Look up. Way up. The Marriott Marquis atrium rises 50 stories above you, a brutalist concrete ribcage lined with balconies and crisscrossed by lighting rigs. Somewhere around floor 12, someone in a glowing LED fursuit waves down at the lobby. That was the view at Furry Weekend Atlanta 2026.
FWA 2026 ran May 7-10 under the theme "Nowhere Inn Between" and drew 17,301 attendees, slightly below the 2025 record of 17,736 but still placing it among the three largest furry conventions on the planet. The convention returned to the Marriott Marquis and Hyatt Regency in downtown Atlanta and raised $150,000 for Lost-n-Found Youth, matching its 2025 charity total.
Here is the recap. For evergreen travel info, hotel detail, and the full Past Years archive, see the Furry Weekend Atlanta convention page.
After 2024's nostalgia-drenched "The VHS Store" and 2025's neon-soaked "Futurepunk," FWA shifted gears for 2026 with a more abstract concept. "Nowhere Inn Between" leaned into the idea of liminal spaces: hallways that stretch on too long, hotel lobbies at 3 AM, the strange quiet between floors in an empty elevator.
It was a theme tailor-made for the Marriott Marquis. That building's exposed-concrete interior, with its sweeping atrium and repeating balcony tiers, already looks like it belongs in a liminal space photo collection. The convention's art and decor teams played heavily into that uncanny atmosphere, and the fursuit dance competitions leaned into the eerie aesthetic.
The "Inn" in the title was a nice touch, given that the entire convention took place inside hotels. FWA's creative team transformed the lobby spaces into something that blurred the line between cozy and unsettling.
FWA 2026 brought in two Guests of Honor working in very different lanes.
Kipper served as Artist GoH. A longtime presence in the fandom, Kipper's work leans toward stylized character art and convention badges with a clean linework signature. The art show featured original GoH pieces and Kipper's signing table ran most of the weekend, with the longest queues on Friday afternoon. Several attendees on Bluesky noted that Kipper stayed past closing on Saturday to finish queued sketches.
IvyComb served as Musical GoH. The set anchored one of the larger dance-stage slots and the "Nowhere Inn Between" theme paired well with IvyComb's atmospheric electronic style. The headline set on Saturday night ran late, with the lobby raves above the dance floor amplifying the bass through the Marquis atrium's concrete ribcage.
The closing ceremony confirmed both GoHs and announced Faru of Big Lion's Den as the 2027 Guest of Honor. The 2027 theme was revealed as "Grand Prix", suggesting a shift away from 2026's abstract liminal-space concept toward something more high-energy and motorsports-coded for the convention's next year.
With IEM Atlanta 2026 loading into the Georgia World Congress Center the same week FWA wrapped (the CS2 tournament runs May 11 to 17), Counter-Strike pros and fursuiters ended up sharing downtown Atlanta hotels and the MARTA Peachtree Center corridor. The crossover became one of the most-shared moments of the FWA 2026 weekend and went briefly viral across both communities.
broky posted a photo from inside the Marquis-area hotel taken with three fursuiters during the FWA closing weekend. The post landed midway through FaZe's bootcamp days before the IEM Atlanta group stage.
s1mple shared a similar shot with a single fursuiter in the same downtown corridor. Posted from Atlanta during the IEM travel window, picked up amplification from both the CS2 and furry communities.
For attendees, the Peachtree Center stop on MARTA was running fursuits one minute and CS2 jerseys the next. Both fandoms took the encounter well, with broky's post in particular drawing positive replies from CS2 and furry corners alike. This was the first time IEM Atlanta and FWA shared a weekend in the same downtown corridor.
Have a photo or thread from the crossover we should add? Send us a note and we update recaps when new sources land.
Both broky and s1mple's posts ended up in highlight reels from the IEM weekend, and inside the furry community the photos got reshared as proof that the two scenes can coexist in the same downtown corridor without friction. FaZe Clan went on to play their IEM Atlanta matches the following week. The CS2 community's positive reaction (rather than the dismissive jokes that could have followed) was itself notable, and several furry-side posts thanked broky and s1mple for being good sports.
Another moment from the same weekend came from the Cars and Collars meetup thread, where organizers said the original garage venue bailed at the last minute, but the event still ran and attendees showed up in force.
Cars and Collars organizers reported a last-minute venue issue, then shared that the event still went live with a strong turnout around downtown Atlanta.
The "Nowhere Inn Between" liminal-space concept showed up everywhere the decor team could reach: the Marriott Marquis atrium's lower-level corridors, fluorescent-lit empty hallways photographed at 3 AM, and ARG-style props scattered through programming rooms. Fursuit photographers leaned hard into the building's brutalist architecture, and the dance competition entries built routines around the eerie aesthetic.
Signature events that returned in 2026:
Mental wellness resources stayed on-site through the weekend, a recurring FWA feature that the convention has expanded each year since 2023. The Lost-n-Found Youth volunteer presence in the lobby gave attendees direct context for what their badge fees and auction bids were funding.
For practical venue, hotel, and travel info that applies every year, see the Furry Weekend Atlanta convention page.
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Browse the Full CalendarFWA 2026 registration was $65 for a full weekend pass, with higher tiers for sponsor and super-sponsor levels. Check the official FWA website for FWA 2027 pricing once it opens.
FWA is large, which can feel overwhelming at first, but the convention's layout helps. Having everything connected by skybridges means you will not get lost navigating between distant buildings. The programming schedule includes panels for newcomers, and the general atmosphere is welcoming. If you are attending your first con, read our first con survival guide before you go.
FWA arranges private after-hours access to the Georgia Aquarium for badge holders. You will receive details about timing and entry procedures in the convention program. Fursuiting inside is allowed, and the event is one of the most photographed moments of the weekend. Arrive early, because the line to get in can be long.
FWA 2026 drew 17,301 attendees and raised $150,000 for Lost-n-Found Youth. The attendance was a 2.45% dip from 2025's 17,736 record, but the charity total matched 2025 and represents a 50% increase from 2024's $100,000 donation.
Artist Guest of Honor was Kipper and Musical Guest of Honor was IvyComb. The convention also announced Faru of Big Lion's Den as the 2027 Guest of Honor during the closing ceremony.
FWA 2027's theme is "Grand Prix", announced at the FWA 2026 closing ceremony. Exact dates and venue details for 2027 have not been published yet at the time of writing.
For practical venue, hotel, and travel info, see the Furry Weekend Atlanta convention page. If you are mapping out the rest of your convention year, our summer and fall cons guide covers what is coming up after FWA.
Sources:
Anthro New England 2026 recap: a record 7,284 attendees, $50,000 split between Wings Wildlife and Queer Scouts, "It's a Western!" theme, and a 2027 venue expansion.
Anthro Northwest 2026 recap: a record 3,466 attendees, $30,040 for Sarvey Wildlife, a "Nature" theme, and a New Year's weekend at the Hyatt Regency Seattle.
AnthrOhio 2026 recap: 3,902 attendees (+53% YoY), Rock You Like A Furricane theme, W.A.G.S. 4 Kids charity, plus Exhibitors Row debut.
