About
What is AnthrOhio?
AnthrOhio is an annual furry convention located in Columbus, Ohio, at a hotel that contains rooms blocked off with a special room rate and function space for us to host panels and other events. AnthrOhio is typically hosted in May. We sport a relaxed atmosphere, tons of free food out of hospitality, and an all-volunteer staff. Our staffers strive to be friendly, accommodating, and available if there’s anything you need. Feel free to reach out to us if you have any questions or concerns.
AnthrOhio’s attendance is approximately 2,000. We try to offer an easier pace from the hustle and bustle of larger conventions and a feeling of coming home to family instead of to a large group of strangers. You’ll run into the same people during the course of the convention which makes meeting new ones very easy.
We also have a fully stocked hospitality suite free of charge. If you’re on a tight budget it can be a great place to supplement your meals.
If you’re interested in attending the convention you’ll need to register. Once you’ve registered, you’ll need to find a place to stay for the duration of the convention. We have a mailing list where you can ask about ride or room shares, and you can find information on the hotel on the location page. We recommend you register early to save yourself some money, but you can register online up until about 2 weeks before the convention. Once online registration is closed, you’ll have to register onsite during the convention.
What Can I Do at AnthrOhio?
AnthrOhio offers a wide range of activities for attendees. All programming offered is free of charge to registered attendees. Some programming (less than 10%) is adult in nature and will be clearly labeled as such. Minors are expressly forbidden from entering those panels and events, and door guards are posted to ensure that they are not allowed access.
Generally we have events called panels where a volunteer panelist runs an event for anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours. Some programming falls into easily defined categories such as:
- SIGs (Special Interest Group) are generally a meet and greet on any number of topics. An example SIG might be a feline SIG where a large number of feline furries get together and chat.
- Crafting panels are those where attendees are generally provided with material and create something during the panel. The panelists leading the panel will be an expert in the craft. Examples include a tail making workshop, foam core weapons workshop, and a pipe cleaner animal crafting workshop.
- Expert panels are those where experts come in to talk about a topic and give instruction.
- Large events are those that take place and involve a great deal of convention attendees. The most notable of these is the fursuit parade, where fursuiters walk through the AnthrOhio hotel with lots of photo opportunities, a massive indoor nerf/foam weapon fight at the end of the convention, and our picnic in the Fall.
- Ongoing events are those that happen around the clock at the convention. They don’t run 24/7 but they usually have long hours. The Artists Alley is a first come, first serve place for attending artists to sell artwork to other attendees; the Dealers Den is for established dealers who prepurchase spots to sell their wares; hospitality serves food all day long; and there are separate video gaming and board gaming rooms, as well as a movie room where you can catch a collection of cool anthropomorphic movies.
There’s plenty of other programming that falls outside of those above categories. We’ll have more details up on our programming page as we get closer to the event! If you’re interested in hosting an event or panel of your own, don’t hesitate to contact the programming director at [email protected].
What is Furry?
Furry is a fandom based around the appreciation of anthropomorphic characters of all shapes and sizes. It’s best to think of furry as a filter that can be applied to almost anything. Bugs Bunny can be considered a furry character because he exhibits a mix of human-like and animal-like qualities. He walks on two legs, is intelligent, has the general shape of a human, but his body is covered in fur, and he has distinctly rabbit physical qualities such as ears and a tail. The Redwall series could be considered a furry setting for the same reasons. The Caitian are a great example of a furry race that’s been in print, animation, film, and video games.
There’s no set definition on who is in, or out, of the fandom. One simply has to appreciate some aspect of furry to be considered a furry, because of this, the fandom is made up of a diverse set of people. Some are just in it for the art and only involved in a peripheral way. On the other end of the spectrum, some people consume furry art, talk with furry friends, and/or involve themselves with the fandom on a regular basis. Everyone who participates in the fandom does so in their own unique way. Sometimes they attend furry conventions like AnthrOhio where they can meet other furries who share the same basic interests as them.
If you’re interested in learning more, checkout the WikiFur page on the subject and the Wikipedia page. They’re both great resources!
