Italian furcons: a guide to furry conventions in Italy

by | Oct 27, 2026 | Furcons, Italian fandom

Gruppo di fursuiter in posa in un corridoio

Top photo: fursuiters posing for a group photo at WildOut’s Back2Fun (April 2026). Photo: courtesy of WildOut APS (Back2Fun 2026)

A furcon is an event organised by furries for furries. For a few days a hotel fills up with fursuits, panels, drawings and music, and people make new friends. Compared with Germany, the UK or the United States, Italy has few proper conventions, but the scene has grown a lot in recent years. Here you’ll find the Italian conventions that are active today, the ones that are now part of the fandom’s history, and some advice if you’re thinking of going for the first time.

Furizon: the Italian furry convention

Today the main convention in Italy is Furizon. It’s run by APS Furizon, a non-profit social promotion association registered in Reggio Emilia. According to the official website, the group was started in 2015 by Silverwolf, who had been organising furmeets since 2011, and Rigel. Kyrill joined later. Today Silverwolf is the association’s president and the event’s chairman, while Kyrill is vice-president and treasurer. The association describes itself as the first Italian non-profit devoted to furry culture.

Furizon follows the hotel takeover model, with a hotel taken over almost entirely by the event and a limited number of places. Bear in mind that all events are open to members of the association only, so to attend you need APS Furizon’s annual membership card as well as a ticket. Registration and bookings go through the FurPanel portal.

From a furmeet in Trentino to a 400-person convention

Furizon’s official archive shows how the project has grown. The first editions were furmeets in a self-managed house in Trentino. The first real convention came in 2022, with attendees from Italy and five other European countries. Since 2025 the main event has been held in Lombardy, near Milan.

Year Edition Type Venue Attendees
2015 Camp Fire Furmeet Casa Magnola, Segonzano (TN) 35
2016 Hunting Season Furmeet Casa Magnola, Segonzano (TN) 50
2017 Penumbra Furmeet Casa Magnola, Segonzano (TN) 55
2018 Sideralis Furmeet Casa Magnola, Segonzano (TN) 60
2019 Sovereign Furmeet Hotel Sole del Baldo, Monte Baldo 80
2022 Riots Convention Park Hotel Sacro Cuore, Cavalese (TN) 135
2023 Beyond Convention Park Hotel Sacro Cuore, Cavalese (TN) 214
2024 Overlord Convention Park Hotel Sacro Cuore, Cavalese (TN) 275
2025 Zenith Convention Devero Hotel, Cavenago di Brianza (MB) 400
2026 Polaris Convention Devero Hotel, Cavenago di Brianza (MB) not yet published

At Zenith 2025 the guest of honour was FlukeHusky, with EzoWolf as special guest. In 2019 there was also a “Midnight Edition”, an evening in Milan with 48 attendees.

Furizon 2026 “Polaris”

The 2026 edition was called Polaris and was held again at the Devero Hotel in Cavenago di Brianza, just outside Milan. The theme was an expedition to the Arctic. According to the international calendars FurryGuides and FurryCons, the convention ran from 2 to 5 June 2026. FurryGuides also reports that full tickets sold out and the organisers opened 20 extra places. Polaris’s official attendance figure is not yet in Furizon’s archive.

Furizon Madness 2027: dates already announced

The official website has already announced the next convention: Furizon Madness, from 1 to 4 June 2027, again at the Devero Hotel in Cavenago (MB). So far the only hint about the theme is a teaser: a club full of energy and wrapped in mystery, where only those inside know what happens behind closed doors. Tickets, guests and programme will be announced later.

Furizon Riverside: the autumn furmeet in the mountains

Besides the summer convention, every October APS Furizon organises Furizon Riverside, also written River Side. It’s a multi-day furmeet, smaller and quieter, out in nature. After editions in Ceratello (BG), Valle Sella (TN) and Cavalese, since 2025 it has been held at the Hotel Corno Bianco in Pietralba, in the municipality of Nova Ponente (BZ), between the Catinaccio and Latemar mountains. The complex also has a craft brewery, Klosterbräu Weissenstein. Riverside V in 2025 had 85 attendees.

