History

While we look forward to hosting future editions of furry fun, we can't do so without reminiscing about our past — so join us as we reminisce about the past editions of FE!

Furnal Equinox 2011: Wild Magic

Furnal Equinox 2011 was held from March 11-13, 2011 at the Doubletree by Hilton Toronto Airport in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The event attracted over 450 furries over the three days, breaking the attendance record set the previous year for a Canadian furry convention.

FE was joined by some remarkable Guests of Honour for another year. Critically acclaimed artist and fursuit maker FirestormSix was present with a number of suits to showcase, and furry artist ZEN flew all the way across the Atlantic Ocean for his first convention in North America. Both led the Fursuit Parade contingent with the Canadian and South African flags respectively — FE 2011 provided to be a massively popular event for suiters, with 110 participating in the parade.

With an even larger event space this year, FE was able to offer even more new opportunities, including a massive zoo, a cavernous Dealers Den and an Artists Alley. FE 2011 also marked the introduction of the hospitality suite which provided snacks for sponsors throughout the convention, and hosted meet-and-greet events for other conventions as well. Moreover, a pinball machine in the Games Room proved to be quite the hit!

Thanks to the generosity of our attendees, the inaugural Charity Auction raised a total of $4,000 for the Mississauga Humane Society. This total included a commission from ZEN which was auctioned off for $450.

Furnal Equinox 2010: Furry Fun and Games


Furnal Equinox 2010 was held on March 6 and 7, 2010 at the Doubletree by Hilton Toronto Airport. Far exceeding anyone's expectations for a first year convention, FE 2010 attracted 330 attendees. The convention also achieved a fursuiter turnout of 40, who participated in events throughout the weekend, including the Fursuit Parade.

With a video gaming room, tabletop gaming sessions and the availability of convention space throughout the night, the inaugural edition aimed to capture the spirit of "Furry Fun and Games" and friendly competition embodied at the Winter Games held that February in Vancouver.

FE's inaugural Guests of Honour were Heather Bruton and Bushycat, both established artists within the fandom. Their contributions could be seen throughout the con through their presence in the Dealers' Den and providing panels for attendees. Heather also contributed the front cover art for the conbook as well a print for donators ("Trillium"), while Bushy contributed the conbook's back cover in addition to the unique button conbadges. All had a sports theme; attendees were depicted as hockey players, right up to our staff and concom... the dreaded coaches!

FE 2010 was graced with the presence of a number of high-profile panelists:

  • Kent Burles, professor at the Max the Mutt Animation School in Toronto
  • Kathy Gerbasi (Ph.D., Rochester), social psychologist and author of Furries from A to Z
  • Phil Geusz, prolific furry author and contributor to Anthro magazine
  • Linnaeus, chair of Midwest Furfest in 2006 and 2007

A special conbook signed by the Guests of Honour and all numbers of Furnal Equinox's convention committee was auctioned off at the Closing Ceremonies, raising $200 for the Mississauga Humane Society.

In Memoriam

Michael "Morgan" Bard (1965-2010)

Michael was well known to the fandom as a prolific writer in the transformation and furry genres (including contributing and editing to a number of fan zines and archives), as well as fursuiting craft and performance. He was a member of the convention committee at Furnal Equinox 2010, coordinating panels and fursuit programming as well as conbook layout work. He was not only a tremendously creative person, but showed a warm personality and friendship to all that he met.

Several days after FE 2010, Morgan suffered a stroke while at his workplace. He passed away on the morning of March 19, 2010.

In an effort to ensure his legacy of creativity was preserved, Michael's friends published an anthology of his work entitled "A Horse of Many Colours" in November 2011. Proceeds from its sale go to support the Heart & Stroke Foundation of Ontario. You can buy the book on Amazon.com.