Furry Community and Convention Growth

While the landscape of furry fandom has evolved significantly over recent years, one thing is for certain: our community has experienced unprecedented growth lately. Take the numbers from recently-held Furry Weekend Atlanta, for example: In just their last three conventions, attendance numbers have more than doubled, from 7,212 in 2022 to a staggering 15,021 this year. Anthrocon has seen it too, recording a more than 40% increase in attendance from 2022 (9,702) to 2023 (13,644). According to official records, there have now been seven conventions with more than 5,000 registered furries – a mark that 10 years ago was only eclipsed by Anthrocon, and soon after by Midwest FurFest.

What this means for convention attendees

What does this mean for you, the con attendee? To start, there is the challenge of simply having way more attendees than available services, such as con staffing, venue space & hotel accommodations. This will mean potentially longer waits in queue lines around the con, from elevators to registration, Dealers room openings, and some Main Stage events. There will also be the need to find alternatives to staying at the “main” hotel which now may only lodge a tiny fraction of total attendees. In fact, Anthrocon now has contracts with 22 partner hotels throughout downtown Pittsburgh, and even those contracted rooms aren’t enough.

Thankfully, these growing pains have been expected, and anticipated, by Anthrocon for quite some time – we are working to mitigate the inconveniences caused by them as best we can, using our available resources. Last year, for example, we incorporated badge checking upon entering the DLCC instead of doing so at major choke points such as the entrance to Dealers Den and Main Stage, which greatly eased queue lines. This year, we’re continuing to implement new ideas to make better use of our space and line-up options so that it improves the attendee experience. Additionally with our bigger hotel footprint, we’re continuing to serve attendees with a dedicated shuttle bus system that constantly runs from 8 AM to 3 AM between most properties and the DLCC.

Outside the convention

These growth challenges also translate to the services and experiences beyond the convention. Restaurants, despite there being many of them within walking distance of the David L. Lawrence Convention Center (DLCC), will be more crowded, with most sit-down establishments requiring a reservation at peak dining times. If you’re planning to attend specific events or gatherings, but want to have enough time to enjoy a meal sitting down, you’ll want to factor in the time it takes to actually get your meal first.

How we can help our community move forward

Even with the changes Anthrocon has put in place, we recognize these new challenges can be frustrating, especially if you’ve only attended smaller conventions that have a more manageable staff-to-attendee ratio. Keep in mind that furry conventions are staffed by unpaid volunteers, and as attendance goes up, very rarely does volunteer staffing go up at anywhere near the same rate. As we prepare to welcome attendees from all over the world to what will certainly be the biggest Anthrocon yet, an extra bit of patience and understanding is greatly appreciated, and goes a long way to creating a positive convention environment for all!