No fur flew in the mad dash to secure hotel rooms for Anthrocon 2023, but it might have if it wasn’t for VisitPITTSBURGH.
The annual furry convention that has been held in Pittsburgh since 2006 will be back at Downtown’s David L. Lawrence Convention Center from June 29 to July 2. To accommodate the anticipated number of people in need of lodging, tourism nonprofit VisitPITTSBURGH set aside a large reserved room block at hotels throughout the region for attendees of Anthrocon, which this year was given the moniker “Anthropolis: Our Furry City.”
Hotel reservations for Anthrocon opened on Feb. 2, and, within 24 hours, all 7,601 allotted room nights — the total evenings one can occupy a room — were sold out, according to a VisitPITTSBURGH news release.
Last year’s Anthrocon tallied a head count of 9,702, up from 9,358 in 2019. (Anthrocons 2020 and 2021 were held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic.) VisitPITTSBURGH said it’s anticipating more than 9,700 conventiongoers this year.
With those expected attendance levels in mind, VisitPITTSBURGH’s business events service team sprung into action and was able to book 1,834 additional room nights for Anthrocon attendees. As of Thursday, there were 2,187 hotel reservations made, resulting in 8,917 sold-out room nights.
“The early response to registration for ‘Anthropolis: Our Furry City’ shows just how much our members are looking forward to this event and to returning to Pittsburgh,” Anthrocon board chair Sam Conway said in a statement. “Our ongoing partnership with VisitPITTSBURGH has enabled us to connect with the community, expand our programming, and plan a wonderful multi-day convention for fans of the artistic and literary genre known as furry.”
VisitPITTSBURGH managed to extend room blocks at the Wyndham Grand Pittsburgh Downtown, Omni William Penn Hotel, Embassy Suites by Hilton, DoubleTree Pittsburgh and EVEN Hotel Pittsburgh, as well as establishing more room options at Marriott City Center, Hilton Garden Inn Downtown, Holiday Inn Express North Shore and the Hyatt Place Pittsburgh North Shore.
More information on registering for Anthrocon and ensuring that you have a place to stay is available at anthrocon.org.
Jerad Bachar, the president and CEO of VisitPITTSBURGH, said in a news release that his organization is “providing logistical and promotional support” for Anthrocon and its adjacent events, including the fursuit parade and subsequent block party on Penn Avenue planned for July 1.
“VisitPITTSBURGH has worked with the organizers of Anthrocon since 2006, and we are delighted that they have again selected Pittsburgh to host their international convention,” Bachar said. “[O]nce again, our local Pittsburgh community is invited to take part in the fun!”
Anthrocon provides a means for furries from all over to connect over their shared passions while also supporting a charitable cause. Last year’s convention raised $41,553 for local nonprofit Wildlife Works Inc.
It’s also a weekendlong economic driver for Pittsburgh, in particular the area around the convention center. VisitPITTSBURGH estimates that there will be $10.8 million “in direct spending” over a four-day stretch.
“Our fandom includes professional sports mascots, animators, cartoonists, puppeteers, artists, illustrators and writers, as well as those who simply think that it would be a wonderful thing if animals could walk or talk,” Conway said. “We look forward to working with VisitPITTSBURGH in the coming months as furries from around the globe plan their trip to Pittsburgh.”
Joshua covers pop culture, media and more at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Contact him at jaxelrod@unionprogress.com.