Galactic Camp: a furry con takes flight on the USS Hornet, Feb 23, 2019

by Patch O'Furr

*** Get tickets here for the event in Alameda CA ***

Article photos by Loboloc0 and Amenophis.

How do you describe a one-day, space-themed furry convention on an aircraft carrier? It’s such uncharted territory, you might need a satellite view.

Galactic Camp was formerly Space Camp Party, their first event on the San Francisco Bay waterfront in March 2018. The name was changed to avoid a trademark conflict. Besides a shiny new name, it’s back with the same crew, and ambitions that go as high as putting pawprints on the moon.

Here’s Chatah’s video from the first party:

What to expect at Galactic Camp: A dance with spectacular production including a video wall and stellar DJ lineup, food trucks, Burning Man art cars, and a top-shelf craft cocktail menu better than any furry event has had before. And the biggest feature is the venue, the USS Hornet. It’s a floating museum and visitor attraction, even before you throw a horde of colorful party animals on top.

Nacho Husky, the event organizer, said:

The USS Hornet has done events like weddings or scout camp sleepovers, but we’re doing something cool and different. No other furry group has run a con on an aircraft carrier. This isn’t like a typical event in a hotel. We’re pushing boundaries of what a con can be. That’s the magic of the event and why people are so excited. You could say it’s a small step for a furry, but a giant leap for furrykind.

More features of Galactic Camp:

The event is 18+. Expect 700-1000 attendance, with emphasis on social spaces to gather and hang out, a big fursuit lounge, a Cuddle Dome, and the same main stage setup as Further Confusion by the same crew. Dealers and tables will include BLFC, PAWcon and Frolic Party (a favored home of many of the DJ’s.)

Three food trucks will be hosted. Hula Truck has burritos, rice dishes, lumpia and more. Royal Egyptian has gyros, shawarma, and vegetarian options. Grilled Cheez Guy has melts of all kinds. And there will be three bars on the ship with a drink menu full of surprises for those with ID. How about a Greyhound, a Red Rocket or “Nacho Average Negroni”?

Cat of a Different Color is the Cheshire cat themed, lighted Burning Man art car that will be parked right by the dance floor. This event is planned to mix with Burners, a whole separate subculture that crosses over with fandom.

USS Hornet history: The ship picked up the Apollo 11 astronauts (the first people to walk on the moon) on their return from space. The dance floor will be surrounded by space program artifacts.

It was built for WWII in 1943 by many women laborers (the Rosie The Riveter museum is nearby in the SF Bay.) It was the first in the navy to have a dedicated women’s restroom, built for a visit by Nancy Reagan. It was decommissioned in 1970 and opened to the public in 1998. For Galactic Camp they agreed to have all-gender restrooms for the first time. The ship is managed by a nonprofit, and federally-owned (so don’t use certain California-allowed substances there!)

Interesting info about planning the event: An invitation to the Furry Convention Leadership Roundtable is a thumbs up from the world’s top cons. But it’s costly to arrange an event like this. Staff member Amenophis commented: “I’m impressed by the leap of faith you’re taking with the budget. Kudos for the balls to put this together.” 

With regular hotel cons, paying for rooms helps cover low-cost weekend admission. Here the cost has to be covered by the ticket. Part of the secret to success is getting premium sound and light equipment with “furry bang for the buck,” and the same quality from the beverage vendor, who typically does big events like Cirque Du Soleil that are levels above fandom. Galactic Camp will actually be one of their smallest – they just love the concept that much. That’s how this will bring curious people who have never attended a con before.

While it sounds like it’s reaching the edge of mainstream, the support of fandom brings it all together. The staff of over 60 volunteers is responsible for service like a reg system made to run fast and smooth.

For sponsors, Nacho Husky put in a lot of effort to arrange high quality swag, not cheap stuff that wears out or gets forgotten. That includes Nalgene bottles with the event logo that glow in the dark, are made in America and give many years of use. He said that one tweet about them brought $1000 in ticket sales.

The staff is very hopeful about establishing something great for the fandom. A successful event can come back again, afford to file for nonprofit status, maintain a budget for future events, and apply for running a tent at big street fairs locally. (How much better can this get in time? The USS Hornet has had ziplines and 50 bouncy castles on the top deck before.)

Now all it needs is you.

*** Mission Accepted? Get on board for an unforgettable experience. ***

 

Like the article? These take hard work. For more free furry news, please follow on Twitter or support not-for-profit Dogpatch Press on Patreon. For a great event, get tickets for Galactic Camp: a Space Themed One Day Furry Con, Feb 23, 2019 on an Aircraft Carrier on the San Francisco Bay. DJ’s, Cocktails, Art, Fursuiting and more!