Anthrocon Parade & Block Party

We’re taking our engagement with the city of pittsburgh to the next level!

On Saturday July 6th, we’ll be closing down the street of Penn Avenue between 9th and 11th Street and hosting two public events: the Fursuit Parade, and the Anthrocon Block Party! We’re partnering with the City of Pittsburgh to create a day of friendly, safe mingling where we can share the magic of our fandom.

Fursuit Photo & Parade - Anthrocon Block Party - Frequently Asked Questions


Fursuit Parade

Our annual fursuit parade will once again be going out into the streets of Pittsburgh for everyone to see!

Parade Process

  • The parade will begin with the Fursuit Parade Lineup, which will be in the Convention Center Hall C. The lineup for the and parade will start at 11 AM, with doors closing at 1:30 PM.

  • There is no Fursuit Group Photo before the parade. This was a tradition in previous years but due to the sheer size of our parade line-up, it is no longer practical nor safe to host the group photo. There will be many photographers, both amateur and professional, covering the parade for all to enjoy.

  • The parade will begin at 2pm, starting from Hall C and leading out onto the streets underneath the convention center. For those that need physical accommodation due to not being able to take stairs/escalators, please contact [email protected] to let us know.

  • The parade ends in Hall D, where there is cooling and hydration for fursuiters. Once the parade is finished, or fursuiters are feeling ready, they can take the elevators back up to the 3rd floor of the convention center, and make their way to Penn Avenue (either through the convention center, or the Westin) for the Block Party.

Parade Rules

  1. All fursuiters must hydrate before the fursuit parade. It’s for your own safety!

  2. No stopping in the parade route - we require fursuiters to continue moving in the parade except in case of emergency. Staff and volunteers are positioned along the route should you require assistance.

  3. No flags are allowed, as they obstruct other fursuiters in the photo and/or parade.

  4. No inappropriate costumes or accessories are allowed in the photo or parade.


Anthrocon Block Party

Right after the Fursuit Parade will be the Anthrocon Block Party! Weather-dependent, the street of Penn Avenue (in front of the convention center) will be blocked off from 9th to 11th Street for furries and Pittsburgh locals to interact.

Things to keep in mind for the block party:

  • The block party is entirely outdoors! While there will be temporary fursuit headless zones with cooling, please keep it mind that it may be very hot outside. This also means that if the weather doesn’t look good, the event may be cut short.

  • We will have Anthrocon Safety staff and volunteers supporting the block party, in addition to law enforcement personnel patrolling the area.

  • There will be food and refreshment services around, including some food trucks. Fursuiters should be mindful of any potential risk to their costumes.

  • Restroom facilities will be available on the street in the form of portable restrooms.


Frequently Asked Questions

  • We recommend being ready in costume before 12 PM so you can ensure enough time to walk to the Convention Center Hall C, located beside the Dealers Room. Elevators will be in high demand, so the earlier the better.

  • We do allow for fursuiters that require handlers to be a part of the parade, but we will be asking all non-costumed persons to move out of the crowd for the Fursuit Group Photo. Handlers may re-join their fursuiter afterwards.

  • We’ll be having Penn Avenue closed down from 12 to 10 PM on Saturday, so there’s plenty of time to socialize and have fun!

  • Absolutely! There’s no admission or requirement needed to join this event, as it’s a public spectacle to help showcase the uniqueness of the furry fandom. However, if you wish to enter the convention space (inside the convention center or Westin hotel), you’ll need to have your valid convention registration. Find out how you can purchase on our Registration page.

  • We plan to have temporary fursuit headless zones set up around the major intersection of the block party, with signs directing fursuiters to these zones.

  • We will be employing both our own Safety staff in addition to uniformed police officers from the City of Pittsburgh, and other law enforcement oficers to help safeguard the block party.

  • To make a pilot event like this successful, we’ll need a slew of volunteers that can help provide assistance where needed. If you’re interested in how you can help out, you can reach out to our Volunteers team through one of the ways below:

    Volunteer Email - If you’re looking for information on how or what you could be involved with, let us know by emailing us!

    At the convention - in our Convention Operations office, which is Room 309 in the convention center.

    Volunteer Telegram Channel - When there is a need for volunteers, announcements will be made here.

    @ACVolunteers on Twitter - The Anthrocon Volunteers Twitter feed, where volunteer announcements will be made.

Banner photo: Blue Hasia