Midwest FurFest | |
---|---|
Status | Active |
Genre | Furry |
Venue | Donald E. Stephens Convention Center |
Location(s) | Rosemont, Illinois |
Country | United States |
Inaugurated | 2000 |
Most recent | 2023 |
Attendance | 15,547 in 2023 |
Organized by | Midwest Furry Fandom, Inc. |
Filing status | 501(c)3 |
Website | www |
Midwest FurFest (MFF) is a furry convention that takes place in Rosemont, Illinois, usually on the second weekend after Thanksgiving. [1] First held in 2000, MFF is presented by Midwest Furry Fandom Inc, an Illinois Educational Not-For-Profit Corporation that exists primarily for the purpose of holding an annual convention to facilitate education in anthropomorphic literature and art. It also facilitates the donation of funds to non-profit institutions, mainly of which promote the well-being of humans and/or animals. The convention is among the most attended furry conventions in history, peaking at 15,547 attendees in 2023.
Midwest FurFest started as a furry focused part of the now defunct DucKon, a Chicago-based science fiction convention. [2] The furry portion of the original convention was started at DucKon 3 in 1994 and was headed up by Robert King. Interest grew each year, and it was estimated that by DucKon 8 (1999) between one-quarter and one-third of those attended present due to interest in the furry component of the convention. [1]
Interest in furry specific activities grew to a size that it was no longer feasible to exist as a part of DucKon, and the convention was spun off in 2000, with the creation of Midwest Furry Fandom Inc., with the first MFF happening in November 2000. [1] The convention has grown from 473 attendees in 2000 to 13,641 in 2022, making it the largest furry convention in the world by more than 3,900 attendees over the previous largest convention, Anthrocon. [3] It has helped raise over US$900,000 for various charities. [4] [5]
On December 7, 2014, a gas leak occurred at the Hyatt hotel in Rosemont, which was accommodating attendees. The hotel was evacuated, and 19 guests were hospitalized. [6] Later, an investigation found a broken glass bottle containing a concentration of chlorine powder inside the building. [7] [8] 18 of the 19 people hospitalized were released soon after and the convention continued. Rosemont Police interviewed hotel guests and employees, as well as employees at local stores which sell chlorine. While these interviews and subsequent investigation did not result in any known suspects or charges, police continue to treat this as a crime. [9] [10]
On September 15, 2019, Milo Yiannopoulos announced his intention to attend that year's convention. After significant backlash from other attendees on social media, Yiannopoulos was swiftly banned from the convention the following day. [11]
At the 2023 festival an attendee tweeted that the Android device they used to control their insulin pump had been interfered with by a Bluetooth Low Energy spam attack. [12] They said that if they hadn't been able to fix their Android device they would have had to go to the hospital. [12]
Year | Location | Attendance | Charity Donation | Charity |
---|---|---|---|---|
2000 | Arlington Heights, Illinois | 473 | $3,522 | Wolf Park, Valley of the Kings big cat sanctuary, and Chicago House |
2001 | 511 | $6,800 | Animals for Awareness | |
2002 | Schaumburg, Illinois | 685 | $6,088 | Animals for Awareness |
2003 | 800 | $6,500 | Animals for Awareness | |
2004 | 959 | $7,000 | Furry Friends Foundation | |
2005 | 1,066 | $6,800 | Wildlife in Need | |
2006 | 1,422 | $13,049 | Safe Haven Wildlife Refuge | |
2007 | 1,690 | $15,193 | Flint Creek Wildlife Rehabilitation | |
2008 | Wheeling, Illinois | 1,992 | $15,000 | Rainbow Animal Assisted Therapy |
2009 | 2,040 | $12,799 | Kane Area Rehabilitation and Education for Wildlife | |
2010 | Rosemont, Illinois | 2,285 | $11,300 | Castaway Pet Rescue |
2011 | 2,600 | $19,575 | Animal Education and Rescue | |
2012 | 3,216 | $40,500 | Felines & Canines | |
2013 | 3,904 | $28,000 | One Tail at a Time | |
2014 | 4,571 | $31,446 | Critter Camp Exotic Pet Sanctuary | |
2015 | 5,606 | $62,021 | Save-A-Vet | |
2016 | 7,075 | $78,482 | Felines & Canines | |
2017 | 8,771 | $85,000 | CRISP | |
2018 | 10,989 [13] | $94,000 [14] | SitStayRead | |
2019 | 11,019 [15] | $224,704 [15] | Felines & Canines | |
2020 | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | |||
2021 | Rosemont, Illinois | 9,332 [16] | $74,303 [16] | Mission Companion Paw |
2022 | 13,641 [17] | $106,683.66 | The Street Dog Coalition | |
2023 | 15,547 [18] | $185,758.31 [19] | Live Like Roo |
The furry fandom is a subculture interested in anthropomorphic animal characters. Some examples of anthropomorphic attributes include exhibiting human intelligence and facial expressions, speaking, walking on two legs, and wearing clothes. The term "furry fandom" is also used to refer to the community of people who gather on the Internet and at furry conventions.
