FreeFurAll in 2023 ended with a whimper. In 2022, this was the convention brought together parts of the fandom tired of suffocating political orthodoxy and ruthless cancel culture. Attendance dropped from 207 in ’22, to somewhere between 40 and 50 this year. Last year’s marquee performer dropped out. Video reports of the Glenpool Conference Center were eerily empty, showing a convention that had the life sucked out of it.
FreeFurAll was a failure. But don’t let anyone tell you it failed because people were no longer interested in the message. The reasons for FFA’s failure have been well documented both in this blog and elsewhere on social media, and no matter how you slice it, furries’ hunger for decent, family-friendly conventions outside of ‘cartel’ control is actually stronger now than it was a year ago.
Despite the Chair and board members’ claim that there will be a convention next year, FreeFurAll as we know it is indeed history. Consider this: The GCC has not been booked for next year. No pre-reg has been announced. With attendance of 40 people, there is absolutely no way the AWOO Association will be able to afford renting the facility for a weekend in 2024.
That FreeFurAll is no more is a good thing. All of us need to move on to other prospects, and create events and spaces run by better, more committed people. But what do we do from here on? Well, I don’t exactly know, but I have some ideas and suggestions, and I would like to share them here.
Nobody is perfect, so meet offline anyway
Here is one of the factors, I’ve noticed, that has kept the more decent people in the furry fandom from putting up effective alternatives to what is currently available: An unwillingness to work with people who they may disagree with in some aspects, or work with those who fall short morally to you in some way. This impulse has worked to our detriment.
That’s not to say that certain groups, particularly ones allowing and promoting pedophile art or zoophilia communities, such as the Furry Raiders, should be included in any group leadership. They shouldn’t. However, most of the disagreements I see have not revolved around anything nearly as serious, but are rather personal drama, political disagreements, or objections on how potential leaders and organizers have lived their lives or led previous events.
The bottom line is this: Life is a team sport. Business is a team sport. It should stand to reason that creating Furry events are also a team sport. Creating new furry spaces and convention crews will require working with people you don’t always agree with. It will also mean compromising on some things. The grown ups in the room will be able to do this.
There are so many people in this part of the fandom who will not get off their ass because they believe no one around is good enough for them. The same people will therefore stay exclusively online and tear people down. Ask yourself if this is something you are doing. For several years, that was, unfortunately, all I was doing. Reflect honestly on this, because cleaning up this behavior will often be the biggest step forward this community can make.
In this world, not of it
My personal experience, so far, is that furry conventions aren’t that bad. As for me, I’ve had the benefit of having made dozens of friends at FreeFurAll 2022, many of whose company I have enjoyed in subsequent conventions elsewhere. We are working on creating a new space where you can find like-minded furries to join you in other conventions. I urge you to join our effort if you like, but more on that later.
While there certainly is an element of gross kinks, nasty art in public that pushes way too far, and political statements at mainstream furry conventions, my experience is that you generally do not have to interact with these if you don’t want to. Conversely, there are many wholesome, fun aspects of the exact same furry conventions, and often times there are many fun events going on that you shouldn’t throw out just because some objectionable things go on late at night.
Both Texas Furry Fiesta and Siesta are worthwhile events. If you’re in Texas or anywhere near Dallas-Ft. Worth, I would recommend these any day. As far as major conventions go, they are relatively decent.
I believe Wild Nights camping convention in eastern Oklahoma is also worth going to. I’ve had several friends go there and everyone has spoken positively of it.
Megaplex, Florida’s biggest fur con, has a reputation for being relatively clean, fun and apolitical.
Both DenFur and Furry Weekend Atlanta scrapped both vax and mask requirements in 2023. FWA is known to host a more fetish-dense audience, so beware.
Also, I’d give ArkanPawz, a new convention in Arkansas slated to begin in 2024, an honest chance.
None of these conventions have vaccine mandates, and if I could, I would attend each of them.
As for me, personally, I am putting the lion’s share of my efforts with the former director of FreeFurAll, and the many of us who attended FFA, walked out on AWOO in 2023, but personally stuck together. Our group can be found in the Digitalis Discord server and the Furry Wholesome Hangout Discord server. We are organizing a camping event in Oklahoma this October, and I would be delighted to meet you there if you can make it (ticket prices are quite reasonable).
But more than any of these single events, the most important thing is to engage with people in your area (if possible) and work your social circle out from there. I am confident that any of the above platforms could lead to communities and spaces we could all be proud of. What’s even more exciting than any of these is the possibilities of new furmeets and maybe even new promising conventions in other places.
If nothing else, FreeFurAll in 2022 showed us that this was indeed possible. We just have to work earnestly with each other and make it happen. No more complaining, either pitch in or go home.
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