Over the weekend, Dallas residents may have noticed extra barking and tail wagging – from people.
Hundreds of “furries,” or humans who pretend to be animals, gathered at Sheraton Dallas for the “Texas Furry Fiesta” from March 26 to 29. Dallas has hosted “Furry Fiesta” annually since 2009. This year, the event reportedly drew more than 9,000 participants, including minors of all ages.
At one point, comedian and activist Alex Stein crashed the convention, before security escorted him out. “This is the weirdest thing I’ve ever been to in my life,” Stein said. “It better be private, I hope there’s no kids here!”
I just got kicked out of the Texas Furry Festival 🦁 pic.twitter.com/Ozsdarb5rt
— Alex Stein #99 (@alexstein99) March 29, 2026
Furry Convention Allows Kids
“Furry Fiesta and Creature Arts does not permit attendance by any individual who appears on any state or federal sex offender registry,” convention rules warn. Organizers also banned “adult” or explicit content. From 9 p.m. to 4 a.m., they could wear clothes with a “PG13 rating,” including “latex/PVC/neoprene form-fitting bodysuits.”
“Attendees must wear appropriate attire up to and including opaque shirts, pants/shorts, and footwear,” the rules read. “Appropriate undergarments must be worn under bodysuits.”
The furry convention also banned animals – real ones – from attending.
“Animals other than service animals are not permitted in convention space,” the rules read. “Any animal that becomes aggressive, defecates on the floor, or is otherwise uncontrolled must be removed from convention space.”
The Dallas Express asked organizers how they applied the rule to people who identify as animals, but did not hear back.
Furries Present At “Trans Day of Visibility”
Many furries create their own “fursonas,” according to the left-wing magazine Pink News. They ostensibly do not technically “identify” as animals, though some do.
Furries are not explicitly part of the LGBT movement, but they often “overlap.”
While the Democratic Socialists of America-Dallas hosted “Trans Day of Visibility” nearby on March 29, they attracted roughly 50 attendees – including furries from the convention down the street, according to Texas Coalition for Kids Executive Director Kelly Neidert.
Dallas “Trans Visibility Day” has about 50 attendants. Including people from the furry convention down the road pic.twitter.com/xxITogpgV8
— Kelly – TCK (@tx4kids) March 29, 2026
‘Furry Siesta’ To Offer STD Screening
The same organizers are also planning “Furry Siesta” during “PRIDE” from June 19 to 21, at Hyatt Regency Dallas. They referred to the event as “a light Convention or a furmeet with extra features.”
“This year we are partnering with Aids Healthcare Foundation to offer free STD Screening to any interested attendee,” the event’s website reads.
“Furry Siesta” admits minors of all ages – even under 10 – with similar guidelines as “Furry Siesta.” The event features a performance from drag queen “Rosa Thorns.”
This is despite an appeals court ruling in February, enabling Texas’ ban on explicit drag shows for minors, as The Dallas Express reported.
Furry Nonprofits, Pseudonyms, and a $323,000 Handover
The nonprofit Creature Arts organizes “Furry Fiesta.”
The group aims to gather “writers, artists, and craftspeople” to further understand “anthropomorphic art forms,” according to the convention website. It also fundraises for other nonprofits that it feels advance the “interests and concerns of said community.”
Creature Arts registered with its mailing address as a P.O. box in Dallas, but a 2024 tax form lists its address as an office park off Midway Road in Carrollton. The nonprofit has been running since 2020.
Before that, a similar nonprofit was running “Furry Fiesta” since 2009 – the “Dallas Regional Anthropomorphic Meeting Association.”
DRAMA’s board of directors reportedly used furry pseudonyms, including “Path,” “Storm,” and “Shiva,” many of which overlap with those on Creature Arts’ board.
During its time, DRAMA launched “Furry Siesta.” But in 2019, the group closed its doors, citing an expanded mission beyond its IRS classification.
“The corporation has grown substantially since it’s [sic] founding in 2008,” DRAMA officials wrote at the time. “The board of directors and volunteers running the organization wished to engage in additional activities.”
So the board dissolved DRAMA – and funneled more than $323,000 in assets into Creature Arts, which would take the helm of organizing “Furry Fiesta” in Dallas.
Republican state legislators introduced the F.U.R.R.I.E.S. Act in 2025, aiming to ban furry roleplaying in public schools, as The Dallas Express reported. Gov. Greg Abbott backed the bill while speaking to a group of Baptist pastors, according to KUT News, pointing to school choice as a potential solution.
“If you have a child in a public school, you have one expectation, your child is going to be learning the fundamentals of education, like reading, writing, math and science,” Abbott reportedly said. “If they’re being distracted by furries, those parents have a right to move their child to the school of their choice.”
