Furry Weekend Atlanta FAQ

The Artists Alley will have the same opening hours as the rest of the general Vendor Hall : Friday 10am-6pm, Saturday 10am-6pm, and Sunday 10am-5pm

Check the Dealers Den Page for more information and updates on the status of the Dealers Den.

No! It is a common misconception that everyone who attends an anthropomorphic or “furry” convention wears a fursuit. Only a small percentage of our attendees – somewhere between 10% and 15% – attend Furry Weekend Atlanta with a fursuit, and even fewer are in suit at any given time. Most attendees are just everyday people interested in anthropomorphics.

Absolutely! We not only allow fursuits at the con, we highly encourage and welcome them. That said, please do exercise caution in wearing your fursuit to any place outside of the hotel (see the Local Area Guide for full details about this.

Absolutely! Please feel free to bring all of your puppet friends with you if you would like.

Check out our Fursuiting Page for full details on all of our fursuit activities.

The Atlanta Marriott Marquis has agreed to refund the room deposit for bookings made in our 2020 room block. We are working with the hotel and will provide further details as soon as possible.

The hotel is located at:

265 Peachtree Center Ave
Atlanta, GA 30303
United States of America

You can find information on how to reach the hotel on the Travel Pages.

In accordance with the fire marshal restrictions, the hotel doesn’t like to see more than four people staying in a room. A room should never have more people than it can comfortably sleep.

Although we no longer host forums, we have a Facebook group just for posting about room and ride shares. There is also a site that hosts forums for each convention, ConRoomies. They put up the site for each con about 4 months before the convention. Furry Weekend Atlanta cannot vouch for the suitability of any site or matches. Each person should ask for references and use their best judgement. Make sure you know some of their friends and ask around before agreeing to a room or ride share.

The hotel has informed us that the minimum age to rent is 18. If you are under the age of 18, you will be required to have a parent of legal guardian check you into the hotel. Furry Weekend Atlanta is not able to provide you with sleeping space or cosign on a room with you.

No. See above. We cannot assume liability for your room.

Yes, the hotel has high-speed wireless Internet available for a small charge.

Yes, through the onsite FedEx.  Detailed information on shipping stuff and from the hotel is available here. The hours and services available are outlined on the FedEx location webpage.  There are charges that vary by weight as well handling and storage fees. You can also contact the FedEx shipping center at (404) 586-6190.

Furry Weekend Atlanta cannot recommend any hotel other than the Marriott Marquis. While there are other hotels in the vicinity, we ask that you stay in the convention hotel because the very financial future of the convention is dependent on us booking a certain number of rooms. Plus, you’ll have a much more pleasant experience if you stay at the convention hotel – you’re just minutes from the action!

No. pets are not permitted. Service animals are permitted as required by law. Questions about this should be directed to the Marriott Marquis.

There is a charge for vehicles parked in the hotel parking lot. More details on parking options will be posted as the convention nears on the parking page.

The hotel itself has no parking for large vehicles that will not fit in the hotel parking garage. There are several open-air lots within walking distance of the hotel.

There are 18 elevators that cover the 47 floors in a staggered fashion.

At the present time, there has not been enough demand for such a space. However, this may change in the future.

The hotel is directly connected via sky bridge to the Peachtree Center Mall food court (it is literally about 200 yards from the convention floor). There are over 50 restaurants within a 3-block area of the hotel, and more than 100 within a one mile area.

Yes, you can. However, Furry Weekend Atlanta recommends that you do not do this. There are some issues with this that you should be aware of.

If you are going to pay in cash, be aware that the hotel has the right to, and most likely will, request a deposit when you check in to cover any incidental charges (telephone usage, room service, etc) made to the room over the course of your stay. This is a standard practice at most major hotel chains worldwide. This requested deposit could be quite large and may be up to and including two (2) nights at the room rate, but may be more or less.

If you wish to pay with cash, Furry Weekend Atlanta recommends that you use a credit card to secure the deposit on the room when you check in, and then pay the full balance in cash on checkout. That removes the need to pay the cash deposit before being allowed to check in.

Yes. Many people don’t realize that you can get pre-paid debit cards at places like Walmart for a low fee, and work just like credit cards.

Sorry, but we are unable to do this for the reason listed above under Furry Weekend Atlanta cosigning. We would be assuming liability for your actions and any damages to the room.

Yes it will be charged for 1 night.

