I finally got to attend the 2026 Final Fantasy XIV Fanfest in Anaheim and it was unforgettable. As my very first Fanfest, it was something I had wanted to go to ever since I started my FFXIV adventures in Stormblood. But sadly, I was never able to get tickets until this time.
Luck looked kindly upon me this time where two of my friends got lucky and won tickets in the initial round of ticket offerings. The they told me immediately and we went all-in. Though, I didn’t win any through my own account, I was more than grateful that my two closest friends did. With minimal deliberation, we all decided to go.
We booked our flights and hotel, then sat tight waiting for the date. April rolled around and life got hectic for all of us. By then, we weren’t feeling it, we weren’t in the mood, life was too busy, but we had all committed, so we followed through.
The moment we got on the plane, with our worries and responsibilities left behind, the excitement started creeping back in. Grateful for a break from reality and excited for the upcoming days. We landed at Long Beach Airport, a refreshingly smooth and quick experience compared to LAX, then hopped into our rental car, and headed out for a late-night dinner at the wonderfully authentic OC & Lau Restaurant.
After a satisfying dinner and drinks, we continued on to our hotel…
We arrived at our hotel, the Hyatt Regency Anaheim and thanks to our membership rank, we got upgraded to a 2-bedroom suite.
We settled in, unpacked, engaged in some more excited chatter, then finally unwind-ed and dozed off to sleep.
Friday morning was the first day of Fanfest! We headed down to our hotel breakfast buffet, enjoyed a solid continental breakfast, topped off my mug with coffee, and made sure to tip our wonderfully attentive servers before heading out. By the time we reached the Anaheim Convention Center, it was nearly 10am. The outside was quiet, no lines, barely anyone milling around. We walked straight to the Check-In area, which was equally hassle-free, and collected our wristbands and goodie bags.
Once we checked out our goodies, it was time to go to the main event… The Keynote. And that’s where the crowd was!
The crowd was incredibly engaged during the Keynote. There was a LOT of cheering at the announcements, especially for the Evangelion collaboration, which the presenters had to tease carefully without giving too much away. During this time, the rest of the venue remained roped off with security, so none of the activities were accessible just yet.
Once the Keynote wrapped up and the venue opened, we met up with our FC mates and sister-FC members. After some catching up and group photos, we dove into exploring everything the event had to offer. The cosplays alone were stunning. There were so many incredibly creative ones scattered throughout the hall. We wandered, grabbed food, joined in on activities, and worked our way through all the booths. More than once, we’d stumble across something and have absolutely no idea what it was (the telltale sign of Fanfest newbies), only to piece it together later from posts on Reddit.
After wandering the floor, we grabbed seats for the Dev Panel. The hosts brought out someone new to us, their Battle Designer, Hikaru Tamaki. We learned that he’s been behind many of the gameplay improvements we’ve enjoyed across the last few expansions. And then came the revelation: HE was the one responsible for the INFAMOUS MATH MECHANIC (prime number or death). The crowd had thoughts, to say the least.
After the introduction, Yoshi-P asked the audience to give him a nickname, as every core team member must have one. You can already imagine how that went. The audience delivered swiftly and unanimously, and so, he became Mr. Prime.
Eventually hunger struck, so we checked out the food options inside the hall, the two rows of food trucks just outside, and the coffee shop near the entrance. One thing we appreciated, and only figured out later, was that they allowed food in and out of the hall, which meant you could grab a bite while still holding your seat for the next event.
It was while we were outside eating that the Dev Panel dropped the biggest announcement since the ARR revamp… EVOLVED MODE! And the removal of the 2-minute synergy! Of all the moments to step out of the Dev Panel! The audience inside must have been losing their minds, and honestly, some of the folks eating outside were too, hunched over their phones watching the stream and reacting in real time. Can’t say I blamed them.
After we finished eating outside, we headed back to our hotel for some respite…
Recharged and ready, we headed back to the Main Hall for the last event of the day, the piano concert. We arrived about an hour early, only to find it already packed. We pivoted quickly, rushing over to the Overflow area, and managed to snag decent seats just in time. Shortly after we sat down, more and more groups began flooding in, also hunting for spots. Turns out, making the call to head to Overflow sooner rather than later was the right move.
