Biggest Little Fur Con
| Biggest Little Fur Con | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | |
| Website | |
| Status | Ongoing |
| First iteration | May 3-5, 2013 |
| Organizer(s) | Reno Area Anthropomorphic Arts and Recreation |
| Subject | Furry |
| Resources | Photos, videos, reports: Biggest Little Fur Con resources |
Biggest Little Fur Con (BLFC) is a furry convention which takes place in Reno, Nevada, USA. It is run by Reno Area Anthropomorphic Arts and Recreations (RAAAR), a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.[1] It is the spiritual successor to PawFur.[1]
Contents
History[edit]
The first BLFC was held May 3-5, 2013. It had an attendance of just over 700.
The second BLFC was held March 28-30, 2014. Attendance shot up to 1442, including 465 in the fursuit parade. It showed a record 105% growth to become the 7th-largest fur con by attendance at that date. This broke the 2nd, 3rd, AND 4th year con attendance record.
The third BLFC was held May 14-17, 2015, and saw 2443 attendees, along with $34,000 raised for charity.
The fourth BLFC was held May 12-15, 2016 with around 3651 attendees, along with $36,000 raised for charity.
BLFC 2017 was held June 1-4, 2017, and attracted 5138 attendees, (becoming the 3rd largest convention in the United States, behind Anthrocon), and raised an estimated $40,000 for their charity.
On May 20th, 2022, it was announced in a public meeting that BLFC's host organization (RAAAR) had transitioned from a 501(c)7 to a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization effective September 10, 2021.
COVID-19 postponements and virtual event[edit]
BLFC 2020 was originally scheduled to take place April 30 to May 3, 2020[2], but due to concerns with the upcoming COVID-19 pandemic it was later announced that BLFC 2020 would be postponed until October 29 to November 1 that same year.[3]
In July 2020, BLFC announced that the 2020 convention would be cancelled as "the COVID-19 situation in the US [has not reached] a point where large gatherings could safely occur, and attendees could safely travel."[4] It was simultaneously announced that BLFC 2021 would take place from June 3 to June 6, 2021 and that in-block hotel reservations and registrations would automatically carry over to the next year.
In March 2021, it was announced that BLFC would have to once more reschedule the convention to "4th Quarter 2021" with specific dates not being provided at the time.[5] Four days later, BLFC announced that the 2021 convention would take place October 21 to 24, 2021.[6]
On March 31, 2021, BLFC tweeted multiple teaser videos shortly before announcing Virtual BLFC (VBLFC), a virtual event intended to be a stand-in for the physical convention originally scheduled to be in June. VBLFC took place from July 9 to 11, 2021[7] primarily in NeosVR, with VRChat worlds also available, a Discord server and a livestream of the event.
BLFC 2021 took place as scheduled in October with vaccination and masking requirements and other precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19.[8]
Themes[edit]
BLFC has had the following con themes throughout the years:
- 2013: Roaring Twenties
- 2014: 80s Pop Culture
- 2015: BLFCorp Utopia
- 2016: BLFCorp Rebellion
- 2017: Attack of the Juggernauts
- 2018: A Musical Tail
- 2019: Curse of Coeurasa
- 2021: Neo Reno
- 2022: Error: Theme Not Found
BLFC 2023 will see the sequel to 2019's Curse of Coeurasa theme.[9]
Charities[edit]
BLFC typically hosts several charity events during the convention to encourage attendees to donate and help raise money for that year's charity.
In 2013, BLFC partnered with the Nevada Humane Society, a non-profit, no-kill animal shelter local to Reno and Carson City, Nevada. The con was able to raise and donate $3,000.[10]
From 2014 to present, BLFC has worked with Save Haven Wildlife Sanctuary to raise over $200,000 combined from all years. Save Haven is a non-profit wildlife rehabilitation center located in Imlay, Nevada.
Statistics[edit]
| Year | Fursuiters | Attendees | Charity |
| 2022 | 2275 | 5234[11] | ? |
| 2021 | 2394 | 4741[12] | $21,420.69[13] |
| 2019 | 2364 | 5692 | $32,249 |
| 2018 | 1300 ** | 5435 | $30,146 |
| 2017 | 1000 ** | 5138 | $43,600 |
| 2016 | 900 ** | 3651 | $36,500 |
| 2015 | 707 | 2443 | $34,000 |
| 2014 | 465 | 1442 | $16,650 |
| 2013 | 186 | 704 | $3,000 |
| * Fursuiter numbers are as counted in the group photo.
** 2016-2018 are estimates. | |||
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References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "About BLFC" on the About page on the Biggest Little Fur Con website. Retrieved June 8, 2022.
- ↑ Biggest Little Fur Con on Twitter, posted August 20, 2019.
- ↑ Biggest Little Fur Con on Twitter, posted March 14, 2020.
- ↑ Biggest Little Fur Con on Twitter, posted July 24, 2020.
- ↑ Biggest Little Fur Con on Twitter, posted March 11, 2021.
- ↑ Biggest Little Fur Con on Twitter, posted March 15, 2021.
- ↑ Biggest Little Fur Con on Twitter, posted March 31, 2021.
- ↑ Biggest Little Fur Con on Twitter, posted August 12, 2021.
- ↑ "BLFC 2022 - Closing Ceremonies" on YouTube
- ↑ "Charity" from BLFC's 2018 website archive. Retrieved June 9, 2022.
- ↑ https://twitter.com/BiggestLittleFC/status/1542583758771130369
- ↑ https://twitter.com/BiggestLittleFC/status/1459614031270973440
- ↑ https://twitter.com/BiggestLittleFC/status/1459268565614280705
External links[edit]
- Biggest Little Fur Con on Fur Affinity
- Biggest Little Fur Con on Facebook
- Biggest Little Fur Con on Twitter
- Biggest Little Fur Con on Instagram
- Biggest Little Fur Con on Tumblr
- Biggest Little Fur Con on YouTube
- Biggest Little Fur Con on Mastodon