Furry fans unite! A peek inside the world's largest furry convention

Record ID: 1700896

  • Title: Furry fans unite! A peek inside the world's largest furry convention
  • Date: 2nd December 2022
  • Summary: ROSEMONT, ILLINOIS, UNITED STATES (DECEMBER 2, 2022) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF ATTENDEES AT MIDWEST FURFEST 2022 (SOUNDBITE) (English) SARAH NEWCOMER, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF PROGRAMMING AT MIDWEST FURFEST 2022, SAYING: “It’s a place for everyone to come together. It's an incredibly inclusive event. We represent every continent except Antarctica. We have over 50 different countries here. It's just a really amazing melting pot of people just celebrating the culture of furry.” ATTENDEES AT MIDWEST FURFEST 2022 (SOUNDBITE) (English) SARAH NEWCOMER, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF PROGRAMMING AT MIDWEST FURFEST 2022, SAYING: “A lot of the community and these relationships are built online and these conventions are an opportunity for everyone to come together and share the experiences together and just be within the community in a situation that, you know, is unlike anything you'd see outside of this.” VARIOUS OF ATTENDEES AT MIDWEST FURFEST 2022 (SOUNDBITE) (English) BROWNING, MIDWEST FURFEST 2022 ATTENDEE, SAYING: “It’s a way to express yourself. You know, there's a lot of people there. So I'm just trying to use the politically correct term here. You know, they're, they're not very outgoing in their everyday life. But then when you come here and you're a bunch of, you're among a whole bunch of other people that share a common interest. It allows you to express yourself. You don't really feel any fear anymore of doing so.” VARIOUS OF ATTENDEES AT MIDWEST FURFEST 2022 (SOUNDBITE) (English) STORM, MIDWEST FURFEST 2022 ATTENDEE, SAYING: “When I was growing up, I felt really alone and the furry community was what kind of helped me get socialized and find some of the best friends in the entire world.” VARIOUS OF ATTENDEES AT MIDWEST FURFEST 2022 (SOUNDBITE) (English) SHARPIE, MIDWEST FURFEST 2022 ATTENDEE, SAYING: “It's definitely a great place to just be with people that are like minded, like you, and have a sense of community. Because, you know, shockingly, we're all humans under these suits, so we're creatures of community. So we all need that here.” VARIOUS OF ATTENDEES AT MIDWEST FURFEST 2022 (SOUNDBITE) (English) THEO, MIDWEST FURFEST 2022 ATTENDEE, SAYING: “I highly encourage anybody to come and check one of these out. There are a lot of fun, these cons and who knows? You'll never know what you'll find that you really connect with you. There's stuff here for everybody.” ATTENDEES AT MIDWEST FURFEST 2022
  • Embargoed: 16th December 2022 21:31
  • Keywords: CHICAGO CONVENTION FAN FANDOM FEST FESTIVAL FURRY ILLINOIS
  • Location: ROSEMONT, ILLINOIS, UNITED STATES
  • City: ROSEMONT, ILLINOIS, UNITED STATES
  • Country: US
  • Topics: Arts/Culture/Entertainment,North America,Editors' Choice
  • Reuters ID: LVA001414802122022RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Thousands of furry fans from across the globe came together in Rosemont, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, for Midwest FurFest 2022.
    Organizers call Midwest FurFest the world's largest furry convention; a 4-day long festival that wrapped up Sunday (December 4) dedicated to the furry fandom, meaning people with an interest in dressing up as anthropomorphized animals, like Sonic the Hedgehog and Pokémon.
    "It's a place for everyone to come together, it's an incredibly inclusive event," said Sarah Newcomer, Midwest FurFest 2022's assistant director of programming. "We have over 50 different countries here, it's just an amazing melting pot of people celebrating the culture of furry."
    Many at Midwest FurFest say they recognize that some people outside the community may not understand the convention, but the event and the culture behind it have helped several attendees find and develop meaningful friendships.
    "When I was growing up, I felt really alone," said Storm, a Midwest FurFest 2022 attendee dressed as a horse. "The furry community was what helped me get socialized and find some of the best friends in the entire world."
    "I highly encourage anybody to come and check one of these out, they're a lot of fun," said Theo, a longtime Midwest FurFest attendee dressed as a pink coyote this year. "Who knows, you never know what you'll find that will really connect with you. There's stuff here for everybody."
    (Produced: Eric Cox)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2022. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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