Anthrocon is an annual furry convention that takes place in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, each June or July. It caters to furries, which are fans of fictional anthropomorphic animal characters in art and literature. The convention was first held in 1997 in Albany, New York, and moved multiple times before settling at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. Since moving to Pittsburgh in 2006, the convention has drawn millions in financing to the local economy.
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 conventions in the late 80's. This led to the test gathering in 1989, ConFurence Zero.
Fursuits are custom-made anthropomorphic animal costumes owned and worn by cosplayers and members of the furry fandom, commonly known as "furries"; a furry who wears a fursuit is called a fursuiter. The term is believed to have been coined in 1993 by Robert King. Unlike mascot suits, which are usually affiliated with a team or organization, fursuits represent an original character created by their wearer, and are often better-fitting and more intricately crafted, with features such as a moving jaw. Fursuits are made in a wide range of styles, from cartoonish to highly realistic.
Eurofurence is a furry convention, initially held in changing places in Europe every year, but staying in Germany since 2004. It was originally started in 1995 as a private gathering by nineteen European furry fans who met on the Internet. Attendance has been steadily rising since then, to 3,495 at Eurofurence 26, making it the second largest furry convention outside the United States after NordicFuzzCon. The name of the convention derives from its then-contemporary American counterpart ConFurence, emphasising the European nature of the gathering.
Robert Stratton "Buck" Coulson was an American science fiction writer, well-known fan, filk songwriter, fanzine editor and bookseller from Indiana.
MFF may refer to:
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The Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, formerly known as the Rosemont/O'Hare Exposition Center, is a convention center located in Rosemont, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. Built in 1975, the center has exhibition space of 840,000 sq ft (78,000 m2) and parking available via a Skybridge connected parking garage, which is able to accommodate 8,000 vehicles. It is located near O'Hare International Airport, Allstate Arena, Rosemont Theatre, and Fashion Outlets of Chicago. The facility is named after the late mayor of Rosemont, Donald E. Stephens.
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DucKon was an annual science fiction convention held every May or June in the Chicago area between 1992 and 2014. The name is a shortening of DUpage CountyKONvention.
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Anthro New England (ANE) is a furry convention that is held annually in the Greater Boston area of the U.S. state of Massachusetts. It was first held in 2015 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, but moved into Boston in 2018 at the Boston Park Plaza. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 event was held online. Since 2020, Anthro New England has become one of the top ten furry conventions in the world. Anthro New England moved to a larger venue, the Westin Boston Seaport District hotel for 2023. The latest event in 2024 reached a new attendance record of 4,482 attendees.
Ironclaw is a series of tabletop role-playing games created by Jason Holmgren of Sanguine Games, this series features anthropomorphic characters in a setting inspired by class and religious conflicts during the Italian Renaissance. Additionally, Jadeclaw is a related game that is set in a concurrent East Asian setting.
A fursona is a personally claimed persona resembling an anthropomorphic animal adopted by a member of the furry fandom. Fursonas can provide numerous roles for the creator. According to The New Science of Narcissism, 95% of those in the furry fandom have at least one fursona; with the Anthropomorphic Research Project estimating that the average furry has between two and three fursonas over the course of their life.
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