Annual geek festival extraordinaire Fan Expo Canada is one of Toronto’s hot commodities: no longer the sole domain of misfits and nerdlingers (like me!), Fan Expo is a celebration of the poppest of pop culture, drawing in fans from across genre and media – movies, gaming, comics of course – and a bevy of starry guests from same. Arriving (presumably on purpose) just before the Toronto International Film Festival overwhelms the city, this year’s Fan Expo is not to be missed.
Fan Expo 2025 represents the convention at its best, ranging from celebrities like Michael J. “Marty McFly” Fox and Christopher “Doc” Lloyd, to comic book megastars like legendary X-Men writer/artist Jim Lee and The Dark Knight Returns artist Klaus Janson.
Thursday night’s Fan Expo is one for the comic fans – and the Canadians. The highlight of opening day is a panel featuring the voice cast from the legendary 1990s X-Men cartoon (and its quarter-century-later sequel X-Men ‘97). A fun fact, which most diehards already know, is that X-Men was largely produced in Canada, with an all-Toronto voice cast. A special Q and A, Previously On X-Men, brings together most of the cast for a wide-ranging discussion about the show, what they make of the pop culture juggernaut Marvel has become, and more. Cal Dodd (Wolverine), Alyson Court (Jubilee), Alison Sealy-Smith (Storm), Adrian Hough (Nightcrawler), Catherine Disher (Jean Grey), and George Buza (The Beast) feature.
Friday, the first full day of the Expo, is a great opportunity to get in some early shopping and autograph-seeking before the hordes arrive on the weekend. We’re partial to “Comic Alley”, the lengthy row of comic creators selling original art, signing copies of comics dug up from storage bins, and even just hanging around, being friendly. (We had a great time chatting with Captain Canuck creator Richard Comely last year.) Friday night also hosts probably the second most famous Canadian of all Expo: Michael J. Fox, Marty McFly himself, for An Evening with Marty and Doc alongside Christopher Lloyd. Fox is, not to put too fine a point on it, an All-Canadian Hero and an incredible speaker, not to be missed.
Saturday is when the fans – and cosplayers – descend en masse. Expect lengthier lineups – especially in the tunnel connecting the north and south buildings, so plan accordingly – and a delightfully diverse crowd of locals and visitors, kids and seniors, deeply invested cosplayers and bewildered parents who showed up in their civvies. Saturday is also a great night for sci-fi fans: Ewan “Trainspotting” McGregor appears for a dedicated Q&A Saturday evening, presumably offering updates on when we can next see his beloved Jedi traipsing around a galaxy far, far away. Most importantly, Friday is where the most Canadian star beams down for a hotly anticipated discussion of his stellar (get it?) career: Montreal’s own William Shatner may be 94 years old, but if past Expos are anything to go by, he’s one of the most engaging raconteurs on the circuit. Expect to encounter plenty of plastic phasers and hammy impersonations while roaming the floors.
Finally, Sunday is the day for deals: with crowds thinning (but not thinned), we always recommend browsing the show floor later in the day on this, the final day. Comics will be marked back down to more reasonable prices; toys and box sets tend to get hefty discounts. That said, Sunday isn’t without its celebrity appeal, with panel appearances from the likes of Dafne “X-23” Keen, Hailee “Hawkeye” Steinfeld, and Ron “Everything Guillermo del Toro Ever Made” Perlman. It’s also a last chance to scoop up the last of the comic autographs you might have missed on earlier in the fest: Klaus Janson, Jim Lee, and even Marvel legend Art Adams will all be on hand through Sunday.
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Fan Expo Canada runs August 21-24, 2025, at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.
