Furrydelphia

Furrydelphia is a convention serving the furry fandom held annually in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded in late 2016 during The Furst State's New Years Furry Ball, the event was first officially held at the DoubleTree Valley Forgefrom August 18 - 20, 2017, hosting 718 attendees. Today, Furrydelphia hosts over 3,500 attendees annually at the Sheraton Philadelphia Downtown.

The convention features a wide array of attendee and staff run panels, events, and furry-centric vendors throughout the hotel. In addition, Furrydelphia raises money annually for donation to a charity of their choice. Most recently, Furrydelphia, Inc. donated $22,552.09 to the party-safety organization DanceSafeat the conclusion of the 2025 convention.

Furrydelphia is owned and operated by Furrydelphia, Inc., a 501(c)3 charitable organization.

History and organization

The convention was founded in late 2016 by Pennsylvania locals Drayne and Higgawitts, both of whom still serve on the board of directors today as chairman and vice-chairman respectively. Furrydelphia served as the first furry convention in the greater Philadelphia area in ten years, following the relocation of Anthrocon in 2006. Its first iteration, themed "Heist of the Century" and held in August of 2017 at the DoubleTree Valley Forge in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania (approximately 15 miles northwest of Philadelphia), had an attendance of 718. It was organized under the entity Furrydelphia, Inc., a 501(c)(3) charitable organization and limited liability corporation that the convention continues to operate under today.

Furrydelphia returned in August of 2018 for its sophomore convention with "Rocky’s Roastery" as the theme. 903 individual attendees were recorded, nearly a 26% increase from the inaugural year. Rocky's Roastery would go on to become its own entity in 2023, selling pre-bagged coffee, drinkware, apparel, and additional accessories.

By the end of the 2018 convention season, Furrydelphia found itself outgrowing its venue. This caused them to relocate three miles west into the Valley Forge Casino Resort in August of 2019 for "Celtic Knights," where they hosted 1,332 attendees. In 2020, the convention's stay at its new venue was intended to be extended, with the theme being announced as "Galactic Fleet," but was ultimately turned into a virtual-reality based event under the name "Virtualcon" due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The convention returned to the Valley Forge Casino Resort in 2021 for "Back to Con," before relocating once more due to the rapid growth in attendees. In 2022, Furrydelphia was hosted at the Sheraton Philadelphia Downtown, marking the first time Furrydelphia was held within Philadelphia county. The previously discarded "Galactic Fleet" theme was used.

Subsequent Furrydelphia gatherings have continued to be hosted at the Sheraton. 2023 marked a shift in theming, with the introduction of "Flat Pack City," the first iteration of the convention that parodied a preexisting business (popular Swedish furniture retailer IKEA). This pattern of parody has continued since, with the most recent complete Furrydelphia convention being "Hoagiecon" in August of 2025, a parody of the annual "Hoagiefest" event hosted by regional convenience store and fast-food restaurant Wawa. The next scheduled iteration of the convention is set to be entitled "Spirit Howl-O-Ween," a play on the American pop-up Halloween retailer Spirit Halloween, which is scheduled to take place at the Sheraton from August 6-9, 2026. It will be Furrydelphia's ninth in-person convention and tenth convention overall.

Board of Directors

The following list was adapted from the Furrydelphia website as of the 2025 convention.

• Drayne - Convention Chairman and Operations Director
• Higgawits Vice Chairman and Hospitality Board Member
• Yuukari Board Secretary and Chief Technical Officer
• Fray - Board Member at Large and Public Safety Director
• Hyperion - Board Member at Large and General Manager
• Bangaroo - Board Member at Large and Marketing Director

Charity

As with many similar conventions, Furrydelphia donates to a local charity every year. The convention's charity of choice in its inaugural year was Bella Reed Pitbull Rescue, a non-profit rescue organization specializing in the protection of pit bulls in the tri-state area, which remained the primary charity until its dissolution in November of 2023. Since 2024, Furrydelphia has supported Philadelphia-based party safety group DanceSafe, most recently donating $22,552.09 at the conclusion of the 2025 convention.

Locations and dates

No.	Title	Dates	Location	Attendance	Charity	Guest(s) of Honor	Notes
1	Heist of the Century	August 18-20, 2017	DoubleTree Valley Forge, King of Prussia, Pennsylvania	718	Bella Reed Pitbull Rescue, $4,260 raised	Lady Rain, Space Cat Creations	Inaugural year
2	Rocky’s Roastery	August 10-12, 2018		903	Bella Reed Pitbull Rescue, $5,300 raised	Hyena Agenda, How Bout Meow
3	Celtic Knights	August 16-18, 2019	Valley Forge Casino Resort, King of Prussia, Pennsylvania	1,332	Bella Reed Pitbull Rescue, $4,260 raised	Rukis, Kyell Gold	First year at the Valley Forge Casino Resort
4	Virtualcon	August 14-16, 2020	Held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic
5	Back to Con	August 12-15, 2021	Valley Forge Casino Resort, King of Prussia, Pennsylvania	1,554	Bella Reed Pitbull Rescue, $7,325 raised	N/A
6	Galactic Fleet	August 26-28, 2022	Sheraton Philadelphia Downtown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	2,281	Bella Reed Pitbull Rescue, $9,063 raised	Jonah Scott, Made Fur You, Jibcodi, DJ Recca	First year at the Sheraton Downtown Philadelphia
7	Flat Pack City	August 25-27, 2023		2,510	Bella Reed Pitbull Rescue, $11,895.10 raised	Tail Ends, Stripe Kazama
8	Vine Street Distressway	August 8-11, 2024		2,802	DanceSafe Philadelphia, $11,560.69 raised	Regular Car Reviews, LittleArrowDog
9	Hoagiecon	August 22-24, 2025		3,777	DanceSafe Philadelphia, $22,552.09 raised	MAJIC Records, Temg	Most recent convention
10	Spirit Howl-O-Ween	August 6-9, 2026	Upcoming