Maybe you’ve been part of the furry fandom for years and just never made it to one. Maybe you recently joined the fandom. Maybe a friend convinced you to come along. Or maybe you saw a bunch of pictures of people running around a hotel dressed as giant animals and thought, “Okay, I need to see what this is about.”

We’ve heard from quite a few people (both this year and previous years) that Furry Migration is going to be their first furry convention, so we wanted to put together a little guide about what to expect, what to bring, and… most importantly… how not to stress yourself out trying to experience everything in one weekend.

So… what exactly do you DO at a furry convention?

Honestly. Whatever you want.

Furry Migration has panels, dances, games, vendors, artists, fursuiters, meetups, social events, and plenty of other things happening throughout the weekend. You can fill your entire schedule with things to do, or spend half the convention hanging out with new friends in the lobby.

There really isn’t a “correct” way to attend a furry convention.

If something on the schedule sounds interesting, go check it out. Wander through the Dealers Den and Artist Alley. Checkout the fursuiters. Play some games. Sit down and talk with people. Go back to your room and take a nap.

Wait. Schedule? We hope to have the schedule posted on the website soon! Stay tuned! Programming is finalizing it! This includes DJs, Dances, Official Room Parties, Panels, Artist Alley vendors, etc. We’re working on it, promise!

Before You Leave Home

There are a few things worth doing before heading to the Hyatt. First: make sure you have your ID.

You’ll need a valid government-issued photo ID when picking up your badge, and the legal name on your ID needs to match the legal name you registered with. If you’re attending as a minor, make sure you and your parent or guardian have reviewed our Minors Policy and have the required parental consent documentation (if needed).

Seriously. Check for your ID before leaving home. Then check again.

Beyond that, we’d recommend packing:

• Comfortable shoes. You will probably walk considerably more than you expect.
• A refillable water bottle.
• Phone charger and/or battery bank.
• Any medications or personal items you’ll need.
• A small bag or backpack.
• Snacks!
• A little extra room in your luggage for anything you buy.
• A swimsuit (if you plan to use the hotel pool)
• Your fursuit supplies and repair kit (if you’re bringing a suit)
• Deodorant and Hygiene products (You’d be surprised)

Didn’t Pre-Register? That’s Okay!

Didn’t get around to pre-registering? Decided at the last minute that you want to come? That’s completely fine! You don’t need to pre-register to attend Furry Migration. Though do know that a attendee badge is required in the convention space.

Badges will be available for purchase at the convention during Registration’s posted hours of operation. Just stop by Registration when you arrive, purchase your badge, and you’ll be ready to join the convention. Keep in mind that at-door registration pricing is be different from pre-registration pricing, and you’ll still need to bring a valid government-issued photo ID to pick up your badge.

Registration hours:

• Thursday (Pre-reg only) 4pm-8pm
  • Super Sponsor starting at 4pm
  • Sponsor starting at 5pm
  • Regular badges starting at 6pm
• Friday: 10am – 8pm
• Saturday: 10 – 8pm
• Sunday: 10am – 3pm

Need at door reg? You can do that friday! You cannot purchase at-door on Thursday unless declared otherwise on social media.

You Don’t Need a Fursuit

This is probably one of the most common misconceptions about furry conventions. You absolutely do not need a fursuit to attend Furry Migration.

Plenty of attendees don’t own one. Some people wear ears, tails, badges, or furry-themed clothing. Honestly, just a plain old T-shirt and jeans is common. If you want some furry swag though, The dealers den is a good place to find shirts and other furry adjacent things to pickup!

Making Friends

This can be the intimidating part, especially if you’re coming alone. A convention puts a lot of people with a shared interest into the same building, which makes starting conversations considerably easier than it might be elsewhere. Panels and meetups are particularly good places to start. If you see someone with a badge, character, costume, pin, or shirt you like, it’s perfectly fine to compliment them and strike up a conversation!

You don’t need to arrive with a group of ten friends to have a good weekend. Talking around and getting to know people on our FM discord is a great start pre-con!

At the same time, remember that everyone has different social batteries. Someone sitting alone may be happy to chat, or they might be taking a much-needed break. Be respectful, read the room, and don’t take it personally if somebody isn’t feeling social at that particular moment.

