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New Years Eve Con, or NYEC, is a furry New Year's Eve party for the Chicago area, held in recent years at the Courtyard Chicago Elmhurst/Oakbrook Area hotel in Elmhurst, Illinois. It is one evening of games, snacks, fursuiting, an artist alley and a charity raffle, with the countdown to midnight in the middle. The organizers trace the party back to 1997, and say it has passed through many different hosts since then. The date, venue and prices for the 2026-27 party have not been announced yet.
At the 2025-26 party the doors opened at 6:30pm and the main event room usually wound down by 2am, though many people carry on in their hotel rooms. The room had tabletop games, snacks and non-alcoholic drinks, and attendees often bring their own consoles and TVs for video games. There is a fursuit group photo at 11pm in the hotel's front lobby. The charity raffle usually starts at about 12:30am, and most of the prizes are donated by attendees.
No alcohol is served in the event room because the party is open to all ages. Adults can use the hotel bar on the first floor or drink in their own rooms. The event spaces and the Telegram chat are rated PG-13, and there is no fursuit changing room, so suiters change in their hotel rooms or a friend's.
Admission is by badge. For 2025-26, general admission was $30 if you pre-registered online and $35 at the door, and the limited sponsor level was $50 in advance or $55 at the door, with a pirate flag and a gold doubloon badge as extras. Pre-registration opened in early November and closed on December 19. The 2026-27 prices have not been published yet, so check the NYEC carrd and Bluesky from November.
Attending alone requires being 18 or older. Under-18s need a parent or guardian with them, who pays full price, and get a Kid In Tow badge at half price, which was $15 for 2025-26.
The 2024-25 and 2025-26 parties were held on the second floor of the Courtyard Chicago Elmhurst/Oakbrook Area, 370 IL-83, Elmhurst, IL 60126, in the western suburbs near Oak Brook. You do not need a hotel room to attend, but the organizers recommend getting or sharing one, because there is nowhere else to change into a fursuit and the roads are not safe late on New Year's Eve. The hotel usually places a $250 incidentals hold on top of the room rate, which it refunds after checkout. Join the Telegram chat through the carrd for hotel and arrival updates.
No date, venue or prices are out yet. The party is held on New Year's Eve, and recent editions ran from 6:30pm on December 31 into the early hours of January 1.
No. A room is recommended, though, because there is no fursuit changing room and driving late on New Year's Eve is risky.
Yes, with a parent or guardian. Anyone under 18 needs a parent or guardian with them, and gets a half-price Kid In Tow badge alongside that full-price adult.
No. The event room is alcohol-free because the party is open to all ages, but the hotel has a bar on the first floor for guests aged 21 and over.
2 editions
2025-26
Dec 31, 2025
2024-25
Dec 31, 2024
| Edition | Date | Attendance |
|---|---|---|
2025-26 | Dec 31, 2025 | N/A |
2024-25 | Dec 31, 2024 | N/A |
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