After the wait, the piano performance finally began. Keiko took the stage in a stunning, elaborate gown and swept us away with the music of Final Fantasy XIV. The accompanying video scenes were a beautiful touch, bringing back so many memories of the game’s most cherished moments over the years. Amanda Achen joined her on stage, and their performance of Flow was breathtaking. They also performed the Honey B-Lovely song, which was an absolute delight, and a testament to Amanda’s versatility, as the style is quite a departure from her usual work. She pulled it off with such playfulness and a richness to her singing that I was thoroughly impressed.
And of course, you can’t have a Keiko piano performance without Soken joining in with his comedic otamatone companion. That ended up being one of the highlights of the night. Watching Soken in his element, with all his personality and humor and energy with the crowd, was pure joy. The audience absolutely adored him.
One interesting note: the acoustics in the Overflow area were noticeably better than in the Main Hall, something they really should fix. That said, the Main Hall still had the edge in atmosphere. The performers often played directly to the live audience there, and the energy and reactions from that crowd were simply electric in a way the Overflow area couldn’t quite replicate.
Below is a sample of Keiko and Amanda together performing Flow…
And that concludes our first day of Fanfest!
Day 2
The next morning we woke up refreshed and ready to go. After breakfast, we headed to the venue for the Crystalline Conflict event. We even landed good seats this time, thanks to a generous fellow Warrior of Light who offered his to us as he headed off to browse the venue. Unfortunately, the Main Hall’s poor acoustics struck again, and we could barely make out a word the announcers were saying. After a while, we cut our losses and went to check out some of the activities we’d missed the day before.
When the final round of the Crystalline Conflict was about to begin, we slipped out of our activity line and made our way to the Overflow section, and the difference was immediately night and day. Every word from the announcers came through crisp and clear. It made a world of difference, especially since I was the only one in our group who actually played CC. My friends had been largely in the dark up to that point, but now, finally able to follow the commentary, they were genuinely invested in the matches. The battles went from background noise to must-watch. We really should have gone straight to Overflow from the start.
As much as we were enjoying the festivities, merch was never far from our minds. We had missed the pre-order window back in December 2025. Then the evening before, we’d discovered we couldn’t secure a reservation for the merch line either. Our only shot at getting a Fanfest hoodie was the Standby Line. The first day, we’d taken one look at the line and retreated; it was insanely long, snaking out the door and wrapped around the building. That morning, we checked again, only to be told by staff that the Standby Line wasn’t forming yet. Our hopes were fading.
Then, while we were waiting in the Honey B-Lovely photo-op line, our phones lit up with a notification. The Standby Line was now forming. One of our group immediately broke off to secure a spot, while the rest of us stayed to get our photo with Honey and grabbed a sticker to bring back for our line-holder. While we waited, we chatted with fellow Warriors of Light, and I had the privilege of witnessing what might have been the coolest cosplay of the entire event — a fellow Bard, dressed in deep purple, wielding the Deima bow. The craftsmanship on that weapon was absolutely jaw-dropping.
After our photo op, we rushed to find our friend in line and settled in for the long haul, the waiting, and waiting, and waiting. Not long after we joined, the workers closed off the Standby Line entirely, turning away everyone who came after.
Then came the slow crawl of time. Minutes passed, then an hour. We wondered anxiously whether anything would even be left by the time we reached the front. The workers made periodic laps down the line, each visit bringing another announcement of something that had sold out, each time resulting in a collective groan from those of us still waiting. Then another hour slipped by, and at some point we all quietly gave up on standing and sank to the floor. To pass the time, we chatted and streamed the Fanfest events on our phones.
And then, finally… the Reservation holders were done. It was our turn.
We made our way joyously to our assigned kiosks, then over to the hanging rack of trial goods to try on sizes, inspect the totes and other items to see what they really felt like, in case we had a chance to order online in the future, since so many were already sold-out. But yay! the Fanfest hoodies were still available! We made our decisions swiftly and checked out, mindful of the people still waiting behind us.
We grabbed our assigned number and headed to the pickup zone. When our number was finally called, we were delighted… a hoodie for each of us, plus a t-shirt! We were so giddy that we donned our hoodies right then and there. Two-plus hours of waiting, sore feet and all, and we couldn’t have been happier.