Remember the 6-2-1 Rule

There’s an old convention survival guideline called the 6-2-1 rule:

• 6 hours of sleep.
• 2 real meals.
• 1 shower.

We’d also like to add a fourth unofficial rule: Drink water.

Conventions are exciting, and it is remarkably easy to realize at 8 PM that you’ve been surviving entirely on caffeine and whatever snack was at the bottom of your backpack. Take care of yourself. Eat. Sleep. Shower. Hydrate. The convention will still be there when you get back.

A Few Etiquette Things

Most convention etiquette boils down to the same rules you’d follow anywhere else: respect people’s space, belongings, and boundaries.

In particular, always ask before touching someone or their fursuit.

Fursuiters give great hugs, but not every fursuiter wants one. Ask first.

The same applies to photos. If you’d like a posed photo with someone, ask. And if a fursuiter doesn’t respond immediately, remember that visibility and hearing inside a fursuit can be surprisingly limited.

Also, please don’t grab tails, ears, wings, props, badges, or costume pieces. They’re attached. We promise. If you want to touch or feel a part of someones costume or person, Always ask!! Consent is important and you can get in serious trouble with the con for not checking first!

Most Importantly: Have Fun

Your first furry convention is something you’ll probably remember for a long time. You don’t need the perfect fursuit. You don’t need to know everyone. You don’t need to understand every fandom reference, attend every event, or stay awake until 3 AM.

Show up. Explore. Meet some people. Take care of yourself. Try something new.

And when Sunday rolls around and you’re tired, carrying three things you definitely didn’t plan on buying, and wondering how the weekend disappeared so quickly… Congratulations. You’ve survived your first furry convention.

Welcome to Furry Migration.

If you’ve been putting off registering, now’s a great time to do it so you can save a little money and help us better prepare for the convention!

badge sizes and labels

Also on the topic of registration; Last year, we introduced a new 3″ × 5″ badge format with a focus on creating a consistent brand, layout, and style that we can carry forward from year to year while simply updating the artwork to match each year’s theme.

If you’re planning to make your own badge ribbons, be sure to keep this new size in mind. We’ll be using the same 3″ × 5″ badge format again this year.

I’ve heard confusion that last year’s badge design was a mistake, but that wasn’t the case. The change was intentional as the convention continues to grow and our registration process evolves. The previous, smaller badge format (used through 2024) wasn’t well suited for high-volume printing and created bottlenecks at registration. Moving to the new format allows us to print badges more efficiently and helps keep registration lines moving.

One of the biggest pieces of feedback we received last year was about the labels used to print badge names. Our Registration team invested in all-new printers, but the paper-backed label stock we used ended up being a quality issue, especially if it became wet.

This year, we’re keeping the new printers but switching to a more premium label material that should be significantly more durable while maintaining the flexibility of on-site badge printing.

Finally, if you’re a preregistered Sponsor, Super Sponsor, Staff member, or VIP, your badge will be professionally preprinted by our publications provider.

Badges purchased at the door will continue to be printed on-site. Standard attendee preregistration badges may also be printed on-site this year, though we’re still finalizing that part of the registration process.

We know the parade has become a favorite tradition for many attendees, so this wasn’t a decision we made lightly.

Our home at the Hyatt Regency Minneapolis has been an incredible venue for Furry Migration, but its layout presents some unique challenges when it comes to designing a parade route. These challenges get tougher as we grow. We explored a number of possibilities for a route, but each option either became overly complicated to operate, significantly impacted other convention activities, required extensive planning with the city, or began approaching occupancy and fire safety concerns that we aren’t comfortable compromising on.

The safety of our attendees, volunteers, and hotel staff will always come first, even when it means making a disappointing decision.

The good news is that this isn’t the end of the fun for the weekend. Rather than forcing a parade that we don’t feel can be executed to the standard we expect, we’re putting our energy into planning an alternative event that we hope will give everyone another memorable opportunity to show off their suits and celebrate our community.

We’re still working through the details, and we’ll share more information as soon as everything is finalized, if the alternative arrangements work out.

We appreciate everyone’s understanding and support as we continue working to prepare for Furry Migration 2026. We can’t wait to see you all for “Be Kind; Rewind” this September.

