Anthrocon 2024 visitors lined up outside the David L. Lawrence Convention Center seven hours before registration opened on Thursday. More than 17,000 people are expected to attend the four-day event, which brings together free spirits who indulge in the creativity of animal costumes. “There are literally hundreds of furry conventions around the world. Only this convention has this drive, this heart, this enthusiasm,” Anthrocon CEO Samuel Conway said, praising Pittsburgh. “It comes from the city around us.” Conway said the event began in 1996 with a small, intimate party in a dorm room at a technical college in Albany, New York. This year’s convention is expected to be the biggest Anthrocon ever. VisitPittsburgh expects spending from July 4 to 7 to exceed $70 million. Businesses in downtown and the surrounding area are preparing. “It’s fun to have them come to town. We have a little fun. We get to push the boundaries of what a typical downtown place does,” said Chris Norton, general manager of Pizza Parma. Pizza Parma turns into Furryland for the weekend, decorating the pizzeria with furry-friendly signs and fixtures. The co-owners say they’ve been doing this for the past 19 years. Each year, they incorporate new ways to attract the Anthrocon crowd. “One of our main specials is a dog bowl special. They’ll be served a dog bowl with your favorite food, whether it’s a sandwich, a wrap or pizza,” Norton said. And they’re not the only ones bracing for a big economic impact. “We’re sold out this year. I think five days in a row,” said Domenica DeSantis, director of service at the Westin Hotel. “Our general manager calls it the epicenter of Anthrocon because we’re adjacent to the convention center,” Westin said. The hotel said that when rooms went on sale, they sold out in two minutes. Hotels in and around the city are in much the same situation. This is a big factor in Pittsburgh’s economic growth. “It’s a major economic driver for our city. We expect this year to be our biggest year ever. In fact, our residential block that opened with 10,000 hotel rooms sold out in less than 12 minutes,” said Andrew Ortale, chief sales officer at Visit Pittsburgh. And of course, this year’s AnthroCon attendees are ready for the weekend. “I’ve wanted to come to this convention since I was a kid in 2014. I’m so excited, even though I’ve barely slept in preparation. I should be tired, but I’m not. I’m excited. I’m looking forward to it,” said Michigan natives Pixall and Spade Taylor.
AnthroCon 2024 attendees lined up outside the David L. Lawrence Convention Center seven hours before registration opened on Thursday.
More than 17,000 people are expected to attend the four-day event, which brings together free spirits to indulge in animal costume creativity.
“There are literally hundreds of furry conventions around the world. This is the only one that has this drive, this heart, this enthusiasm,” Anthrocon CEO Samuel Conway said, praising Pittsburgh. “It comes from the city around us.”
Conway said the event began in 1996 with a small, intimate party held in a dorm room at a technical college in Albany, New York.
This year’s convention is expected to be the biggest AnthroCon yet, with VisitPittsburgh expecting spending from July 4-7 to exceed $70 million.
Businesses downtown and surrounding areas are getting ready.
“It’s nice to have them come to town. It’s a little fun. It allows us to push the boundaries of what a typical downtown place does,” said Pizza Parma general manager Chris Norton.
Pizza Parma transforms into Furryland for the weekend, decking out the place with furry-friendly signs and fixtures, an initiative the co-owners say they’ve been doing for the past 19 years, and each year they incorporate new ways to attract the Anthrocon crowd.
“One of our featured menu items is our Dog Bowl Special, where a dog bowl is served with any food a customer likes, whether it’s a sandwich, wrap or pizza,” Norton said.
They are not alone in preparing for huge economic impacts.
“We’re sold out this year, I think five days in a row,” said Domenica DeSantis, director of services for the Westin Hotel, “and because we’re next to the convention center, as our general manager likes to say, we’re the epicenter of Anthrocon.”
Westin said that when rooms went on sale, the hotel sold out in two minutes, a trend that was similar for nearly all hotels in the city and surrounding area, a big part of Pittsburgh’s economic growth.
“But it’s a huge economic driver for our city. We expect this year to be our biggest year yet. In fact, our residential neighborhood that opened with 10,000 hotel rooms sold out within 12 minutes,” said Andrew Ortale, chief sales officer for Visit Pittsburgh.
And of course, those attending this year’s Anthrocon are ready for the weekend.
“We’ve wanted to come to this convention since we were kids in 2014,” said Pixall and Spade Taylor, who are from Michigan. “Even though we got very little sleep preparing for it, we’re full of energy. We’re not tired, even though we should be. We’re excited. We’re looking forward to it.”
