Megaplex 2026 drew 12,542 attendees to the Hyatt Regency Orlando on August 21 to 23, and it raised $100,000 for the Florida Wildlife Federation. Both numbers come from the convention's own result post the day after it closed, which counted "12,542 dinosaurs (and other species)."
That is 2,504 more attendees than the 10,038 Megaplex reported for 2025, a rise of 24.9% in one year. The theme was a Jurassic Park parody, and the official art billed the weekend as Megaplex Furassic World. Hotel, travel and Past Years detail lives on the Megaplex convention page.
Megaplex leaned on the dinosaur bit all year. The leadership update in January opened with "Hold onto your butts, folks", a line from the film, and named Allon as the new Convention Chairman with Kastor as Organization President. Registration reminders warned attendees not to "become fossilized", the schedule promo said Megaplex "spared no expense", and the July hotel update promised that no mosasaurs would be in the Grotto pool. Even the Guests of Honor fit the theme, since two of them are working palaeontologists.
Megaplex posted its result on August 24, 2026, on Bluesky and Telegram:
"An absolutely WILD Megaplex 2026 saw 12,542 dinosaurs (and other species) in attendance!! We raised a full $100,000 for the Florida Wildlife Federation!"
Megaplex has grown fast. Its own "2023 Numbers" and "2024 Numbers" posts give totals of 5,189 and 7,202, and its 2025 announcement said attendance "surpassed 10k" with 10,038. So the 2026 figure is more than double the 2023 count. On the furry convention attendance stats page you can compare that climb with other large North American cons.
The Florida Wildlife Federation was founded in 1936, and the convention's charity page points to its long campaign to protect the Florida panther. Megaplex picks a different Florida charity each year; the 2025 partner, the Pet Alliance of Greater Orlando, received more than $90,000. Our furry convention charity guide explains how auctions, poker tournaments and donation jars add up to totals like this.
PalaeoGames are Dr Nathan Barling and Dr Mike O'Sullivan, two palaeontologists from England and Ireland who studied together at the University of Portsmouth. They write palaeontology content for tabletop games like Dungeons & Dragons and Pathfinder and work with palaeo-artists on the art. The official guest page says Nathan's research is the geochemistry of exceptional fossil preservation and Mike's is pterosaur anatomy.
Straya Obscura is an artist, illustrator and product designer who has worked full time in art since 2015 and created the Dragon Companion bags and accessories.
In March Megaplex announced that the Hyatt Regency would be renovating its main pool during the con. The convention moved its pool time to a newly renovated pool and garden terrace with fandom DJs, and in July it confirmed the Grotto pool would also be open. On Saturday afternoon the plan met Florida weather: Megaplex posted that weather and equipment damage had ended the poolside DJ sets for the day and that sets should resume on Sunday. Our cooling gear guide for fursuiters is worth reading before an August con in Orlando.
Other moments from the weekend, from the convention's own posts:
The Charity Auction ran on Sunday at Second Stage, and the convention's teaser asked who wanted to go home with a four-foot fox. If the fursuit side of Megaplex is new to you, our fursuit dance competition guide covers one of its bigger main-stage events.
Megaplex 2027 runs August 20 to 22, 2027. The official homepage now shows the next theme, "Curse of Anubis", with a winged scarab in the Megaplex logo. Ticket prices and guests for 2027 have not been announced. In between, the Megaplex team scheduled its Halloween party, Howl-O-Plex, for October 24, 2026.
If you are planning a first trip, start with our first con survival guide, and use the furry convention hotel block guide before the Hyatt block opens. For the rest of the season, see the summer and fall cons guide.
Add Megaplex to your calendar and see every other North American furry convention in one place.
Browse the Full CalendarMegaplex 2026 had 12,542 attendees, according to the convention's official result post of August 24, 2026. That is up from 10,038 in 2025.
Megaplex 2026 raised $100,000 for the Florida Wildlife Federation, the convention's 2026 charity partner.
PalaeoGames (palaeontologists Dr Nathan Barling and Dr Mike O'Sullivan) and the artist Straya Obscura.
A Full Weekend Pass cost $90 ($80 with early registration), and the Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum sponsor tiers cost $115, $225, $500 and $1,000. All four sponsor tiers sold out. A day pass cost $50 at the door. Megaplex is an 18+ convention.
Megaplex 2027 is scheduled for August 20 to 22, 2027, under the theme "Curse of Anubis." Details are on the Megaplex convention page.
Have a correction, additional source, or moment to add? Send us a note and we update recaps 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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