The furry fandom is a subculture interested in anthropomorphic animal characters in contemporary pop culture. Although the tradition of endowing animals with human characteristics and personalities is quite old (take European fairy tales, for example), the furry fandom in its modern form originated at a sci-fi convention in the early 1980s. The first formal gathering of furry fans (a furry convention) was held in the US in 1989.
The first gathering of the furry fandom in Australia took place in 1999. It was called MiDFur, short for Melbourne in December Fur Meet. The first meet-ups were small and informal. They typically included a dinner get together, a shopping trip, a barbecue, watching various films, and some over activities. The event was typically hosted by one of the participants.
The 10th edition of MiDFur was the first edition to be a convention rather than a meet. It was held from December 12-15, 2008 and attracted 177 attendees. MiDFur was held annually until 2012. During the 2012 convention, it was announced that MiDFur would be replaced by ConFurgence. The team took a one year break and held the first ConFurgence convention from January 10–12, 2014. It drew over 500 attendees.
The program of ConFurgence is similar to that of other furry conventions. It features a plethora of events and activities such as the opening and closing ceremonies, parties, workshops and seminars, a fursuit parade, contests and photo shoots for fursuiters, art exhibitions, fairs, Artist Alley, stage performances, role-playing and board games, and a charity auction.
A charity auction is a common tradition at many furry conventions. A lot of furry fans actively support animal rights organizations. All proceeds from the auction are donated to the convention’s charity of choice. ConFurgence’s official charities have been the Siberian Husky Rescue, Save Our Tassie Devils, and the Australian Dingo Foundation.
Photo: confurgence.com
