Anthrocon 2026 drew 20,618 attendees to the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh from July 2 to 5, a new record for the convention and up from 18,357 in 2025. Attendees raised over $86,000 for J and J Farms Animal Sanctuary, the convention's 2026 charity. The theme was "Critters, Cryptids & Curses", and it was Anthrocon's 20th year in Pittsburgh.
The weekend also brought a cancellation. With extreme heat and severe weather in the forecast, Anthrocon cancelled the Fursuit Parade and Block Party the night before they were due to run. Year-round venue, hotel and travel detail lives on the Anthrocon convention page.
Anthrocon posted its results the morning after the con closed, on Bluesky and on its Telegram channel.
"Here's how SPOOKY our numbers were for #Anthrocon 2026"
Anthrocon on Bluesky, July 6, 2026
The post listed 20,618 attendees and charity money raised of "over $86,000". Its third line was a heat index of three fire emojis.
The 2026 count is the third record in a row. Anthrocon's own history gives 17,639 for 2024, and its 2025 wrap-up gave 18,357. The charity total sits close to 2025's "over $87,000" for Nose 2 Tail Cat Rescue. Anthrocon has given its charity results as rounded "+" totals since 2023, so "over $86,000" is the official 2026 figure.
Demand ran past capacity all weekend. On Friday morning Anthrocon posted that full weekend badges had sold out and only day passes were left. Friday's at-the-door day passes sold out that afternoon, and on Saturday morning the convention apologized that Saturday day passes were gone too.
The convention leaned into the spooky side from the first post of the weekend, inviting attendees to "officially enter the dark and cryptid world of #Anthrocon 2026" before Opening Ceremonies on Thursday. The event graphics through the weekend were signed "Art by Moth Monarch". In August, Anthrocon pointed fans to a YouTube upload by the animator FishyBoner with all of the animations made for the 2026 con.
The 20th Pittsburgh year got its own moment before the doors opened. On July 1, Anthrocon announced that the Mayor of Pittsburgh had designated the day "Anthrocon Day", and it thanked the City of Pittsburgh, Allegheny County and its partners for 20 years in the city.
The same post showed Penn Avenue signed as "Anthrocon Ave" for the weekend.
Nightly dances ran in the Spirit of Pittsburgh Ballroom, with a bag policy and no alcohol in con space. Floor Wars ran on Saturday night; on Sunday Anthrocon pointed dancers to a follow-up street-dance battle hosted off-site at 805 Liberty Ave. If dance programming is your reason to go, our fursuit dance competition guide explains how those events usually work.
Heat warnings started before the con. On July 1 the medical team asked attendees to carry a water bottle and drink at least a quart of water every hour, with a joke about ending up on the next episode of The Pitt. On Friday one elevator on the Westin skybridge side overheated, and that evening the convention center rooftop closed early for weather.
On Friday evening, July 3, Anthrocon posted its decision on the parade.
Anthrocon announced that it had cancelled the 2026 Fursuit Parade and Block Party, scheduled for 2pm on July 4, after monitoring the extreme heat and severe weather forecast and talking with emergency services. It said the health and safety of fursuiters, attendees and Pittsburgh residents came first, and that alternative indoor activities would follow.
Image: A text statement on a dark background explaining the cancellation of the 2026 Fursuit Parade and Block Party.
The parade page on the official site carries the same update. On Saturday the convention filled the gap indoors: a new make-up Fursuit Mingle from 1 to 3 PM in Hall C, where the parade lineup would have been, plus extra panels in the afternoon. Anthrocon's pitch for the mingle was that fursuiters were surely not looking forward to two hours in a parade line, so the con would come to them instead.
The weather kept shaping the rest of the weekend. The City of Pittsburgh moved the July 4 fireworks to 10 PM after inclement weather, and on Sunday the rooftop and outdoor terraces closed early. For heat planning at your next summer con, see our guides to fursuit headless lounges and base layers for hot cons.
Anthrocon named J and J Farms Animal Sanctuary as its 2026 charity in January. Its charity page describes the sanctuary as a volunteer-led 501(c)(3) in Western Pennsylvania, founded in 2021, caring for over 175 rescued animals.
The animals came to the con. On Friday Anthrocon posted "The hoss is here!" as the sanctuary's animal ambassadors opened at the Charity Booth in the Dealers Room.
The money came in through the usual channels: the Bucket Brigade walking the halls, tickets for the Charity Raffle and Charity Show at the booth, and the Charity Auction at 12:30 PM on Sunday. Our furry convention charity guide explains how these fundraisers work across the circuit.
The official Art Show update recorded more than 1,100 bidders for almost 2,900 works by some 200 artists. Popular Choice went to Soic for "Brazen Voyage", Staff Choice to Paco Panda for "Sword Dance", and Director PeterCat's Choice to Kjumbo for "Kjumbo".
The closing-numbers post also confirmed next year: Anthrocon 2027, "LEVEL 30: BEGIN", the 30th con, on July 1-4, 2027. Online pre-registration for Attending, Sponsor and Supersponsor was set to open on October 20, 2026, with Attending at $80 before the con. Supersponsor is capped at 600 places for 2027.
Hotels remain the hard part of an Anthrocon trip. Our hotel block guide covers how blocks open and sell, and our Loews hotel explainer covers the planned convention-center hotel.
Add Anthrocon LEVEL 30: BEGIN to your calendar and browse every other furry convention in one place.
Browse the Full CalendarAnthrocon reported 20,618 attendees in its closing-numbers post of July 6, 2026. That is a new record, up from 18,357 in 2025.
Attendees raised over $86,000 for J and J Farms Animal Sanctuary, according to the same closing post. Anthrocon has not published an exact figure.
Anthrocon cancelled the Fursuit Parade and Block Party set for 2pm on July 4 because of extreme heat and severe weather in the forecast, after talking with emergency services. A make-up Fursuit Mingle ran indoors in Hall C instead.
For 2027, Attending is $80 in online pre-registration and $100 at the door, with Sponsor at $140 and Supersponsor at $350. The full ladder and caps are on the Anthrocon convention page.
Anthrocon 2027 runs July 1-4, 2027 at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center under the theme "LEVEL 30: BEGIN". The 2027 charity has not been announced yet.
Heading to your first big con? Start with our first con survival guide, and use the North America cons 2026 guide to see what else runs nearby.
Have a correction, additional source, or moment to add? Send us a note and we will update this recap when new data lands.
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