FAN EXPO New Orleans: 150+ Panel Schedule This Weekend

NEW ORLEANS (press release) – FAN EXPO New Orleans released its panel sessions for this weekend, Jan. 9-11, at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.

Ranging from “An Evening with the Hobbits: In Celebration of 25 Years,” a once-in-a-quarter-century celebration featuring Sean Astin, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan and Elijah Wood, to celebrity Q&As, the FAN EXPO panel will include industry, cosplay, gaming, anime and informative panels.

More than 150 panels, screenings and meetups make up the schedule of interactive panel sessions.

Programming extends beyond the panel rooms, with the Creators Stage featuring artists and writers discussing their crafts, as well as the Community Zone highlighting the best in local organizations, charities and interactive content.

Most panels are free with event admission.

FAN EXPO New Orleans Panel Highlights:

Friday

• 3 p.m., The State of Trek fan panel, Room 286
• 4 p.m., Voice Acting Class 101 with Michael Scott, Creators Stage
• 4 p.m., Transformers: Beast Wars with Ian James Corlett, Theater 3
• 4:30 p.m., Cast of “Hazbin Hotel” (Christian Borle, Lilli Cooper and Joel Perez), Main Theater
• 5:15 p.m., “Star Trek: The Next Generation” with Gates McFadden, Theater 2
• 5:45 p.m., “TMNT: Heroes in a Half Shell” with Ernie Reyes Jr., Brian Tochi, Robbie Rist and Kenn Scott, Main Theater
• 6:15 p.m., “Reno 911!” with Cedric Yarbrough and Thomas Lennon, Theater 2
• 7 p.m., Truth and Myth about Hauntings in New Orleans fan panel, Room 286
• 8 p.m., “Grand Theft Auto” with Ned Luke, Shawn Fonteno and Steven Ogg, Theater 3

Saturday

• 10 a.m., Fandom Unleashed: From Conventions to Community Movements, Room 287
• 11 a.m., One Journey, Many Worlds with Elijah Wood, Main Theater
• Noon, “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” with James Marsters, Theater 2
• Noon, “Star Trek” and Neurodiversity fan panel, Room 286
• 12:15 p.m., “Lost” with Josh Holloway, Dominic Monaghan and Francois Chau, Main Theater
• 1 p.m., Spotlight on creators Sean Gordon Murphy and Corin Howell, Theater 4
• 1 p.m., “Luke Cage” with Mike Colter, Theater 2
• 1:30 p.m., From Broadway to Fandom: Meet Krystina Alabado, Lilli Cooper, Joel Perez and Christian Borle, Main Theater
• 2 p.m., Taking the Cost out of Cosplay, Room 287 Workshop
• 3 p.m., “Twister” with Helen Hunt, Theater 2
• 3 p.m., Cosplay Competitions for Beginners with Remy Domino, BekuCos and Cynful Cosplay, Room 287 Workshop
• 3:30 p.m., She is the One Named Sailor Moon: Terri Hawkes Q&A, Theater 3
• 4 p.m., Voices of FAN EXPO voice acting competition, Creators Stage
• 5 p.m., “Breaking Bad” with Dean Norris, Theater 2

Sunday

• 11 a.m., Can We Trust Herbie? Robots and AI in Popular Culture fan panel, Room 286
• 11 a.m., Shire Shenanigans: Behind the Scenes with Billy Boyd, Theater 3
• 11:30 a.m., “The Addams Family Reunion” (Christina Ricci and Christopher Lloyd), Main Theater
• Noon, Y2K Icon: Jaime Pressly, Theater 2
• 12:15 p.m., Classic Comics Revisited: “Moon Knight” by Stephen Platt and Terry Kavanagh, Theater 4
• 1 p.m., Blockbuster Action Stars: Joe Pantoliano, Dean Norris and Garrett Hedlund, Theater 2
• 2 p.m., “Harry Potter” (Bonnie Wright, James Phelps and Oliver Phelps), Main Theater
• 3:15 p.m., “The Goonies” (Sean Astin, Corey Feldman, Joe Pantoliano, Kerri Green and Robert Davi), Main Theater

Fans can review the entire event schedule on the FAN EXPO New Orleans website and app.

This weekend will also debut the new live art showdown Comics Xplosion on Friday, Jan. 9, at 8:30 p.m. at Junebug (744 Camp St.)

Tickets:

Adult, youth and child single-day tickets, three-day passes, family passes and Ultimate and VIP Packages for FAN EXPO New Orleans are available now online. Advance pricing is available until December 26.

New Orleans is the first event on the 2026 FAN EXPO HQ calendar.