Dogpatch Press

A street celebration and a party on a battleship – Two of the biggest events for one of the world’s most active furry communities.

For June 29: NorCal Furries are raising funds to be in the San Francisco Pride Parade.

This huge city-crossing festival will be on national TV with a million watchers, for a high energy show of costumes and colors where the furry group keeps getting awarded for expressing the purpose of Pride. Generous donors make tickets and the group’s own club party free for the community. Plans are in motion with about 300 tickets, so if you want to join, visit the page to get one now while you still can.

For May 24-26: Galactic Camp returns for a whole weekend.

Their 2018-2019 single day parties drew close to 1000 members. Those made a launch pad for an “un-con” on a WWII aircraft carrier, the USS Hornet, a floating historical landmark and nonprofit museum that’s sustained by unusual events. This unexpected non-hotel space will have panels, dealers, bars, DJ’s and the dances you do expect. Don’t miss the boat for this wonder of the furry world. Basic registration is upgraded to next tier for a limited time.

All of this makes a highly anticipated season after the local Fur Con – imagine living here!

SF Pride’s theme this year is Resistance

Since 2012, the NorCal Furries have brought hundreds of members a year to the San Francisco Pride Parade. Anyone can join, and it’s uniquely on a public street – this isn’t the typical closed hotel fursuit parade.

The unboxed experience requires checking weather, self-preparation without change space on street, and walking a mile route, besides hustling through crowds to meeting points. It’s worth it for here-ness with the allies of queerness, where high energy meets delighted viewing; it’s a good thing fursuit heads can protect you from all the cheering!

There’s something new and significant this year: stakes.

The government has been chilling sponsorship that keeps Pride events free to join. It’s less politically safe for corporate support, funds are tight, and it’s harder to get insurance for groups. There’s also overt moves against LGBT rights. Oppression of trans people uses furries as a pretext. Politicians in Texas, Oklahoma, Florida, and even the White House have named furries as causes to defund media and education. With such stakes on everyone, here’s a message from the executive director of SF Pride: “Ford says this year’s ‘Queer Joy is Resistance’ theme is a reminder of where Pride started: As a protest.” – ABC 7 News

The link again for tickets to march with NorCal Furries on June 29.

Ready for battle?

The USS Hornet is a battleship that ran missions like recovering astronauts from the ocean for the Apollo Space Program. See the artifacts, stick your face in the jets of vintage aircraft, or get your fursuit photo next to a real space suit!

It’s like a whole town to explore below deck, and it might be haunted… you’ll know if you catch a whiff of smoking in the officers lounge… but officially the refreshments are from 4 furry-run themed bars reachable with hatches and ladders, and food trucks out on the dock.

Those can keep you going for panels, the Dealer’s Den, gaming, or the dance competition. Learn fursuit building, art, storytelling, or just meet others in a nautical way – the rats on this ship can talk. Galactic Camp is sure to make stories unlike any con on earth.

The link again to register for Galactic Camp on May 24-26.

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