Disney’s D23 fan event started out as a booth at Comic-Con. It’s now bigger than ever

D23, Disney’s official fan club, has been around for 17 years, and it’s stronger than ever.

Here’s how the fan club works: It has two levels of membership. There’s the free option and there’s the gold level, which offers three plans—Essential ($49.99 per year), Choice ($119.99 per year), and Complete ($329.99)—each of which offers exclusive benefits and perks. 

The fan club is also known for its biennial event, which in 2024 was renamed from D23 Expo to D23: The Ultimate Fan Event. It kicks off today and runs through the entire weekend. Think of it as Disney’s own Comic-Con where thousands of attendees descend to celebrate their favorite fandoms. 

While D23 initially started out as a booth at San Diego Comic-Con in 2009, it eventually turned into what was previously called the D23 Expo, taking place at the Anaheim Convention Center in California in the fall of that year.

It’s also international, with D23 fan events hosted in Japan in 2013 and in São Paulo, Brazil in 2024. 

While this main event takes place in Anaheim every two years, it will continue to expand in other countries, with the regional D23 Asia event set to make its debut in Singapore next summer. 

“Our biggest D23”

Attendance has also grown for the event. It was reported in 2013 that the D23 Expo brought in 65,000 attendees, while media outlets like The New York Times estimated that well over 100,000 fans have attended the events in the years that followed. 

According to Disney chief marketing and brand officer Asad Ayaz, this year’s event is different from previous years. 

“This is going to be our biggest D23,” Ayaz tells Fast Company. “It’s our biggest show for panels.” 

In 2024, the D23 event was expanded to the Honda Center on top of the Anaheim Convention Center to host more showcases and panels as well as to accommodate more attendees. This year’s event is being held at both locations again and will feature more than 50 panels and presentations.

It’s also the first time ever that Disney hosted a Disney Princess concert celebration, which featured a lineup of original Disney Princess voice talent and performers, and kicked off Thursday night at Disney California Adventure Park.

Fandom is big business in 2026

There are many fan conventions already, such as Netflix’s Tudum, which kicked off in 2020 as a multi-day event in São Paulo with over 50,000 attendees. Last year’s version at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles had around 9,500 fans gather in-person.

D23 has managed to maintain relevance even as the industry grapples with audience fragmentation. This year’s D23 is taking place just a week after the Walt Disney Company reported that it generated $25.25 billion in Q3. Its Experiences division brought in $9.97 billion, which is a 10% increase year-over-year.

As people consume content across different platforms and fan behaviors shift, adapting and making D23 more accessible has helped it maintain relevance in the digital landscape, Ayaz says, especially being able to livestream parts of it globally. 

“Through the power of both livestream and Disney+, millions of fans around the world get access,” Ayaz says. 

Social media has also played a major part, he adds, especially as fans take to the internet to talk about the presentations and news they’re excited about. 

Sharing on social channels extends the stories and characters to new audiences and allows people to interpret the event in their own way, he notes.

“Fans want to be closer,” Ayaz says. “They’re now creating content and sharing it online. So much of it is covered heavily on social media and has really extended our footprint.”

This year’s D23 offers programming across Disney’s properties, from Pixar to The Simpsons and Camp Rock 3.

Ayaz said that while the entire world may be aware of some of the brand’s big cultural touchstones, there are also plenty of subgenres or subcultures that exist in smaller groups from very vocal and passionate fans.

“We have both of those within Disney and all of our characters and stories,” Ayaz says. “What’s special about D23 is that you’re bringing people together from Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic, Disney on Broadway, Disney+—and these are people who are everything from pin collectors to families, creators, and Disney history buffs.”

Of course, Star Wars and Marvel are two of Disney’s major intellectual properties that have sustained Disney’s multigenerational fandoms for years. 

Next year marks the 50th anniversary of Star Wars. A new season of Ahsoka will stream on Disney+ in early 2027 and the theatrical release of Star Wars: Starfighter starring Ryan Gosling will premiere in the summer.

This year’s D23 event is also taking place just months before Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Doomsday hits theaters in December. 

Part of cultivating these fandoms, Ayaz says, is by generating excitement year-round beyond D23.

“We have a very big launch coming for Avengers: Doomsday and we’ve already put premium format tickets on sale,” Ayaz says.

When it comes to D23, Ayaz emphasized that Disney “is the only company and the only collection of brands” that can do something at this scale. He added: “That’s something we don’t take for granted.” 

At the end of the day, it all comes down to the fans and their passion. 

“Fans have an emotional connection to these characters and experiences,” Ayaz says. “[There’s] a lot of value in making fans feel like insiders that are leaning back and watching something, but we think about it as a two-way relationship that we’re creating for our fans.”