Twelve years have passed since the release of Final Fantasy XIV’s A Realm Reborn (FFXIV’s ARR). Released in 2013 following an initial 2010 release, FFXIV has since released five expansions following ARR: Heavensward, Stormblood, Shadowbringers, Endwalker, and the most recent Dawntrail which was released July 2, 2024. Endwalker was the culmination of a long journey, and Dawntrail takes players to a brand new land, Tural, where the player can begin another new journey. The 12th anniversary falls during Dawntrail’s third patch, “The Promise of Tomorrow.”

Every year, the anniversary is celebrated in game through a seasonal event called The Rising, where players are able to embark on a short side quest, engaging with NPCs and eventually culminating in an in-game message from director and producer Naoki Yoshida, affectionately known as Yoshi-P by the players (Yoshi being shorthand for Yoshida and P standing for producer). This year’s The Rising event takes place from August 27 12:00am to September 11 7:59am PDT, and players who complete the questline will be rewarded with the Wind-up Gulool Ja Ja minion.

Excitedly, this year also saw the announcement of the next FFXIV Fan Festival (commonly known as Fan Fest)! In the video titled, “A Message of Celebration on FINAL FANTASY XIV’S 12th Anniversary,” Yoshida thanks players for their support and enjoyment and announces that the next Fan Fest will occur in 2026, revealing the locations and dates along with it. Fan Fest is an opportunity for fans to gather and share their love of the game in person.

The events also serve as the stage for major announcements regarding what updates and plans the FFXIV team has in store for players, and usually fall close to the announcement of a new expansion, so players are now looking forward to what new information will be gleaned. Each Fan Fest also sees a new update, at which point fans can patch together what they’ve learned after the final Fan Fest.

North America’s Fan Fest will be located at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California on Friday, April 24, 2026 and Saturday, April 25, 2026. Europe’s Fan Fest will be located at Messe Berlin, hub27 in Berlin, Germany on Saturday, July 25, 2026 and Sunday, July 26, 2026. And, finally, Japan’s Fan Fest will be held at Makuhari Messe in Tokyo, Japan on Saturday, October 31, 2026 and Sunday, November 1, 2026. Information regarding ticketing is not yet available though will be found at a later date through the official Fan Festival website.