FERN, the Furry Enthusiasts' Rendezvous in New Mexico, is an 18+ three-day furry gathering in Gallup, New Mexico, about a two-hour drive west of Albuquerque. It ran for the first time on March 13-15, 2026 at the Best Western Gallup West and drew 156 attendees. FERN describes itself as "a three-day fuzzy getaway with parties, scenery, and shops galore."
FERN returns to Gallup in 2027 under the theme "Close Encounters of a 'Furred' Kind." The homepage carries the theme and the city and says "More Details Coming Soon"; dates, venue and registration prices are all unannounced as of September 2026, and the Attendee Policies page still lists location and transport as TBA. The organisers spent late August 2026 fundraising for the edition at a table in DenFur's community area.
FERN is not built the way most conventions are. There is no panel track, no main stage and no programming department, and the organisers say so on the registration page rather than burying it. What that buys is a hotel that belongs to the attendees for a weekend, with room parties that do not draw noise complaints and a schedule that the people there write themselves.
The trade is real and worth understanding before booking. If a convention means a printed schedule, a dealers hall the size of a gymnasium and a dozen things happening at once, FERN will feel like very little is going on. If it means a desert hotel full of people you like, with a night market, a movie in the parking lot and whatever anyone else felt like organising, it is a cheap and unusual way to spend three days.
Is FERN 18+? Yes. Registration is strictly 18+ and every attendee shows ID at the registration table. Attendees over 21 receive a wristband indicating they may drink.
Is there a programme? No official one. FERN runs no panels or raves, which is why general registration was free in 2026. Attendees propose and host their own activities, and the organisers list them on the schedule.
Do I have to stay in the hotel? Yes, unless the convention says otherwise. The event depends on filling its venue, so accommodation inside it is a condition of attending.
Can I get a refund? Yes, up to 24 hours before the first day, by emailing the chair or messaging the convention on Telegram or Bluesky. Once you collect your badge you are no longer eligible except in extreme circumstances. Hotel cancellations go through the hotel.
By car: Gallup sits directly on I-40 in western New Mexico, roughly a two-hour drive west of Albuquerque and about three and a half hours east of Flagstaff, Arizona. Most attendees drive.
By air: The nearest large airport is the Albuquerque International Sunport (ABQ), followed by a two-hour drive west on I-40. Gallup's own municipal airport does not carry scheduled passenger service.
By rail: Amtrak's Southwest Chief stops at Gallup daily on the Chicago to Los Angeles route.
FERN has not published its 2027 venue, so plan the last leg once the location is announced.
You stay at the convention, and that is not optional. FERN's model depends on filling the hotel it takes over: "unless demand requires otherwise, all attendees are required to make accommodations within our venue." Rooms are capped at two people in a standard king and four in a standard double queen, and booking runs through ConSpace alongside registration.
Book early. The 2026 edition sold out its entire block, 60 rooms, five days before opening, and king rooms had gone more than five weeks before that. When it filled, the organisers pointed people at the Motel 6, Red Roof Inn and Microtel immediately next door, noting that none of them are affiliated with the convention.
For reference, the 2026 rates were 260 USD for a king room and 280 USD for a two-queen room for the weekend, with general registration free and a Sponsor tier at 50 USD. Nothing has been announced for 2027.
A year-by-year record of this convention
Open an edition to see the details that belong to that year.
At a glance
Compare dates, themes, attendance, charity, and guests across the record.
See how this convention grew over time.
2027
Dates TBA
Theme
Close Encounters of a "Furred" Kind
2026
Mar 13-15
Want more context? Compare this convention against other furry events or browse the attendance rankings.
FERN's first edition ran March 13-15, 2026 at the Best Western Gallup West and closed with 156 attendees, against 60 rooms that sold out on 8 March. WILDF1RE was announced in November 2025 as guest of honour and headline DJ for Friday Night Lights. The weekend ran a vendor hall, two night markets, a fursuit parade, a desert tailgate and a drive-in screening of Zootopia and its sequel, chosen by attendee vote and moved to the pool area partway through. A booked punk set was cancelled when the band stopped responding, which the organisers announced rather than quietly dropping. FERN has not published a theme for the edition.
Browse our complete calendar with dates, locations, and details for every upcoming furry convention.
View Full CalendarAttending FERN? Check out our guides:
Also in New Mexico:
The 6-2-1 rule, post-con depression, and everything else first-timers need to know.
Real costs for badges, hotels, food, and dealers den across three budget tiers.
All major 2026 events in the USA and Canada with dates and travel tips.
See upcoming conventions by date, region, and attendance.
Check verified attendance rankings and growth trends.
Put dates, prices, and features side by side.
Switch to smaller furry events, furmeets, and club nights.
Find conventions and events grouped by country.
Jump into the alphabetical index if you want another event by name.
3 quirks & policies that don't fit the highlights grid.
A room block with a convention attached
FERN inverts the usual model. There is no programme to buy into, so general registration was free in 2026 and the money is in the room: "this event is entirely reliant on filling up our venue. As such, unless demand requires otherwise, all attendees are required to make accommodations within our venue." Rooms are capped at 2 people for a king and 4 for a double queen, and the whole weekend is bounded by how many rooms exist. That ceiling is real. FERN posted "WE ARE OFFICIALLY SOLD OUT FOR FERN 2026!!! 60/60" five days before opening, and pointed people at the Motel 6, Red Roof Inn and Microtel next door.
The schedule is written by the people attending it
With no panel track, the weekend fills up with things attendees proposed. The 2026 edition ran a fursuit parade looping the neighbouring restaurant, a night market that stayed open an extra hour, Friday Night Lights with DJ WILDF1RE, a tailgate in the parking lot, board games in room 329, and a drive-in movie that got voted on and then relocated to the pool. Each announcement closed with the same invitation: "Want to host your own event at FERN? Shoot us a DM!" One booking fell through and the organisers said so plainly, cancelling a live punk show because "communications with the band have fallen through."
An 18+ door, a SFW hallway, and a written refund policy
Registration is strictly 18+ with ID checked at the table, and attendees over 21 get a wristband marking who may drink. The public areas are held to a "safe-for-work" appearance, with hallways described as "more akin to a PG-13 rating after 9pm". The code of conduct spends its longest paragraph on consent, requiring it to be "informed, continuous, and enthusiastic" in room parties as much as in public, with removal and a future ban as the stated penalty. Refunds run to 24 hours before opening day and end once a badge is collected.
