Gdakon

Gdakon is an annual furry convention held in the city of Gdansk, Poland. Originally created to fill in a gap in the winter event schedule of Poland’s furry fandom, it has become one of the largest events of its kind in Poland. It also serves as a counterweight to the summer convention called Futerkon.

The furry fandom is a subculture interested in anthropomorphic animal characters with human characteristics and personalities in books, animation, films, television shows, games, anime, manga, comic books, and other media. It began to emerge in the early 1980-s within the science fiction and fantasy fandom. The first standalone furry convention was held in the mid-1980s in the United States. Today, regular or semi-regular furry conventions and furmeets are held throughout North America and Europe as well as in some Asian and South American countries, Australia and New Zealand.

Gdakon is not the oldest furry convention in Poland. The country’s first event of this kind was Futrzakon founded in 2008. In 2011, it was discontinued and replaced with Futerkon. Futrzakon and its successor Futerkon are aimed primarily at Polish-speaking furry fans. Gdakon has developed from a series of furmeets in Gdansk. As the local furry community grew, it was decided to organize a full-fledged convention.

The inaugural edition of Gdakon was held from January 27 to 30, 2011 at the Hostel Bursztynek in Gdansk. The organizers modeled it after foreign furry conventions but adapted the format and program to the Polish setting. The attendance has been growing steadily ever since. The convention even had to move to a larger venue when the capacities of the hostel were exceeded. Although most attendees are Polish furries, there are foreign participants too.

Grakon’s program is similar to that of other furry conventions around the world. It includes workshops and seminars, panel discussions, sightseeing tours around Gdansk for out-of-town attendees, a DDR tournament, a lottery, film screenings, a fursuite parade, furdances, and more.

Each edition of Gdakon is dedicated to a new theme that influences on its program and atmosphere. Past themes have include Hawaii, Medieval Times, Vikings, Horrors, Jungle, Savannah, Magic vs. Technology. Gdakon doesn’t have a fixed logo, a new logo is introduced each year to match the current main theme. The convention’s mascot is a gryphon called Gdakonek.