Ohio Furs

Did you Google 'Ohio furries' and end up here? Awesome!Here's the short list of links you DEFINITELY should join to be in the know with what's going on locally!

You can find a bunch more local groups through the links to the right (or below, if you're on mobile), too!

Groups + Chats

This is where you'll find links to Ohio-based furry groups and chats! I try to check periodically to see how active they are, but it's not foolproof. If you see a chat doesn't exist anymore or a group has been dead for months on end, let me know and I can remove it from the list.Do you have a group that's not listed here and you'd like to see it listed? Awesome! Hit me (@obliviousally) up on Telegram and hook me up with the info and I'll add it!@FurListBot is another option to look for all kinds of furry groups on Telegram, not just local ones!@Mythronaut on Twitter also created this nice carrd about how to stay safe in the fandom in regards to acts like grooming and abuse.A checkmark next to a group denotes that it's usually busy and chatty, or has a decent member count to meet new people!

Finally, as a small warning and disclaimer: I do not list any groups we know to be run by or affiliated with Connor Goodwolf/Insane Kangaroo. This includes Columbus Furmeets and Ohio Furs: Columbus Furries and Furmeets on Facebook, Official Ohio Furs and ohiofurryevents on Telegram, ohiofurs.com, 'furmeets' on Instagram, realohiofurs on Twitter, ohiofurs.bsky.social and theohiofurs.bsky.social on Bluesky. Be aware he also requests PERSONAL information in order to join his groups.I also try not to list groups run by bigots, but I can't be everywhere at once. If you know of a group run by someone who is bigoted and you can pass along proof, let me know and I'll check it out and remove the group from the list.

Events + Conventions

Furry conventions and other events, festivals, and cons that are furry friendly or furry adjacent. Also listed are some conventions and events close to Ohio that take place in surrounding states.Know of an event you think should be added that I don't know about? Message me (@obliviousally) on Telegram and let me know! Or! Join the events chat and share your event there!

You can also subscribe to our Substack and get events right in your email inbox without having to track a bunch of other sites or join groups if you don't want to!

If the embedded calendar below shows the monthly view, you can hit the Ⓥ icon in the upper right hand area and select 'Agenda' to view events better.

Local Furry Cons

Furry-Adjacent Events

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Miscellany

Here's just...some other stuff.This is maintained by Ally (obliviousally), who runs the NEO Furs/Northeast Ohio Furs stuff (Facebook, Telegram, tumblr, Twitter). As well as the 'ohio_furs' Twitter, 'ohiofurries' Bluesky, the 'ohiofurries' Instagram, and helps mod on a handful of Ohio Discord servers and Telegram groups! You've probably seen her around.

Ohio Furs Icons

I made these because a lot of the older icons used for Ohio furry groups were pretty old or low resolution. I was inspired by the same things they were, of course, the state shape and the flag. So I can't really claim any sort of originality for these, which is why I'm adding them here so folks can use them if they wish!The first two are the official colors from the Ohio state flag. The second two have some slightly tweaked colors.

Ohio Furs Fursona Pin

In 2021, I ran a community crowdfund to make an Ohio Furs pin on one of Fursona Pins' [Pride Pin](https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/fursonapins/pride-pins/description flag bases (it's an edited version of their raven base!). Altogether, about 150 pins were made and a good chunk of them flew off to preorder homes! I occasionally raffle a couple on Twitter, but I also sometimes take them to meets to give to new folks, or even send one or two off to people who never even knew they existed!Unfortunately, what's out there is what's out there. Fursona Pins no longer does customs such as this, and I'm unable to reorder them. I do sometimes still get stickers with the design, however, and utilize it on some of the social media stuff I post. If I ever have the opportunity to order them again, I would likely do another preorder/crowdfund!

At Anthrocon 2024, Fursona Pins let me know they'd done a new design of the Ohio Furs cardinal pin for me! Preorders were open for the first batch of pins during the summer and closed in September '24. 150 pins were ordered and will likely be out in the community in 2-3 months!There's a waitlist for the next order batch, as well!

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"I want to host my own furmeet!"

Originally written by the Admin Team of the Cincinnati Furry Events Chat.

Let's talk about organizing the event you have in your head and what it takes to bring it to life!As a general reminder to anyone who wishes to organize events. When posting for events we ask they be posted in the following format not only to help with readability, but to also help you, the organizer, make sure you have not missed any information we may be looking for.

  • Name of the event or a brief description

  • Location of where the event will take place

  • Time and Date

  • Are there any age restrictions (All ages, 16+, 18+, 21+)

  • Are fursuits, Partials, Tails, or Hoods allowed?

  • What is the associated cost of the event?

  • A link to the venue or somewhere with more information?

  • Who is hosting this event?

Other things to take into account when organizing an event is venue size. It has been an absolute joy watching the southern Ohio area and northern Kentucky area become more saturated with events. As events are happening we are seeing more and more friends make themselves available for our events.A general rule of thumb is if more than 10 participants are expected at an event with wait staff, call ahead and give the venue a notice that a large party will be showing up. Exact numbers typically are not needed, but this at least lets the business know and adequately prepare them.If you're organizing an event and you are unsure if a venue allows for fursuits, here is a simple list of questions to ask yourself:

  • Will the venue be crowded and is there space for those in suits to step away for breaks?

  • Is this a high energy venue where unintentional damages may occur?

  • Is security an issue where covering one's face is ill-advised?

  • Is the venue appropriate? i.e. Will other patrons be an issue?

If you run though these questions and still do not have a clear answer, call the venue and ask if Fursuits/Mascot Characters/Suited characters are permitted on property.Lastly, announcing the host of an event gives those who wish to attend a point of contact. If there are questions or concerns the event planner should be open to hearing them out and addressing them to the best of their ability. If you or the planner of an event do not have an answer, reach out to the moderation team and we will do our best to help.Announcing the host also gives participants someone to look for when arriving on location. It is important as a planner to be punctual to your own posted time as being late can lead to groups breaking off, individuals wandering around uncomfortably unsure who to look for, or a general fall apart of itinerary.Once you have compiled all the necessary information and formatted it in the advised way, post it to the group and a moderator will pin it for all to see.Thank you for reading this general way to organize events. We hope this gives you the confidence and the know how to begin organizing the events you wish to see in your areas.If you organize it, friends will come!

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