Painted Desert Fur Con (PDFC) 2027 is scheduled for Jan 1-3, 2027 in Phoenix, United States.
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From attendees
Phoenix is a well-connected transit hub:
Curated stays near Sheraton Phoenix Downtown, Phoenix, United States.
PDFC prioritizes a centralized convention environment:
PDFC 2025 saw strong growth with 1,412 attendees in Phoenix. The convention raised over $10,000 for Crystal's Critter Haven.
Historical data and growth track record
See how this convention grew over time.
| Year | Dates | Theme | Attendance | Charity Raised | Guest(s) of Honor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2027 | Jan 1-3 | TBA | TBA | TBA | None Announced |
2026 | Jan 2-4 | The Search for Cryptids | 2,064 | $7,600.00(Crystal's Critter Haven) | Simple Nick's |
2025 | Jan 3-5 | Camping in the Canyon | 1,412 | $10,315(Crystal's Critter Haven) | Tepiddreamer Studios, Melissa Mendelson |
Want more context? Compare this convention against other furry events or browse the attendance rankings.
From the blog
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View Full CalendarAttending Painted Desert Fur Con? Check out our guides:
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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.
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3 quirks & policies that don't fit the highlights grid.
One of four cons in the AEI federation
Painted Desert Fur Con is run by Anthro Events Inc (AEI), a Colorado 501(c)(3) that also operates Golden State Fur Con, DenFur, and AquatiFur. All four sit on a shared WordPress base theme (`con-theme-base`) with a per-con skin, the same `con-schedule` plugin, and an identical Weekend/Sponsor/Patron tier-ladder template. Practically, an attendee who learns the PDFC registration flow can transfer the muscle memory directly to the other three AEI cons, same SKU names, same escalation bumps, same FAQ structure.
Ownership transferred mid-2022, venue followed
PDFC launched at the Scottsdale Plaza Resort in February 2019 ("Gold Rush", 1,135 attendees) under a different organisation. AEI took over in mid-2022 and relocated the convention permanently to the Sheraton Phoenix Downtown, the venue it has used every January since. The legacy organiser's NYE-spanning date format carried through one more edition (Dec 30, 2022, Jan 1, 2023, "The Island", 1,047 attendees) before settling into the current early-January slot. Distinct from outgrowth moves: this was a clean operational handoff, not a capacity forcing function.
NYE Party / Dance Only pass, no main floor
Sitting alongside the standard Weekend ($60 → $95 escalation), Sponsor ($125 → $350), and Patron ($225 → $350) tiers, PDFC sells a New Year's Eve Party / Dance Only pass that buys access to the NYE party plus Friday and Saturday dances, but explicitly NOT the Dealers Den, panels, or any other convention floor area. It's a rare US furcon SKU: most cons gate every evening event behind a full or day badge. The pass maps to PDFC's calendar slot, the convention straddles the holiday week, so the NYE dance is a genuine destination event for Phoenix-area furs who don't want a full weekend commitment.
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