PITTSBURGH — Today is day one of Anthrocon 2025, with this year marking 19 years since the annual convention made its home in Pittsburgh.
The full schedule of events can be found here.
Sam Conway, CEO of Anthrocon, says coming to Pittsburgh is what makes this event so special.
“There is a genuine affection from this city, between the furries and the people, that isn’t seen anywhere else in the world,” Conway said.
Furry Rive agrees.
“The public is happy to see us,” Rive said, “and that really means a lot because in other cities, like Atlanta, or Boston or San Francisco, the public sees it and goes, ‘Oh that’s interesting.’ But here, it’s become part of the city.”
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Organizers are projecting record attendance, with more than 19,000 attendees expected. People booked over 12,000 total room nights and are expected to generate nearly $22 million in economic impact for the region.
Rive says the growing attendance is no surprise.
“Every time that someone comes here for the first time, they tell their friends about it. It’s a snowball effect,” Rive said.
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“We chose ‘Deep Sea Adventures’, that gets those creative energies going,” Conway said about the 2025 convention’s theme. “It’s a playful sort of thing. We have the theme every year primarily to give the many artists that we have something to focus on.”
The four-day event runs through Sunday.
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