PHOENIX -- From a comedic celebrity panel featuring Rainn Wilson, who portrayed Dwight Schrute on 鈥淭he Office,鈥� to hallways jam-packed with Marvel characters to retro arcades teeming with eager gamers, attendees barely knew which way to look first.
Few events at the Phoenix Convention Center draw as wide an array of characters as Phoenix Fan Fusion, which took place this past weekend in downtown Phoenix.
The weekendlong event has undergone numerous changes over the years, including its name. Still, one thing that remains constant is the passionate fanbase that often spends hundreds of dollars per person on autographs, photo opportunities and memorabilia from local vendors.
Event attendance has ebbed and flowed throughout the years, seeing its largest decrease in the years immediately following the COVID-19 pandemic.
Having successfully rebounded from 2020 and 2021 -- when fears of COVID-19 and the later Delta variant forced the postponement and eventual cancellation of the event -- this year鈥檚 event was well-attended and demonstrated the growth of comic book and fantasy enthusiasts throughout the Valley.
Spencer Hamm, who has attended the event for the past three years, said Fan Fusion has continued to reach new audiences each year.
鈥淒oing something like this, seeing a fanbase be able to dress up as whoever they want and relax for a day is comforting,鈥� Hamm said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a release from the real world that a lot of people look for.鈥�
Hamm, a Phoenix native who works at LLLReptile and Supply Co. by day, attended the event not as himself, but rather as Fan Fusion鈥檚 Dark Knight and defender, Batman.
While Hamm said the primary reason he attended Fan Fusion was for the opportunity to connect with people of a similar fandom, others wanted to showcase their costumes and personal creativity.
Gabriel Decker, who dressed in an incredibly large blue robotic suit of armor, equipped with a jetpack and sword equal in size to a surfboard, portrayed Demetrian Titus from the tabletop war game Warhammer 40,000.
According to Decker, his friend Joseph Ramirez, owner of Beyonder Joe Creations, LLC, took three months to create Decker鈥檚 costume.
鈥淎rizona is becoming a really popular state,鈥� Decker said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e got a lot of money here, and a lot of people that are my age or younger, so I think it鈥檒l keep growing as more young people are attracted to the state.鈥�
From getting a signed copy of a favorite edition of Marvel Comics to snapping pictures with Elijah Wood and Sean Astin 鈥� actors who portray Frodo and Samwise, respectively, in 鈥淭he Lord of the Rings鈥� film trilogy 鈥� fans had innumerable opportunities to participate in the weekend鈥檚 cosplay activities.
鈥淎s people see this grow and grow more, people feel a fondness for the event, and a similarity to the people who attended,鈥� Hamm said.
The Phoenix Convention Center hosted a record of over 315,000 event attendees in 2024, and with more than 60 events booked for the 2025 season, the venue may likely surpass last year鈥檚 numbers with the success of this past weekend.
Fan Fusion鈥檚 peak attendance was in 2016, when more than 100,000 guests attended, according to the event鈥檚 website.
Staff at the convention center said people tend to enjoy 鈥渢he vibe鈥� that a 鈥渃razy place鈥� like Fan Fusion offers.
Ismar Cano recently joined the convention center as an employee and said that people enjoy the event for a variety of reasons, including celebrity panels and video game tournaments.
鈥淢ost people can鈥檛 get out to California for the really huge events,鈥� Cano said. 鈥淏ut I know that there are a lot of people like me who didn鈥檛 know you could find something like this in Phoenix.鈥�
Cano said preparation for the event started months in advance, but there was no real way for him to estimate just how popular Fan Fusion has become.
鈥淓verybody told me 鈥極h, it鈥檚 going to be crazy,鈥� but seeing it is completely different,鈥� Cano said.
While it is too early to predict next year鈥檚 turnout, if this year鈥檚 attendance is any indication, in conjunction with the growth in Phoenix鈥檚 population, one can assume the event will only continue to gain traction.