Painted Desert Fur Con (PDFC) 2027 is scheduled for Jan 1-3, 2027 in Phoenix, United States. The announced theme is Mad Max: Furry Road.
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From attendees
All three days. The current early-registration rate; the page publishes the escalation as $70 from March 9, $80 from June 29 and $95 from December 12.
All three days plus a con shirt, lanyard, pin, conbook and a special gift. Rises to $135 on March 9 and $250 on June 29, and closes on December 12.
All Sponsor perks plus a meal and cocktail hour and a further special gift. Rises to $235 on March 9 and $350 on June 29, and closes on November 21.
Friday only. Day badges go on sale online after the pre-registration period closes.
Saturday only.
Sunday only.
The New Year's Eve party plus the Friday and Saturday dances, and no access to any other convention area.
Must be accompanied by an adult at all times.
Must be accompanied by an adult at all times.
Prices exclude taxes and fees. Attendees aged 16 to 17 buy an ordinary badge and need a signed parent or guardian waiver. Weekend and day badges are sold at the door at higher prices, but Sponsor and Patron close before the convention and are not available there.
Phoenix is a well-connected transit hub:
Curated stays near Sheraton Phoenix Downtown, Phoenix, United States.
PDFC prioritizes a centralized convention environment:
A year-by-year record of this convention
Open an edition to see the details that belong to that year.
Recorded headline rate for this edition.
PDFC 2025 ran January 3-5 at the Sheraton Phoenix Downtown under the Camping in the Canyon theme. The official history lists Crystal's Critter Haven as the charity and records $10,315 raised, but does not publish an attendance figure.
PDFC 2024 ran January 5-7 at the Sheraton Phoenix Downtown under the Carnival in Rio de Janeiro theme. The official history lists 1,412 attendees and $10,780 raised for the Phoenix Herpetological Society, with Heads and Tails Studios, Lilli Sketch, Fenris Publishing, and Soap Pony as Guests of Honor.
PDFC's 2022/2023 edition ran December 30, 2022-January 1, 2023 at the Sheraton Phoenix Downtown Hotel under The Island theme. The history page reports 1,047 attendees, $12,260 raised for Phoenix Herpetological Society, and The Fuzz, Nalu Catfish, and Alkali Bismuth as Guests of Honor.
Trends
Compare dates, themes, attendance, charity, and guests across the record.
See how this convention grew over time.
2027
Jan 1-3
Theme
Mad Max: Furry Road
2026
Jan 2-4
Theme
The Search for Cryptids
2025
Jan 3-5
Theme
Camping in the Canyon
2024
Jan 5-7
Theme
Carnival in Rio de Janeiro
2023
Dec 30 - Jan 1
Theme
The Island
Want more context? Compare this convention against other furry events or browse the attendance rankings.
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View Full CalendarAttending Painted Desert Fur Con? Check out our guides:
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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 run the same Weekend/Sponsor/Patron tier ladder and the same rules and FAQ structure. Practically, an attendee who learns the PDFC registration flow can transfer that muscle memory directly to the other three AEI cons, same tier names, same escalation bumps, same policies.
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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