Rub shoulders with the coolest people on the planet: ComplexCon is back

It felt like hype at the time, but that was before the 20,000-square-foot interactive soccer stadium with Travis Scott.

A year ago, we spoke to ComplexCon founder Aaron Levant about bringing his massive art/fashion/music/food/sneakerhead nirvana to Vegas for the first time.

He described it then as a “one-plus-one-equals-10 moment,” predicting the city and the event would amplify one another.

You’d expect a little salesmanship from a man rolling the dice on a new setting for ComplexCon after establishing it as a big draw in Long Beach, California, where it had been held since 2016.

But if anything, ComplexCon exceeded even Levant’s grand expectations, attracting a record 60,000 fans and racking up $20 million in sales over two days at the Las Vegas Convention Center thanks to hundreds of brands coming with exclusive drops and set pieces like Nike’s aforementioned installation with superstar rapper Scott.

“We were extremely happy with the debut in Vegas; I was ecstatic,” Levant says in a recent video call. “And then, my mind goes to a different place. There’s a short moment of euphoria, and then it’s like, ‘Oh, now we gotta go back and do it again. It’s got to be better; it’s got to be different.’ It’s not rinse, repeat. It’s like, how do you take that and make it bigger?”

By adding more of, well, pretty much everything when ComplexCon returns to the Convention Center this weekend with a vast array of brands, music, food, podcast tapings and more.

‘A new recipe’

Need a quick refresher on just what exactly ComplexCon entails?

“When I think about the elements, the ingredients that I put in to make ComplexCon,” Levant begins, “it was like, learn something from ComicCon, learn something from big music festivals, from sneaker conventions, from food festivals, from art fairs, and kind of put all those things in a blender. We created a new recipe for what this event format is that’s unique. And I don’t think there’s anything quite like it, anywhere in the world.”

Every year, ComplexCon partners with a global artistic director — last year it was Scott — to lead the creative vision of the event. This go-round, the nod goes to celebrated contemporary artist Daniel Arsham, whose work combines art, architecture and performance.

“It’s a unique thing that we take this event and hand it off to this creative partner. We let them cast it in their own image,” Levant explains. “I’ve been a fan of Daniel’s for a long time. He is this truly multidisciplinary artist who creates objects and large-scale sculptures, painted artworks and consumer products and digital experiences.

“He really exists in many realms, and we put a lot of energy into bringing Daniel’s world into real life,” he continues. “There’s massive 30-foot-tall sculptures and art activations and installations that you can walk through and interact with. There’s a lot of really cool stuff that we’re excited about.”

‘Coolest people on the planet’

Above all else, though, ComplexCon is about shopping in an environment in which there’s pointedly little separation between stars and fans.

Who knows, maybe you’ll bump into Sexxy Redd while checking out the brand-new Crocs Ripple available for the first time here?

“A lot of people come to ComplexCon for the exclusive drops and the shopping experience,” Levant says. “They’re walking on the show floor, and all of a sudden they turn and, like last year, there was Snoop Dogg standing right there — or your favorite athlete, your favorite musician or your favorite influencer is streaming live while you walk around the show floor.

“Last year, literally, you could look around the corner, and it’s like, Travis Scott’s walking down the aisle,” he continues. “Other events, you see talent onstage, up on a pedestal — which we have — but it’s like, ‘How do we bring more talent into the crowd and intermixing with fans?’ You actually get to meet them, take a picture with them, engage with them. That’s a big part of ComplexCon, that surprise and delight that you could just literally be rubbing shoulders with some of the coolest people on the planet.”

highlights

A look at some of what’s in store at ComplexCon 2025:

Music: Balaclava-clad rage rapper Yeat headlines the main stage on Saturday with Mexican superstar singer/rapper Peso Pluma and fast-rising U.K. MC Central Cee. Uber popular rap/R&B battle series Verzuz returns live at ComplexCon on Saturday with a highly anticipated faceoff between New Orleans hip-hop royalty in Cash Money Records vs. No Limit Records. Awesomely out-there rapper Young Thug teams up with white-hot Ken Carson and hip-hop square peg 2Hollis on Sunday.