-Rico
FM2026 Conchair

Attendees who register online before the convention will enjoy discounts of up to 20% off the price of their badge, and have access to limited-edition merch and events through the Sponsor and Super Sponsor badge tiers.

Advance registration closes in the weeks before the convention, so plan ahead.

On-site registration will also be available during the weekend of the convention, with Sponsor/Super Sponsor benefits available while supplies last.

Learn more and get your Furry Migration 2026 badge on our registration page. We look forward to welcoming both returning faces and first-time attendees this September!

We know Furry Migration 2025 feels like ancient history, but 2026 is fast approaching. Keep your eyes peeled…we’ve got updates and new info loading in the next few weeks!

Until then, feel free to rewind and check out our 2025 highlights while we get the new site ready. Pardon the static (and the dust) while we work on FM 2026!

The selected Vice-Conchair will:

• Shadow and work alongside the current Conchair throughout 2026 and 2027.

• Gain hands-on experience in convention leadership, planning, and community engagement.

• Be considered for appointment as Conchair as early as 2028, pending approval and appointment by the Minnesota Furs Board of Directors.

Application Process

If you are interested in this role, please send an email to chair@furrymigration.org with the following:

1. Why you feel you would make a good Conchair.

2. Why you want to become Conchair.

Be sure to slip the word “corvus” somewhere in your application to confirm you have fully read this posting. The application deadline is November 1st, 2025. A formal interview process will be held in early November 2025 for those selected to move forward.

Additional Information

• While strong consideration will be given to current staff members, qualified individuals who are not currently on staff may also be considered.

• An appointed Vice-Conchair must be prepared to step back from other staff duties to fully dedicate themselves to this position.

This is a rare opportunity to shape the future of Furry Migration, grow as a leader, and ensure the continued success of our convention.

We look forward to hearing from those who are passionate about serving our community, the convention and carrying Furry Migration into the future!

At this point, the convention staff is resting and preparing for 2026. Furry Migration’s parent organization is Minnesota Furs a 501c3 non profit organization, one of it’s goal is provide year round activities around Minnesota, if you are local or not we are open to everyone to attend these events.

Please check back at the beginning of 2026 for more information on Furry Migration 2026, “Be Kind, Rewind”.

Now that the con’s over, we’d love for you to provide feedback on how FM 2025 went!

You can provide as much or as little feedback as you want and no need to provide your contact information!

We appreciate any feedback we get, it helps us make Furry Migration better!

Thanks again for coming to Furry Migration 2025 – The Gala.

Furry Migration 2025 Fursuit Photo.

Click here to download the full size fursuit photo.

360° Photo

Click here to download the full size fursuit 360° photo.

Special thanks to our 2025 Furry Migration photo staff for their excellent work this year. Without their effort we wouldn’t be able to get so many great shots of our attendees!

Allow me to reintroduce myself. I am Corvus Fitzgerald St. Paul (no relation), lover of fine stationery, collector of many treasuers, and Furry Migration’s self-declared patron of pageantry. While others handle the spreadsheets and logistics and what I am told are “budgets,” I concern myself with the finer things, ambiance, flair, and ensuring that each of you experiences this gathering with a sense of occasion worthy of royalty or at the very least a particularly theatrical tax auditor.

This year, I shall be taking a more visible role, if only to provide commentary, encouragement, and the occasional dramatic gasp from the wings. You may see me flutter about our digital spaces, casting compliments like confetti and offering entirely unsolicited opinions on your outfit choices. You are welcome.

Why yes, we are holding a Gala, the crown jewel of our upcoming festivities. Picture this; a gathering of the elegant, the eccentric, and the extravagantly costumed, all under one metaphorical chandelier. There will be music, there will be movement, and above all there will be mystery and magic, wrapped in formalwear and fur.

To all who are planning, volunteering, attending, performing, creating, and yes even to those simply watching from the shadows, I raise a glass (crystal, of course) in your honor. This convention is a labor of love, a beacon of community, and a celebration of shared joy. And I, for one, could not be more thrilled to be part of it with all of you.

Now go, prepare your suitcases, fluff your tails, and polish your paws. Furry Migration awaits. And I shall be watching, applauding, and perhaps fainting dramatically in appreciation. See you all at opening ceremonies.