Furry convention

Furry convention

A furry convention is a formal gathering of members of the furry fandom — people who are interested in the concept of fictional non-human characters with human characteristics. These conventions provide a place for fans to meet, exchange ideas, transact business and engage in entertainment and...

s are social interactions among furry fandom

Furry fandom

Furry fandom is a fandom for fictional anthropomorphic animal characters with human personalities and characteristics. Examples of anthropomorphic attributes include exhibiting human intelligence and facial expressions, the ability to speak, walk on two legs, and wear clothes...

 members—people who are interested in anthropomorphic

Anthropomorphism

Anthropomorphism is any attribution of human characteristics to animals, non-living things, phenomena, material states, objects or abstract concepts, such as organizations, governments, spirits or deities. The term was coined in the mid 1700s...

 and fictional characters with human characteristics. At the conventions, fans exchange ideas and information, buy merchandise, and participate in entertainment and recreation. Introduced in the late 1980s, furry conventions originated in California, with ConFurence

ConFurence

ConFurence was the first exclusively furry convention, held annually in southern California from 1989 to 2003. The large furry presence at the BayCon science fiction conventions instigated Mark Merlino and Rod O'Riley to throw "furry parties" at Westercon, Baycon, and other west coast sci-fi...

. Over twenty years later, furry conventions have spread worldwide.

Staffed mostly by volunteers, some typical activities at a furry convention consist of presentations, panels, workshops and tutorials on anthropomorphic culture—from literature, fiction and art to science, technology and spirituality. The convention will often provide space for stand-up comedy

Stand-up comedy

Stand-up comedy is a comedic art form. Usually, a comedian performs in front of a live audience, speaking directly to them. Their performances are sometimes filmed for later release via DVD, the internet, and television...

 routines, filk music

Filk music

Filk is a musical culture, genre, and community tied to science fiction/fantasy fandom and a type of fan labor. The genre has been active since the early 1950s, and played primarily since the mid-1970s. The term predates 1955.-Definitions:As the Interfilk What Is Filk page demonstrates, there is...

, gaming and roleplaying sessions, as well as numerous puppeteer

Puppeteer

A puppeteer is a person who manipulates an inanimate object, such as a puppet, in real time to create the illusion of life. The puppeteer may be visible to or hidden from the audience. A puppeteer can operate a puppet indirectly by the use of strings, rods, wires, electronics or directly by his or...

ing and performing arts

Performing arts

The performing arts are those forms art which differ from the plastic arts insofar as the former uses the artist's own body, face, and presence as a medium, and the latter uses materials such as clay, metal or paint which can be molded or transformed to create some physical art object...

 events. Attendees under the age of majority

Age of majority

The age of majority is the threshold of adulthood as it is conceptualized in law. It is the chronological moment when minors cease to legally be considered children and assume control over their persons, actions, and decisions, thereby terminating the legal control and legal responsibilities of...

 are commonly allowed to attend with a notarized

Notary public

A notary public in the common law world is a public officer constituted by law to serve the public in non-contentious matters usually concerned with estates, deeds, powers-of-attorney, and foreign and international business...

 parental permission slip

Permission slip

A permission slip in the United States is a form that a school or other organization sends home with a student to a parent in which the parent provides authorization for minor children to travel under the auspices of the school or organization for some type of event, such as a field trip.Permission...

 or accompanied by an adult. Typically, approximately 15% of attendees wear a fursuit

Fursuit

Fursuits are animal costumes made from various materials. They range from simple tails and ears to full costumes cooled by battery-powered fans. Fursuits can be worn for personal enjoyment, work or charity....

 or other costume.At Midwest FurFest 2006, 213 of 1441 attendees participated in the Fursuit Parade (post by registration coordinator on 20 November 2006), while 353 of 2,849 wore suits at Anthrocon 2007 Some may wear fur accessories

Fashion accessory

Fashion accessories are decorative items that supplement and complement clothes, such as jewelery, gloves, handbags, hats, belts, scarves, wigs, watches, sunglasses, pins, stockings, bow ties, hand fans, leg warmers, leggings, neckties, suspenders, and tights....

, like ears or a tail.

Typically, furry conventions are often closed to public media, due to previous television and magazine coverage which implied the events were sexually oriented. For example, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation is an American crime drama television series, which premiered on CBS on October 6, 2000. The show was created by Anthony E. Zuiker and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer...

s "Fur and Loathing" depicted furry conventions in a negative light. The episode portrayed furry conventions as places for people to dress up as animals and perform sexual acts with each other. According to Furry survey, about half of furries perceive public reaction to the fandom as negative; less than a fifth stated that the public responded to them more negatively than they did most furries. As of 2007, some permit the local news media to attend, usually under close supervision. Below is a comprehensive list of current and discontinued furry conventions from around the world.

Active events

Annual conventions held over the last 12 months, and those scheduled for the next 12 months.

Discontinued events

External links

• Map of active furry conventions
• List of furry convention resources at WikiFur
• Timeline of furry conventions with attendance numbers at WikiFur, derived in part from the Anthropomorphic Fandom Convention Information Sheet