach: Integrating the full-service capabilities of Publicis Sports and 160over90, to create the world's leading sports marketing solution, with reach across the U.S., U.K., EMEA, and APAC * Data-First Optimisation: Leveraging the Publicis Sports Intelligence platform, powered by Epsilon identity, to plan, personalise, and measure investments and outcomes across media, experiential, content, hospitality, sponsorships, and commerce. * The Creator Economy at Scale: Activating Influential, the industry's leading creator platform, to extend the reach and impact of athletes as socially connected creators, storytellers, and community leaders. * Strategic Talent & Entertainment Partnership: the creation of a strategic partnership with WME Group, enabling early-stage collaboration between WME's preeminent talent and IP roster and Publicis to create opportunities across talent, content financing, and marketing partnerships. This acquisition continues to build on Publicis Sports' roster of sports and culture-first capabilities, including the acquisitions of Adopt and Bespoke in 2025, as well as a recent partnership with Magic Johnson Enterprises and the launch of Influential Sports, a practice that brings sports strategies together with talent at scale. The combined Publicis Sports group will report to Suzy Deering, CEO of Publicis Sports, and sit within PMX to ensure access and unified delivery to all Publicis agencies and clients. Robbie Henchman, most recently President of 160over90, will remain at WME Group as a Senior Partner and President of WME's brand representation business, and oversee the strategic partnership between WME Group and Publicis Groupe. Arthur Sadoun, CEO of Publicis Groupe, said, "After building our industry-leading position in identity resolution, commerce, and creators, our next big bet is sport. In the age of AI, it has become one of the most high-value channels for clients, delivering unparalleled cultural relevance, live engagement, and measurable impact." "By combining 160over90's scale and expertise in sports experiences, culture, and talent with the industry's most powerful connected influencer platform, experiential capabilities, and data-driven insights, we are disrupting a highly fragmented landscape by creating a unified, end-to-end platform that connects brands to fans in ways that are both meaningful and measurable." "This acquisition is the latest demonstration of our ongoing commitment to investing in the channels and capabilities that deliver the highest value for our clients, giving them control over their audience connections, transparency in their investments, and real business outcomes across every activation and engagement." Dave Penski, CEO of Publicis Connected Media, said, "Sport has become the most powerful intersection of culture, commerce and community. As brands invest more in the space, Publicis Groupe and 160over90 are uniquely positioned to advance and integrate sports marketing as an addressable and measurable channel, not just across media, but sponsorships, talent, and live activations." Mark Shapiro, President and Managing Partner of WME Group, said, "160over90 has earned its reputation as a trusted partner to many of the world's most influential brands, consistently delivering unique experiences and valuable partnerships on the biggest stages in sports." "Combining forces with Publicis Sports will create an unmatched offering for brands looking to move faster and create deeper connections with sports fans, properties, and content." "Additionally, WME Group's new collaboration with Publicis Groupe will deliver more opportunities for our talent and partners to realise their business ambitions at scale" The Martechvibe team works with a staff of in-house writers, and industry experts. View More