Paris Fan Festival 2023: Focus on the second edition

On April 15 and 16, 2023, 27,000 fans gathered for the^2nd edition of the Paris Fan Festival at the Paris Porte de Versailles exhibition hall. The objective of this event is to bring together all the worlds of pop culture in the same place around games, conferences and animations. We take you with us on our adventure. 

Between arcade games, Super Smash Bros battle arena, Cosplay contest and giant karaoke, there is something for everyone. And as soon as you enter, you start strong: greeted by Groot and Rocket from the Guardians of the Galaxy, you drop off your coats in the cloakroom to head to the Star Wars Hangar. For a moment, you become a pilot of the Resistance aboard a real X-wing; Put on a VR headset and take down your enemies!

Then, if we take a few steps, we come face to face with Tony Stark, Superman and the Joker himself, an exceptional welcoming committee to capsize the hearts of the most fragile. 

Paris Fan Festival: Varied universes

All along the route, many spaces are set up to take pictures in your favorite universes. Minecraft (pickaxe and sword included), Jurassic Park (with the famous car of the park and a Raptor), Batman (Batmobile, batsignal, joker's cell), Indiana Jones (with the artifacts of the Temple of Peril), Harry Potter (and Arthur Weasley's famous Ford Anglia), and the list is not exhaustive… 

Fans of the Star Wars saga are served: Troopers of all kinds patrol the aisles of the festival and watch your every move.

Further on, the Blacksmiths of Coruscant and the 501st Legion of Vader represent both sides of the Force. The first, accompanied by Obi-Wan Kenobi, offer you a variety of authentic lightsabers forged before your eyes. The latter present you their handmade costumes. 

The 501st Legion of Vader is an association that brings together more than 14,000 members worldwide! Participating in charity events, they make visits to hospitals to entertain sick children. Their motorcycle: "We are bad guys doing good." 

Behind, an exhibition of the saga and other Star Wars animated series present replicas of costumes  and ships as well as life-size statues of the most famous characters. 

SSL: Taking Lightsaber Lessons

But that's not all! The most combative of the fans had an incredible opportunity to seize: during the 2 days, they could take part in an introduction to the lightsaber!!! But beware, the combat lightsaber is serious. Recognized by the French fencing federation as a sport in its own right, there are a few rules to follow. The SSL (sport saber league) is an academy that offers lightsaber courses in clubs. We had the pleasure of being trained by Alexis and leaving with our apprenticeship diploma. By the way, if you want to contemplate lightsaber fights, the weekend of May 27, will take place the International Open of France of Lightsabers, and the place is free so go for it! 

Other types of combat initiations were organized: medieval combat with a sword or hammer, or even a sorcerer's fight with a magic wand, young and old could choose sides. 

Make way for gaming

Next, let's talk about gaming. Gaming occupied a significant place in the festival. The main attraction was the octagon of Octagon Gaming, a real arena in which a lively tournament took place and where spectators could win gifts: posters, figurines, Play Station games … 

For nostalgic players, a whole free-play area was dedicated to period arcade games: Pac-Man, Galaxian, Mario Kart, … We were also able to test Super Tilt Bro, a small fighting game on NES (on the same principle as Super Smash Bros) with an improved cartridge since it is Wi-Fi and therefore allows you to play online!

Other games were accessible in free-play in a dedicated space: light dance floor with Dancerush Stardom, reflex games, motorcycle races, Pac-Man with 4 simultaneous players, or Star Wars flight simulator … We even tried a real haptic jacket from Skinetic that gives us a glimpse of a future like Ready Player One, everyone found happiness. 

Want to eat Ramen?

In the midst of all this madness, we wanted to satiate. So, we went around the stalls of the festival: Yakisoba, Ramen, Onigiri, Mochi, Chocolates from Japan or sweets of all kinds, there was something for everyone! Naruto fans were invited to board the Konoha Express where Naruto and the huge Kurama were waiting for them to taste Japanese specialties on the theme of the famous manga. 

But we could also quench our thirst in the Pirates landmark where mead and steaming cocktails were served to visitors. The more adventurous could try to beat the record of shots and win a bottle of mead! And the more adventurous could also dress up as a pirate or even as a Na'vi…

K-Pop and TV actors

 Then it was time to take a break and enjoy the show. We had the pleasure of seeing the Risin' Crew and the Bitchinas (from " 빛이" (Bichi), light in Korean) compete in an incredible battle! But on stage, immediately after the cosplay contest – during which we were afraid that the Queen of Hearts would really cut off our heads – we had the great pleasure of welcoming the phenomenal Teri Hatcher and the duo James Marsters and Charisma Carpenter! Some privileged people were able to ask their questions directly to the artists and some lost their Latin altogether. 

Before leaving, we had to take a souvenir of this incredible day. So we toured the fairytale stalls of the festival: we ordered a hand-crocheted spider man from the Wool Dragon, our eyes shone in front of the stalls of Chocolona, Ginza Plaza, and the Echoppe de l'imaginaire made our heads spin! We also had fun with a surprise bag and a 3D Spy Family poster. 

It was just a small glimpse of this incredible day at the Paris Fan Festival, we are really looking forward to the next edition and we hope to see you there!

Report written by Noa and Mila