Now it was time to prepare for the Primals Concert and today we tried to get seated earlier than we did for yesterday’s concert. We rushed back and split up: I would go ahead to snag seats and hold everyone’s things, while the others went to grab food for the group.
I loaded myself up with everyone’s packs and made my way to the Main Hall. This time, I wasn’t hunting for the closest seats, I was hunting for the most flexible ones. With food and drinks incoming, a couple of hours still to kill, and the inevitable bathroom runs to account for, I needed seats that were easy to get in and out of. I found exactly that, though they were much further back than I would have liked, with no view of the actual stage, just the screen above. But we were in the first row of that section with nothing blocking us, which made us comfortable, allowed us to people-watch while waiting, and easy for my group to spot me in the crowd.
Eventually they made their way back, arms full of food and drinks, and we settled in as the hall slowly filled around us. More and more people poured in as the minutes ticked by, the buzz in the room growing with every passing moment. And then, finally… the lights began to dim. The concert was starting.
Around this time, workers began positioning themselves throughout the hall to keep the aisles clear and ensure everyone’s safety. Honestly, the whole event had been impressively well organized from start to finish, and our fellow Warriors of Light had been nothing short of wonderful throughout. Courteous, considerate, just genuinely good people. I’m so proud of our community.
The stage lights up and the Primals emerge…
By the end, the entire audience (myself, especially) was chanting and screaming for more… “One more song! One more song!” I had nearly screamed myself hoarse. But the lights came up anyway, and just like that, the Closing Ceremony began.
Fanfest was over, the performances done, and one by one everyone left the stage, everyone except Yoshi-P. He stayed, lingering and interacting with the crowd as fans fanned out around him. He interacted with the crowd repeatedly and we even made him cry, until he finally walked off stage.
During the Closing Ceremony, the team mentioned they had a flight to catch, and by the time they would land back in Japan, it would already be Monday, with a new patch dropping Tuesday. That kind of schedule is no joke. The dedication and hard work these people pour into this game and its community is something else entirely. Respect.
We walked out of the convention center feeling giddy and genuinely lucky to have been part of such a special event with such a wonderful community. We made our way to the curb, hopped into a rideshare, and capped the evening with a late dinner at The Packing District. It was a nice little surprise to find we weren’t the only Warriors of Light with that idea, as more and more WoLs trickled into the dining hall after we arrived. We grabbed some surprisingly excellent sushi and drinks, then finally headed back to the hotel to unwind.
Sunday morning came and we packed up, grabbed our last hotel breakfast, and checked out. Fanfest was over, but we weren’t quite ready to let go of the euphoria just yet. I drove the group over to the Requiem Café to try our luck at the Standby Line. By the time we arrived around 11am, a line had already formed, though it wasn’t too bad. One of us hopped out to hold our spot while the rest of us hunted down parking in a nearby garage.
The walk from the garage to the café turned out to be a little adventure of its own. We passed through a lively outdoor market lined with restaurants, cafes, shops, and bakeries. We took turns stepping out of line to browse and do a little shopping, then eventually regrouped to wait together. And wait we did. The line barely moved, and with our flight looming, we could feel the clock ticking. After an hour or more of standing still, we cut our losses, snapped some group photos, explored the area for lunch, and grabbed boba to reward ourselves.
On our way out, we swung by the café one last time for a final look at the line. It had hardly moved. We smiled, walked back to the rental car, and headed for the airport.
At the airport, we were delighted to run into even more Warriors of Light and ended up chatting the wait away. We even exchanged Discords with one who turned out to be from our own town, a lovely little bonus to close out the trip, and something we’re genuinely looking forward to building on.
And with that… our very first Fanfest came to a close. Our minds, still warm with the memories, slowly began drifting back toward reality… the responsibilities, the workload, and everything else patiently waiting for us at home.
There’s more! Some interesting reads below…
- Checkout this write-up a from a Reddit mod Fanfest attendee.
- And see what Yoshi-P has in store for us…
- Finally… check-out my v-log below…
- The official 2026 FFXIV Anaheim FanFest Website: https://fanfest-na.finalfantasyxiv.com/2026/en-us
- The Requiem Cafe Website: https://www.requiemcafe.shop/
That’s it! Until next time Warriors of Light….