D23 Expo 2022: start date and time, how to watch, Marvel, Star Wars, and more

D23 Expo 2022 is right around the corner, and fans of every Disney-owned property are gearing up for a ton of new announcements concerning their favorite franchises.

The latest annual celebration of all things Disney is sure to be an electrifying event, too. With the likes of Marvel Studios, Pixar, and Disney’s in-house animation studio in attendance, we can expect a bunch of trailers, cast announcements, and more for the latest batch of Marvel movies, Disney Plus shows, and more.

You’ll want to know, then, when D23 Expo 2022 will kick off, what time certain panels will begin, and how you can livestream the event. Well, we’re here to help. 

Below, we’ve compiled a list of everything you need to know about the 2022 edition of the ultimate Disney fan event, including where you can keep up to date on specific panels if you’re not in attendance yourself. We’ll get onto why some panels won’t be shown live later on.

So throw on your favorite Marvel superhero, Star Wars character, or Pixar cosplay and let’s dive in.

When does D23 Expo 2022 start?

D23 Expo 2022 will begin on Friday, September 9 at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET / 6 PM BST / 10:30 PM IST / 3:00 AM AEST (Saturday, September 10).

That’s when the convention’s first panel will kick off, anyway. The doors to D23 Expo 2022 open at 9 AM PT for attendees, so those lucky individuals will have an hour to walk the show floor before they head to the first panel of the weekend. The event will end on Sunday, September 11, with the event closing it doors at 7 PM PT on that date.

The fan event is being held in Anaheim, California, but tickets sold out a long time ago, so those hoping to make a last-minute trip to the US state will want to hold off from booking their flights and accommodation. However, there is a way for non-attendees to catch some of the weekend action.

Where can I watch D23 Expo 2022 panels?

Those who can’t be at D23 Expo 2022 will be pleased to hear that they can watch certain panels online. Fans can tune into the official D23 YouTube channel (opens in new tab) or D23.com (opens in new tab) to livestream some presentations, while the D23 Facebook (opens in new tab) and Twitter (opens in new tab) accounts will provide regular updates across the weekend.

Wait, why do we keep saying that you can only stream some panels? Unfortunately, the biggest presentations of the weekend will be exclusive to attendees. That means you won’t be able to livestream panels for Marvel Studios, Pixar, Disney Animation, or Disney Studios-live-action projects. That’s a massive shame but, from Disney’s perspective, it makes sense for its biggest panels to be event exclusives.

What panels can I livestream at D23 Expo 2022?

It’s disappointing that we can’t livestream the convention’s biggest panels, but there are some that non-attendees can tune into. Here’s the full roster of D23 Expo 2022 presentations that you can livestream (all times shown are PT):

Friday, September 9

• Disney Legends Award Ceremony (10:30 AM)
• Disney & Marvel Games Showcase (1 PM)
• Disney For Scores Podcast Live Celebrates Marvel Music (2:30 PM)
• Disney Legends in Conversation (4 PM)
• D23 Expo Mousequerade 2022 (6 PM)

Saturday, September 10

• Talkin’ Pets with the Vets of National Geographic (10:30 AM)
• Bob’s Burgers (12 PM)
• MARVEL COMICS: Celebrating 60 Years of the Amazing Spider-Man (2 PM)
• Disney’s Epic Entertainment Showcase: The Musical: The Extravaganza! (3:30 PM)
• D23 Disney Stars Trivia Showdown (6 PM)
• The Making of Disney100: The Exhibition (6:30 PM)

Sunday, September 11

• A Boundless Future: Disney Parks, Experiences and Products (10:30 AM)
• Walt Disney Imagineering: 70 Years of Making the Impossible, Possible (1 PM)
• Explore the World with the Next Generation of National Geographic! (3:45 PM)
• D23 Disney Stars Trivia Showdown (5 PM)

What to expect from D23 Expo’s biggest panels

While we won’t be able to watch them live, we’ll still receive a slew of information – through social media and other channels – about the biggest panes at D23 Expo 2022.

Let’s start with Marvel Studios’ Hall H panel. While it won’t be livestreamed, Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) fans can expect a slew of content and announcements from this 90-minute presentation.

For one, we’re sure to hear more details about the last few MCU Phase 4 projects. That should include a new trailer for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, as well as official Disney Plus release dates for TV specials Werewolf by Night and The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special. The latter duo still haven’t been given launch dates, so expect Marvel to confirm when they’ll arrive on its streaming service.

Meanwhile, we can expect some big news surrounding some Marvel Phase 5 and Phase 6 productions. MCU insiders suggest we’ll get teaser trailers for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and Secret Invasion, which will be the first MCU projects to be released in 2023. It’s possible that Marvel might reveal official launch dates for Secret Invasion, What If…? season 2, Echo, and Loki season 2 during its panel, too.

We might also receive official casting news for Blade, Captain America: New World Order and The Thunderbolts – the latter of that trio being particularly intriguing, given the rumors of who’ll be part of this anti-hero group’s line-up in recent days.

Speaking of cast announcements, the biggest reveal of the weekend could be reserved for Marvel’s Fantastic Four movie reboot, which will be the first superhero film to launch the studio’s Phase 6 plans. There’s been plenty of speculation about who’ll be cast as the iconic quartet in the past week, so we’d be amazed if Marvel didn’t confirm which actors will play Mr. Fantastic, Sue Storm, The Human Torch, and Thing at D23 Expo 2022.

Finally, Marvel could unveil a couple of other Phase 6 projects. The studio has only announced three films so far, so we might learn about some other productions that’ll be part of its Phase 6 slate. Don’t quote us on that, though – there are plenty of other movies and TV shows for Marvel to talk about at D23 Expo, so it wouldn’t be a huge surprise if no new Phase 6 projects are revealed.

Elsewhere, we can expect to hear more details about Strange World, the next animated feature from Disney Animation Studios. Over at Pixar, we’re sure to find out official plot and cast details, as well as a teaser trailer, for Elemental, the 27th Pixar movie.

As for Star Wars, it’s likely that Lucasfilm will give us some news about its upcoming slate. Star Wars Celebration 2022 only took place in late May, so we’re unlikely to see too many announcements. However, we should get more information of forthcoming Star Wars movies and TV shows, such as Andor, which launches on Disney Plus on September 21. We might also learn more about Taika Waititi’s untitled Star Wars film, The Bad Batch season 2, Skeleton Crew, and The Acolyte.

If Lucasfilm really wants to make a splash, though, it’d set tongues wagging if they showed us footage from The Mandalorian season 3 and Ahsoka‘s solo live-action series. Failing that, official release dates wouldn’t go amiss for the pair.

Away from movie and TV-based content, The Disney and Marvel Games Showcase should provide plenty of news for gamers to get excited about. From Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 and Marvel’s Midnight Suns, to Marvel’s Wolverine and Lucasfilm/Machine Games’ Indiana Jones title, there’s lots to be excited about in the gaming sphere when it comes to Disney-owned properties.