Fan Expo Cleveland was formerly known as Wizard World Cleveland. It was first held in 2015 as part of the Wizard World family of events, which at the time included more than a dozen fan conventions across the United States.
Once a thriving producer of multi-genre fan conventions, Wizard World was hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, most of its conventions were canceled. The following year, only six in-person conventions were held; the rest were either moved online or canceled. As a result, Wizard World sold its remaining conventions to Fan Expo HQ, a convention producer owned by the British company Informa.
After its acquisition by Informa, Wizard World Cleveland was renamed Fan Expo Cleveland. Held at the Huntington Convention Center of Cleveland, with its 500,000 square feet of meeting and event space, it is one of the most popular fan events in Ohio, attracting thousands of sci-fi, fantasy, horror, anime and gaming fans each year.
Like other major pop culture conventions, Fan Expo Cleveland features a diverse lineup of celebrity guests, including actors, voice actors, gaming personalities, comic book creators, and cosplayers. In 2025, for example, the event welcomed Tom Cavanagh (Arrowverse), Jenna Coleman (Doctor Who), Charlie Cox (Daredevil), Felicia Day (Supernatural, The Guild), Erica Durance (Smallville), Giancarlo Esposito (The Mandalorian), David Guintoli (Grimm), Grant Gustin (Arrowverse), Tyler Hoechlin (Superman & Lois, Teen Wolf), Manny Jacinto (The Acolyte), Danielle Panabaker (Arrowverse), Jared Padalecki (Supernatural), Candice Patton (Arrowverse), James and Oliver Phelps (Harry Potter), Brendon Routh (Superman Returns, Arrowverse), Adam Savage (Mythbusters), Bitsie Tulloch (Grimm, Superman & Lois), David Tennant (Doctor Who), Tom Welling (Smallville) and more. And that’s just movie and TV actors, not counting anime, comic and gaming guests!
Celebrity Q&As, photo ops and autograph sessions may be one of the main attractions at Fan Expo Cleveland, but they are far from the only ones. Fan Expo Cleveland also features meet-and-greets with voice actors, comic book artists, and game developers; the Fan Expo Cleveland IdolFest for fans of Japanese idol culture; Anime HQ; a Maid Cafe; karaoke; various panels; games, scavenger hunts, and trivia; Comics & Cocktails; cosplay events (contests and showcases, cosplayer meet-and-greets, workshops); a gaming zone; a kids’ zone and family-friendly events; and more.
As with all Fan Expo events, Fan Expo Cleveland offers several types of tickets: multi-day tickets (regular 3-day, Ultimate, and VIP), single-day tickets (for Friday, Saturday, or Sunday), single-day family passes for two adults and up to four children under the age of 12 (for Friday, Saturday, or Sunday), single-day youth passes for teens ages 13-17 (for Friday, Saturday, or Sunday), and child passes for children ages 6-12 (valid for all days).