The 2026 edition took place from 15 to 18 October 2026. According to the official website, these were the conditions for taking part:

  • a 175-euro ticket plus 10 euros for the membership card, valid from October 2026 to September 2027, for a total of 185 euros;
  • the ticket includes three nights in the hotel, three breakfasts and three dinners, the fursuit lounge, the disco nights and the activities on the main stage;
  • a maximum of 130 places, with no day tickets;
  • sales closed on 6 October 2026;
  • a tourist tax of 3.30 euros per night, payable on site.
Two fursuiters waving outdoors

Two fursuiters outdoors at WildOut’s Back2Fun (April 2026). Photo: courtesy of WildOut APS (Back2Fun 2026)

WildOut: Back2Fun and Wild in the Woods in Emilia

Alongside Furizon, WildOut APS is growing. It’s a social promotion association based in Lucca, set up from the grassroots in 2024 by a small group of fans. On its website it says it wants to go back to the idea the community started from: in-person events, in Italy and affordable for everyone, where people can see friends they met online and make new ones in a safe, welcoming environment. It’s a young project that aims to grow event by event, a bit like Furizon did starting from its first furmeets in Trentino.

Its first event was Back2Fun, on 25 and 26 April 2026 at the RHI Porta Bologna hotel in Pieve di Cento (BO): a 1990s-themed weekend with two halls and a nightclub reserved for the event. According to the attendees page (in Italian) there were 83 registered attendees and 46 fursuits.

The next event is Wild in the Woods, from 23 to 25 April 2027 at the same venue. The theme is a camping trip in the woods that takes a mysterious turn at night. The staff have planned video games, board games, a nightclub open until late and a fursuit lounge. It lasts three days, from Friday to Sunday, and could suit people who have never been to a multi-day furry event.

Registration is already open on the official website (in Italian). There are three tickets: Trekker at €60, Camper (sponsor) at €90 and Survivalist (super sponsor) at €140. The two more expensive ones add merchandise such as a themed T-shirt and pin, and the Survivalist also includes priority check-in and a welcome drink.

The hotel has 140 rooms at a discounted rate for attendees and is about 700 metres’ walk from the centre of Pieve di Cento. You can get there by car from the A13 motorway (Altedo exit), by train to San Pietro in Casale on the Bologna-Ferrara line, or on the TPER 97C bus from Bologna. If you want to take a more active part, you can apply to volunteer (from age 18), propose a panel or an activity, or ask for a spot in the Dealer’s Den: with a ticket valid for every day of the event, the spot (half a table) is free.

The conventions that made history: Zampacon

Before Furizon there was Zampacon, which billed itself as “the first Italian furry convention”. According to WikiFur, the first edition was held in Bologna over the turn of 2012 and 2013. The event then moved to late summer, at the Hotel Morri-Oceania in Bellaria-Igea Marina, on the Romagna Riviera. The last edition on record is 2017, with a pirate theme (“Tails of the Seven Seas”). According to the report published by FurryDen (in Italian), about seventy people attended. There have been no new editions since.

The Italian fandom has also very often met up at the big comics fairs. The best-known case is the furry gathering at Lucca Comics & Games, which FurryDen has organised since 2017 under the name “Lucca Furries & Games”. There have also been gatherings at the Festival del Fumetto in Novegro and the “Spazio Furry” at XMas Comics in Turin in 2018. These were gatherings rather than conventions, but they are where many Italian furries got to know each other.

First time at a furcon? Some advice

  • Act early. Italian furcons have few places and tickets sell out quickly. Follow the official channels and note down when registration opens: for Riverside 2026, for example, it was announced weeks in advance.
  • Remember your membership card. For Furizon events the membership card is compulsory and valid for one year, from October to September. A card bought for one event won’t necessarily cover the next.
  • Arrange your room with others. At Riverside, for example, a room is confirmed only when every bed is taken by someone with a ticket. Sort things out with your roommates beforehand.
  • Read the rules and FAQ. They cover the code of conduct, activities in shared spaces, food (Furizon even has specific rules about sharing snacks) and refunds.
  • If you have a fursuit, look after yourself in it. Drink plenty of water, take regular breaks in the fursuit lounge and bring an emergency kit (needle and thread, fabric deodoriser, a fan). If you don’t have a fursuit, no problem: most attendees don’t wear one.
  • Volunteer. Furizon and WildOut often look for staff, and WildOut also takes panel proposals and applications for the Dealer’s Den. It’s a way to meet people and see the event from behind the scenes.
  • Respect others. Always ask before hugging a fursuiter or photographing someone, and remember that people in fursuit can’t see or hear much.

Italian furcons are small, and in a few days you often go from “I don’t know anyone” to a group of friends to plan the next trip with. See you at the next event!

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