Wild North

Wild North is a small furry convention that takes place in Northumberland, England.

Unlike other UK events, focusing on hotels in towns or cities, Wild North takes place in countryside venues. Operating on an 'all-inclusive' basis, meals, soft drinks and events are all included with registration. The main focus of the event is collaboration: all attendees have the opportunity to get involved in organising activities, helping out with catering, and generally making the event run.

Its official mascot is Twizell (pronounced twizzle) the red squirrel; he features in official artwork and appears in photos and videos.

2018
Wild North was conceived by Kivuli, Tyde Ratmeat and Ziegenbock around March 2018. The first event was intended as a testing ground for future small events. Information was first published on March 22nd through Telegram. Registration opened on May 10th and closed on 17th August, with 14 paid attendees, although two could not make it to the first event due to unforeseen circumstances.

Taking place at the Joiner's Shop Bunkhouse in Chathill over 21-24 September 2018, attendees received goodie-bags with a personalised letter, drinks, sweets (such as chocolate raisins or Kendal mint cake) and savoury snacks. Dinners included curry with rice, BBQ burgers, hot-dogs and vegetable skewers, and make-your-own pizzas. Fentimans soft drinks were also included. The attendance fee was £80; those who paid £12.95 extra received a T-shirt.

Big events included visits to the historic Preston Tower, Chathill Village, the Alnwick Food Festival (where a fursuit walk took place) and the Beamish Open Air Museum. Board, video and outdoor games were also played.

2019
Wild North 2019 "The Invasion" was confirmed at the 2018 closing ceremony to take place over 27-30 September (3pm-11am ), at Featherstone Castle near Haltwhistle (with a free shuttle from its station). Registration was £150 for the full event, £100 for the weekend only, and £50 for day reg. Registration and payment were open from 1 March to 31 August. The final attendance was 24. A T-shirt by Gem Squirrel was available for an extra fee. The food provided included various vegetarian options.

Events included: a demonstration of falconry ; Kubb; VR gaming; a photoshoot; board games; the Werewolves roleplaying game (by Kivuli); an introduction to puppeteering (by GreenReaper); a collective read-through of The Eye of Argon; an open stage for other attendees' performances; music, a disco room and karaoke; and a post-con trip to Beamish Museum (not included in the fee, but lifts were provided). Other planned events were archery (ultimately cancelled due to rain on Sunday), and storytelling by Jez of the Moss Troopers (also cancelled).

Personalized goodie bags returned; attendees also received a personal note in the conbook. £187.93 was raised for con charity Pawz for Thought through a raffle and the sale of wristbands and other accessories.

2020
Wild North 2020 "An Epic Tail of Britain" was originally to be held 25-28 September at Featherstone Castle, and registration opened February 28. Confirmed events included falconry, a "trading post", and a story writing competition.

However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the in-person event was postponed, and was replaced with an online rendition of their convention. The theme was "Virtual Tails", and took place on the weekend on 26-27 September, 2020. Events included workshops, quizzes, music, stories, games, and more. The online convention raised £417 for the Newcastle Dog & Cat Shelter local animal charity.

2021
Wild North 2021 "Tails of the Seven Seas" will take place as an an online furry convention on the weekend of 2-3 October, 2021. Events will include music, stories, games, a story writing competition, a fursuit dance contest, and more.