ComplexCon(versations): Sneaker of the Year panel discussion; “GOAT Talk” debating the best and worst things ever; “360 With Speedy” featuring YouTuber and Twitch streamer Rayasianboy; “Please Explain Hosted by Aria Hughes”; “Idea Generation” with music video director and and Lyrical Lemonade founder Cole Bennett; “It Is What It Is Podcast” hosted by rappers Ma$e and Cam’ron; live taping of DJ Akademiks.

Immersive activations: Daniel Arsham will unveil new installations including a re-created “Divided Layers,” one of his most noteworthy, made specifically for ComplexCon, a new and larger version of the Carsham Gas Station and additional large-scale inflatable sculptures; Patta Run Club and Joe Freshgoods debut a new-to-market apparel collection with an immersive vintage Barbershop that will offer attendees on-site haircuts. ComplexCon will be the first event in which the two brands come together to introduce their new collaborative relationship; On Saturday morning, Feature, together with Patta and Joe Freshgoods, will host the Vegas leg of the Patta Run Club ahead of ComplexCon’s opening. Attendees can sign up to join the run. Coffee, refreshments and light bites will be provided.

Exhibiting brand highlights: Thug Club and Adidas are partnering for a co-branded apparel and footwear collection; MGK and Ed Hardy will bring a “Lost Americana”-themed diner to ComplexCon that will serve up collaborative branded T-shirts, fleeces, hats, belts and bandanas; Jeff Hamilton’s sports-centric booth will feature new collabs with the Raiders and FIFA; after debuting their first collaboration at ComplexCon Hong Kong in March, Billionaire Boys Club and Casanova Vintage are bringing their partnership stateside with an exclusive activation. Together, the two brands will unveil a Billionaire Boys Club x Casanova Vintage ComplexCon exclusive capsule; Jae Tips’ “Savior Island” is debuting a new colorway for his Saucony collab as well as additional collaborations with G-Shock and New Era. Streetwear label CLOT will create an immersive “CLOT Dog Park” to introduce a specialty line of pet clothes for the first time. First established in 2003, CLOT is a pioneering streetwear label and the brainchild of Edison Chen; Futura Laboratories will showcase a first-to-market new Nike Dunk drop as well as a collaboration with Hot Wheels; Body by Raven, launched in Los Angeles by pop culture “it girl” Raven Tracy in 2018, will be releasing a new collection that continues her celebration of body positivity, inclusivity in fashion and self-love; Crocs will release a brand-new shoe, Crocs Ripple, for sale for the first time at ComplexCon; Vans will debut a first-to-market footwear release.

Mowalola will return to ComplexCon and drop a new release; Neighborhood and Y-3 are partnering on a collaborative installation with custom embroidery, interactive elements, giveaways and more; Moon Boot x Mattias Gollin will debut their new collaborative mule style; BAPE will release a new first-to-market Bapesta style, available at ComplexCon before rolling out alongside their fall/holiday apparel collection.

Humane World for Animals, formerly known as the Humane Society of the United States and Humane Society International, has partnered with L.A.-based streetwear brand Bricks & Wood and Complex to launch From Animals With Love, a limited-edition capsule collection debuting at ComplexCon featuring a custom animal print inspired by Humane World for Animals’ logo and reimagined through Bricks & Wood’s design lens.

Family Style Food Festival: Running alongside ComplexCon, the Family Style Food Festival will feature out-of-town culinary talent including Truth BBQ of Houston, Seoul Taco from the Midwest, Brique French Toastery out of Los Angeles, and Katz’s Delicatessen and Rokstar Chicken from New York City, as well as local vendors such as Milpa, Lotus of Siam, Shàng Artisan Noodle and Naked City Pizza. Visit familystylefest.com for more details.