Netflix Tudum 2025 landed at the Kia Forum this past Saturday (May 31st) and Remezcla’s Trending Editor Lyra Hale had the exclusive opportunity to attend the red carpet, activations, and the event itself. And as a seasoned fan event attendee, I could tell that Netflix is trying to make a name for themselves when it comes to fan events.
Ten years ago the gold standard for uplifting a networks movies or TV shows would be San Diego Comic-Con. In 2025, things have changed. Disney/Marvel have D23 and Star Wars Celebration. There are other cons to explore like CinemaCon, New York Comic Con, and CCXP. And you’ve got PaleyFest and Deadline doing their own events.
Tudum is an opportunity for Netflix to have their own centralized event for fans. And this is what I experienced while there.
What We Experienced Before the Event
Before the actual show, Netflix had a separate experience with plenty of activations. I got to take a swing on a fancam for Happy Gilmore 2, experience the Upside Down in a themed room, and even pretend I was on the bow of One Piece’s The Going Merry. Even Thing from Wednesday was there wearing a bow tie and having the time of their lives even if they didn’t expect me to crawl underneath and take a photo. (A Netflix photographer definitely caught me crawling under Thing. Email me, please.)
Surrounding these activations were fans dressed up like characters from their favorite shows, from One Piece to Stranger Things. And while they couldn’t walk through these activations, they were there when their favorite celebrities or influencers passed by and were able to take photos with plenty of them. Also, unlike myself, who was under the LA sun and was only saved by the goodwill of a friend bringing me a hat and a Netflix staff member providing sunblock, they were saved by the giant umbrellas above them. So if anything, they won this Netflix Tudum 2025.
What We Experienced During the Event
After escaping the LA sun, it took a couple minutes to get used to being inside the Kia Forum. But once I was inside, it was easy to navigate getting food and drinks before the event. It was also kind of cool that Netflix had free themed plushies that they were giving away that didn’t involve an elaborate game. Freebies + short line? A win is a win.
When you head to your seat inside, you could really understand how much time and effort was put into creating a specific experience for Tudum 2025. Netflix took full advantage of the stage to make sure that the “N” for Netflix was front and center. And the different extensions of the stage really allowed for everyone on the ground floor to feel included when talent came out like the Stranger Things and Wednesday cast or when performers like Lady Gaga and Hanumankind hit the stage.
Being there while the show was happening live was also a surreal experience because we don’t get to see the little moments in between where they’re preparing for the next part of the show while we’re at home. That couch that the Stranger Things cast sat on? I saw them set that up in the dark. The whole Knives Out bit that they did? I saw Kerry Washington standing there with her t-shirt gun waiting for her moment. Even Lady Gaga, when she was performing, I got to see her running backstage as the Wednesdays distracted us so she could get into her next outfit.
Then there’s the length of Netflix Tudum 2025.
In comparison to other events like D23, Netflix doesn’t have a vast catalog where they can do separate segments for different franchises and this event hours long. But you can tell that they’re trying, particularly with the YA offerings that they have from Forever to Outer Banks and Ginny and Georgia. And even then, a more succinct programming might be advantageous to fans who want to have a good time don’t have the bandwidth to go to an event that is hours upon hours long.
What We Experienced After the Event
After Lady Gaga closed out Tudum 2025, I headed back to the red carpet area to see that the entire space had been transformed for the after-party. Where they had activations before now they had a space to dance with the guards from Squid Game or Nevermore students from Wednesday. There was also plenty of food from Happy Gilmore-themed drinks to Wednesday themed desserts.
I got to talk to plenty of Latinas celebrities like Luis Guzmán from Wednesday, Nikki Rodriguez from My Life with the Walter Boys and Amy and Johnny from Love is Blind Season 6. But that wasn’t the true highlight of the after-party. Neither was the food, even though it was pretty great. The true highlight was hunting down where people were getting themed One Piece and Stranger Things tiki-styled mugs. Once it was acquired, all was right in the world and we enjoyed the rest of our night at Tudum 2025.
P.S. After scouring the internet, I found the One Piece mug here.
Travel and accommodations were provided to the author by Verizon for the purpose of writing this story.
