8Bit/Digi

After four years as a cornerstone of the Bay Area fandom community’s holiday tradition, Fan Expo has announced the end of its San Francisco run.

In a post shared to its social media accounts, FanExpo confirmed it will not return to San Francisco. The post broke the news while thanking the Bay Area fandom community for five years of unforgettable weekends. FanExpo cited an inability to secure a workable date at the Moscone Center as the reason for ending its San Francisco run.

While the reason may seem vague, those active in the Bay Area convention scene have been quick to point out the Moscone Center’s long history of hostility toward fan conventions. The convention center has long favored industry trade shows, forcing out many fan conventions. The most notable was WonderCon, which relocated to Anaheim after 15 years in the Bay Area. When Fan Expo first came to San Francisco in 2022, it was the first fan convention hosted at the Moscone Center since San Francisco Comic Con 2017.  

In response to the announcement, attendees have shared memories from the event, such as the panels or cosplay gatherings.

Others have asked whether FanExpo would consider relocating to the South Bay, Sacramento, or Oakland.

As of now, Fan Expo has not announced any plans to bring a new event to the Bay Area, but has not ruled the idea out completely. The fandom community will have to wait and see.

The staff at 8Bit/Digi has been attending Fan Expo regularly since it first started and are sad to see it end after such a successful run. We have attended panels and cosplay gatherings, and made some amazing friends along the way. We like to thank them for the memories and hope they do consider coming back to the Bay Area in the future.

8Bit/Digi is an independent media outlet that provides an insight into the gamer community of the San Francisco Bay Area.