Midwest FurFest
| Midwest FurFest | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Status | Active |
| Genre | Furry |
| Venue | Hyatt Regency O'Hare |
| Location(s) | Rosemont, Illinois |
| Country | United States |
| Inaugurated | 2000 |
| Most recent | 2017 |
| Attendance | 8,771 in 2017 |
| Organized by | Midwest Furry Fandom, Inc. |
| Filing status | 501(c)3 |
| Website |
www |
Midwest FurFest (abbreviated MFF) is the world's largest furry convention, which takes place in Rosemont, Illinois each December. MFF is an Illinois Educational Not-For-Profit Corporation that exists primarily for the purpose of holding an annual convention to facilitate education in anthropomorphic literature and art. A secondary purpose of the corporation is to facilitate the donation of funds to non-profit institutions that the board decides are worthy and which promote the well-being of humans and/or animals. The convention was first held in 2000 and has grown to draw 8,771 attendees in 2017.[1]
Background and history
Midwest FurFest got its start as the furry track for DucKon, a Chicago-based science fiction convention. The furry track was started at DucKon 3 in 1994 and was headed up by Robert King. The track grew larger each year and it was estimated that by DucKon 8 (1999) between one-quarter and one-third of the attendees were there due to interest in the furry track.[2]
The track ran into problems because it was running out of room to expand without costing other parts of DucKon programming space and time. It was decided that the best course of action was to spin off into a new convention.
Thus Midwest Furry Fandom, Inc. was created and Midwest FurFest was born, to take place in November 2000, on the weekend before Thanksgiving. The parting was amicable, and Duckon lent a good bit of expertise and manpower to help make the first year of Midwest FurFest a success.
Since then, the convention has grown from 388 attendees in 2000 to 8,771 in 2017, making it the largest furry convention in the world by over 1,100 attendees over the previous largest convention, Anthrocon. It has helped raise over $370,276 for various charities.
Midwest FurFest is a production of Midwest Furry Fandom, Inc., which holds Midwest Furfest, FurFest, and #FurFest as service marks.
2014 gas incident
On December 7, 2014, a gas leak occurred at the Hyatt hotel in Rosemont which left 19 guests hospitalized.[3][4] Later, an investigation found a broken glass bottle containing a concentration of chlorine powder inside the building. Members of the fandom theorized that the bottle was intentionally placed in the hotel to force the costumed characters out; the fandom has been mocked and criticized since its inception over accusations of cruelty to animals and zoophilia.[5] 18 of the 19 people hospitalized were released soon after and the convention continued.
Locations, attendances, and charity donations by year
| Year | Location | Attendance[6] | Charity Donation | Charity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Arlington Heights, IL | 388 | $3,522 | Wolf Park, Valley of the Kings big cat sanctuary, and Chicago House |
| 2001 | Arlington Heights, IL | 511 | $6,800 | Animals for Awareness |
| 2002 | Schaumburg, IL | 685 | $6,088 | Animals for Awareness |
| 2003 | Schaumburg, IL | 800 | $6,500 | Animals for Awareness |
| 2004 | Schaumburg, IL | 959 | $7,000 | Furry Friends Foundation |
| 2005 | Schaumburg, IL | 1,066 | $6,800 | Wildlife in Need |
| 2006 | Schaumburg, IL | 1,422 | $13,049 | Safe Haven Wildlife Refuge |
| 2007 | Schaumburg, IL | 1,690 | $15,193 | Flint Creek Wildlife Rehabilitation |
| 2008 | Wheeling, IL | 1,992 | $15,000 | Rainbow Animal Assisted Therapy |
| 2009 | Wheeling, IL | 2,040 | $12,799 | Kane Area Rehabilitation and Education for Wildlife |
| 2010 | Rosemont, IL | 2,285 | $11,300 | Castaway Pet Rescue |
| 2011 | Rosemont, IL | 2,600 | $19,575 | Animal Education and Rescue |
| 2012 | Rosemont, IL | 3,216 | $40,500 | Felines & Canines |
| 2013 | Rosemont, IL | 3,904 | $28,000 | One Tail at a Time |
| 2014 | Rosemont, IL | 4,571 | $31,446 | Critter Camp Exotic Pet Sanctuary |
| 2015 | Rosemont, IL | 5,606 | $62,021 | Save-A-Vet |
| 2016 | Rosemont, IL | 7,075 | $78,482 | Felines & Canines |
| 2017 | Rosemont, IL | 8,771 | $85,000 | CRISP[7] |
References
- ↑ Midwest FurFest on Twitter. Dated December 3, 2017. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
- ↑ Midwest FurFest on Wikifur. Retrieved January 25, 2016.
- ↑ http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2014/12/07/Police-investigating-chlorine-gas-incident-at-Furry-convention-as-criminal-act/1671418000379/
- ↑ No Filta, Doprah. ""Furry" Fandom Fetishists Attacked With Chlorine Gas; 19 Hospitalized After the Hate Crime". Retrieved 18 December 2014.
- ↑ Mazza, Ed. "Furry Convention Chlorine Gas Incident Sickens 19 Near Chicago". Retrieved 8 December 2014.
- ↑ http://en.wikifur.com/wiki/Midwest_FurFest
- ↑ https://twitter.com/midwestfurfest/status/937473138518036480