DenFur 2026 drew 6,239 attendees to the Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel from August 28 to 30, the largest crowd on the convention's own history page. The weekend raised $38,384 for Almost Home Adoptions, a cat rescue that DenFur supported for the third year running.
Both numbers are records for the convention. Attendance passed DenFur's own 2025 figure of 4,400+, and the charity total rose 72% on 2025's $22,357. Hotels, the A-Line from the airport and the altitude advice are on the DenFur convention page; this post covers what happened in 2026.
DenFur revealed "Carnival Nocturne!" on September 4, 2025, a few days after the 2025 convention ended. The reveal art showed a ram ringmaster in a red tailcoat in front of a striped big top and a Ferris wheel at night.
The dark-circus idea carried through the year's artwork. The badges showed a stylized lynx, ram and magpie, and the convention's merch included a "Ride the Carousel" shirt with an angry carousel lynx. Even the charity fursuit head, made by PlutoMuto Works, listed "circus tents under the stars" as its inspiration.
DenFur's 2026 Guests of Honor were AnthroAesthetic and Laura Garabedian. Laura Garabedian painted the 2026 con book cover, a watercolor of cloaked characters against a dark carnival backdrop, which DenFur shared when the schedule and con book went live on July 30.
The convention ran four Guest of Honor panels across Friday and Saturday: "Watercolor: Friend or Foe", "How to Draft a Pattern", "Shaving Fur 101" and "Airbrush 101". Pattern drafting, shaving fur and airbrushing are all steps in building a fursuit, and our fursuit cleaning guide covers the care side once a suit is done.
The growth showed before the numbers came out. Early on Saturday the convention posted an apology on Bluesky and Telegram: the con merch was running out.
"We could not have anticipated this amount of growth or this amount of enthusiasm for the theme!"
The convention promised a second order and said it would mail the missing merch, with registration taking down details. The same morning it posted a photo of people already lining up for the Dealers' Den more than an hour before the 11 a.m. opening. A few weeks later DenFur put a shirt in its store that reads "I survived the DenFur lines and all I got was this shirt".
Our first con survival guide covers how to plan around lines like these, and the convention budgeting guide helps with the cost side.
The official channels posted the program day by day:
The program also had two smaller spaces. The Music Room, which DenFur called an experimental space, offered performances, jam sessions, singalongs and karaoke. The Colorado Artistic Wonders Emporium, run with Last Caw, showed local Colorado artists alongside the Dealers' Den and Artist Alley, across the hall from the Art Show. New to Floor Wars or the Dance Competition? Our fursuit dance competition guide explains how these contests work, and what is a furdance covers the late-night dances.
Almost Home Adoptions was DenFur's featured charity for the third year in a row. On Sunday afternoon the Charity Auction ran in Main Events, followed by the draw for the charity fursuit head, a circus-inspired head made by PlutoMuto Works.
The next day the convention posted its closing numbers on the Anthro Events Telegram channel, with a photo of the fursuit group in a hotel room.
"6,239 of you came to raise $38,384 for Almost Home!"
The charity total has grown every year Almost Home has been the partner: $15,681 in 2024, $22,357 in 2025 and $38,384 in 2026.
DenFur announced its 2027 dates on October 11: September 3 to 5, 2027, with a Video Games theme, again at the Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel. That moves the convention from late August into early September. Registration is open, and the current badge prices are on the DenFur convention page. DenFur has not named its 2027 Guests of Honor or charity yet.
DenFur is one of four conventions run by the Colorado nonprofit Anthro Events, alongside Painted Desert Fur Con and AquatiFur. To see how DenFur fits the rest of the year, browse the North America cons 2026 guide. Denver also reached Hamburg this year: the Denver street-art collective Animal Art Crimes was Guest of Honor at Eurofurence 2026.
Add DenFur 2027 in Denver to your calendar and browse every other furry convention in North America.
Browse the Full CalendarDenFur 2026 had 6,239 attendees, the highest figure on the convention's history page. DenFur's history page gives 4,400+ for 2025.
DenFur 2026 raised $38,384 for Almost Home Adoptions, a cat rescue. The 2025 total for the same charity was $22,357.
AnthroAesthetic and Laura Garabedian were the 2026 Guests of Honor. Laura Garabedian painted the 2026 con book cover.
No. DenFur ran Photopalooza on Saturday instead, a session of fursuit group photos that non-suiters could watch.
DenFur 2027 runs September 3 to 5, 2027, at the Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel, with a Video Games theme.
Have a correction, additional source, or moment to add? Send us a note and we will update this recap when new data lands.
Sources:
Anthro New England 2026 recap: a record 7,284 attendees, $50,000 split between Wings Wildlife and Queer Scouts, and a 2027 venue expansion.
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