As of last week, the pre-registration numbers for Anthrocon’s weekend of furry fun totalled more than 15,000 – so many that the convention organizers decided to close registration until the Friday of the event to keep it from blowing past safety capacity at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center.
“This is our first year we had to consider a cap on attendance because we are growing [so] exponentially” says Anthrocon’s deputy director of public outreach Chris “Osee” Mays. “I think last year, numbers were just over 17,000. We anticipate we’ll reach close to the same amount of attendance, but we did have to look at that cap because of that.”
Pittsburgh’s furry convention, this year running Thur., July 3 through Sun., July 6, maintains its gargantuan, infectious status, but this summer and the rest of the year also feature plenty of other conventions.
Conventions in and around the city through the end of the year cover a wide range of geeky interests, including anime, comic books, gaming, toys, cartoons, and more. While these conventions still generally appeal to niche interests, let’s face it: nerd culture is now mainstream culture. You’re likely to get something out of at least one of these.
Anthrocon, which dates back to the late ’90s, has grown from an oddity to one of the nation’s leading furry conventions and something Pittsburghers have broadly embraced. It brings in massive amounts of money to the city – this year, organizers expect about $21.7 million in economic impact thanks to increased traffic at restaurants, hotels, and other businesses, according to Mays.
This year will also bring abnormally high temperatures, for which Anthrocon has prepared. For the first time, the City of Pittsburgh has agreed to close 10th Street between Penn Avenue and Fort Duquesne Boulevard so that pre-registration lines can be formed under the shade of the convention center to mitigate dehydration concerns, Mays says. There will also be more water stations than usual.
The convention has packed its four days with events, including its popular and explosive Fursuit Parade and Block Party, both on Saturday afternoon. Other than that, the convention floor will feature a wide array of vendors and activities, featuring gaming, art, yoga, writing workshops, dance, puppets, and more. Many activities are family-friendly while others are adult-only and, yes, saucy.
Tekko, the top convention for anime fans, comes Thu., July 17- Sun., July 20, also at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. While it focuses on anime, the convention features a wide range of Japanese pop culture that extends to music, video games and more. Cosplay proves popular, so expect to see folks around town in colorful and elaborate costumes and much more inside the convention halls.
The David L. Lawrence Convention Center will also feature a few other cons this year. Toon Fusion, happening Sat., Sept.6- Sun., Sept. 7 will be a celebration of cartoons. Voice actor guests include Matt Hill, Sam Vincent, and Tony Sampson, the respective leads of Ed, Edd n Eddy; Nick Apostolides, one of the most prominent voices of the Resident Evil character Leon S. Kennedy; and Lenore Zann, the voice of Rogue in the beloved ’90s cartoon X-Men: The Animated Series. Dec. 20 and 21 will feature Animeverse Pittsburgh x Wrestleverse Fest Pittsburgh. Guests include wrestlers Sting and Lita as well as voice actor Marc Thomspson, who voices several Pokémon characters.
Most prominent outside the city, the Monroeville Convention Center will host Steel City Con from Fri., Aug. 8- Sun., Aug. 10. By far the convention with the most mainstream appeal, Steel City Con has become known for attracting a large number of celebrity guests. This year, the convention nabbed David Wenham, who played Faramir in The Lord of the Rings; Jon Bernthal, television’s Punisher; Jodie Sweetin, actor for Full House and Fuller House’s Stephanie Tanner; White Lotus fan favorite Parker Posey; and even the outlandish Mike Tyson. (There appears to be no word of guests quite as controversial as last April’s Kevin Spacey.)
The Monroeville Convention Center will also host The Toypalooza Toy Show, offering hundreds of vendors selling toys and other collectibles on Sat., Sept. 20.
A newer convention on the scene, the Pittsburgh Comic Book Show, will have its second show this year on Sun., Nov. 23 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Bethel Park, near South Hills Village mall. Unlike the other cons mentioned, this show can make a proper claim to being a “comic-con,” as it focuses entirely on comics. Announced guests so far include Bob McLeod, co-creator of the X-Men team The New Mutants; and Mike DeCarlo, an inker of classic comics artwork, including the iconic Batman storyline “A Death in the Family.”
If you’re in the city during the first week of July, you’re going to see folks in colorful furry costumes wandering the streets. Let them pique your interest in something geeky to dig into this year, at Anthrocon or otherwise.
“We encourage the folks in the community of Pittsburgh to take to the streets, get to meet our attendees, talk to us. We love the interaction. A lot of our performers love to take photos with the folks. And we do offer day passes,” Mays says. “So if anybody from the general public of Pittsburgh has ever been curious of what’s going on, they can come in and not feel obligated to a full ticketed event.”
This article appears in Jul 2-8, 2025.
