Fan Expo San Francisco returned once again for its fourth year to the Moscone Center, bringing fans of all ages together for a weekend filled with comics, anime, pop culture, and celebrity guests. While still a relatively new addition to the Bay Area convention scene, the event has steadily grown each year, offering attendees a mix of returning favorites and new surprises.

As mentioned in our reports from previous years, Fan Expo continues to be an event that covers a wide range of pop culture fandoms, including comics, movies, TV, anime, cosplay, toys, and more. The layout remained largely unchanged from last year, with registration and the Exhibit Hall on the first floor; Artist Alley, panel rooms, and comic creator booths on the second; and the celebrity autograph area, along with the main theater for featured panels on the third.

Based on the list online, there were over 110 exhibitors inside the Exhibit Hall offering a little of everything. Similar to previous years, we saw even more original merchandise (some based on existing IPs) such as leggings, leather jackets, denim jackets, jerseys, T-shirts, vinyl stickers, press-on acrylic nails, pet bandanas, serapes, hats, totes, posters, and more.

There were also the expected staples: prop weapons, Funkos, action figures, countless comics, and other collectibles. Last year, we mentioned being surprised to see coffee and tea vendors; this time, we saw one smartly embracing current trends by offering plush pendants. While plush pendants aren’t new, their popularity has skyrocketed in recent years thanks to PopMart, so spotting them here felt right at home. Of course, there were also plenty of PopMart items, such as Labubu, available for sale from multiple vendors.

Fan groups such as the Droid Builders Club and the Bay Area Bounty Hunters also returned with their impressive displays in the Exhibit Hall, offering fans the chance to take photos with fully costumed members in front of detailed themed backdrops. The Droid Builders drew plenty of attention with several working droids cruising through the booth, while the Bay Area Bounty Hunters featured an array of Mandalorian armor, helmets, and props that made their photo area feel like a small corner of the Star Wars universe.

Towards the back of the Exhibit Hall was a food court area, and tucked away in the very corner was an inconspicuous pineapple balloon next to a small backdrop for the upcoming SpongeBob movie, along with a poster standee. There weren’t any other booths nearby, so it was easy to walk past this spot a few times without realizing SpongeBob and Patrick were doing appearances there. It’s always nice to see more industry presence at the show, but this probably would have worked better located toward the front of the hall or even outside in the lobby for better visibility.

Towards the front of the hall was a small Godzilla display featuring artwork by local artists, promoting San Francisco Japantown’s upcoming “Godzilla Through Our Eyes: 7 Decades of the King” exhibit, which will run for two weekends starting December 6. The display showcased a variety of interpretations of the iconic kaiju, from classic designs to more modern takes, giving attendees a small preview of what to expect from the full exhibit.

More impressively, Artist Alley on the second floor housed over 230 vendors selling all types of fan made merchandise such as art prints, keychains, buttons, stickers, pottery items, and more. No matter where you walked, you could spot plenty of K-Pop Demon Hunters inspired merch, and you could easily hear the franchise’s most popular song, “Golden,” blasting from multiple booths throughout the weekend.

The second floor also featured a rotation of programming and special community appearances. On Saturday afternoon, the Japanese yosakoi dance group ITO YOSAKOI performed an energetic routine that caught the attention of nearly everyone passing by. Their vibrant outfits and rhythmic choreography brought a burst of color and sound to the area, offering a brief but memorable cultural performance that contrasted nicely with the hustle and bustle at the artist booths and panel lines.

On the third floor, attendees could catch a glimpse of or meet with some of their favorite anime and video game voice actors, as well as celebrity guests from TV shows and movies. This area was a ticketed space, and fans needed to purchase tickets individually for autographs or photo ops. Lines varied depending on the guest, but the overall setup remained organized with show staff on hand and was easy to navigate.

You can see most of Fan Expo in a single day; however, you'll definitely want to check the schedule if you're hoping to catch specific guests or panels, as not everyone appears every day. For example, actor Karl Urban (Star Trek, Dredd, The Lord of the Rings, The Boys) was present Friday through Sunday, but didn’t appear for a panel until Sunday, as some of his co-stars from The Boys, such as Karen Fukuhara, didn’t arrive until Sunday.

Overall, Fan Expo San Francisco 2025 continued the show’s steady growth while keeping the familiar layout and offerings fans have come to expect. While there are still areas that could be expanded or better showcased, the event remains a fun and accessible convention for both casual visitors and dedicated fans. We’re looking forward to seeing how the show evolves when it returns next year.