When making a reservation, the hotel will charge one full night, plus possibly more to cover incidentals (telephone calls, etc) This money is taken immediately out of your account. If you do get a refund, it will be given back to you, but generally take a week or two for processing. Also once you check in, they will place a hold on the card for the full amount of the room, plus additional for incidentals, and this money will not be available to you until you check out, when the hotel removes the hold and the actual costs are then charged to your room.

For this reason, Furry Weekend Atlanta recommends that you do not use a Debit Card when booking a hotel room.

The Marriott is a very large hotel, so it can be a bit overwhelming. There’s plenty of spots to ‘hang out’ on the con floors, and we’ll have tables, sofas and other things spread out for people to gather.

The hotel is 100% smoke free – this includes the restaurant, bar, and all guest rooms. The hotel has also asked us to tell our attendees not to smoke outside the main entrance as it is a heavily trafficked area.

No. Hotel and Furry Weekend Atlanta policies prohibit sleeping in the convention space. If you are caught sleeping in convention space, you will be asked to move along. If you are caught again you risk being asked to leave the hotel.

You would be exceedingly unwise to do this.

Again, you would be exceedingly unwise to do this. The hotel itself will not allow people to sleep in cars, and many of the surrounding parking garages and surface lots have similar policies. You run the risk of being asked to leave.

Get roommates! By splitting a room with 3 other people, you cut the cost down to 1/4 of a full cost room. You’ll also have a chance to get to know some other people who may become lifelong friends!

You can contact our hotel liaison at [email protected].

Photography for personal use is more than allowed – it’s encouraged!

However, if you are planning on shooting pictures for any commercial or media project, your use falls under Furry Weekend Atlanta’s Media Access Policy, and must be cleared by our staff.

You can ask that the person not take your photograph or simply walk away.

Videotaping for personal use is encouraged!

However, videotaping for any commercial or revenue project will fall under Furry Weekend Atlanta’s Media Access Policy, and must be cleared by our staff.

As long as they were shot for personal use, you may distribute them in any way you see fit.

However, if your use is commercial or revenue, your project falls under Furry Weekend Atlanta’s Media Access Policy, and must be cleared by our staff.

Generally speaking, if you are making any money by being at Furry Weekend Atlanta and by shooting photos or video, you need a press pass.

It should be understood that Furry Weekend Atlanta, Inc. retains the trademarks to, and reserves the right to determine the appropriate use of, the name “Furry Weekend Atlanta.”

Please visit the Press & Media Page for more information.

It is the policy of Furry Weekend Atlanta that what goes on in the privacy of a hotel room is not of the convention’s concern. However, we do ask that room parties be kept to a reasonable size (remember fire marshal restrictions) and that all noise be kept at a reasonable volume. Hotel security WILL break up parties that receive complaints. However, if Furry Weekend security personnel have reason to believe that illegal activities or activities that could threaten the welfare of the convention are taking place at a room party, they have a duty and a responsibility to act to ensure the safety of the convention and its attendees.

First, you have to understand that being on staff at Furry Weekend Atlanta is a full-time commitment, entailing 8-12 hours of work a day. Furry Weekend Atlanta gives heavy preference to people who have attended at least one year and have volunteered with the con at least a little bit. For more information on staffing at Furry Weekend Atlanta, please visit our staff page, here.

While we all love animals and want them to be part of our lives, for the safety of all attendees we must ask that pets not be brought into the convention area. Exceptions are made for working service animals and animals that may be part of presentations that have been cleared with Furry Weekend Atlanta. Pets (again, excluding service animals) are not permitted in the hotel as well.

Deadlines are only for discounts. We will take submissions for print even at the convention, though production times will vary based on when the request is made and what the workload is at the time.

The prints will be shipped free of charge to the purchasers after the convention.

Any of the common file formats are acceptable but if you use a format that loses too much quality for print due to compression we may have to reject it until you can submit a better quality file, either through raised dpi, different file type, or both. You should be using a minimum 300 dpi for the specified size of your artwork. Also please specify whether the art should be Matte or Glossy when you are submitting.

Currently (we are working on a better way) you will email [email protected], we will send you a Dropbox “Get” request and you will upload your art to a folder specific to you. In your request we will need the specifics of your order. We will need need: How many? What size? Glossy or Matte?

We can print to the edges or leave a margin as requested.

It is available to anyone.

We did not, they are not related. The Art Gallery was its own entity, the Print Shop is a brand new service.

No, we will take any artist’s work and add it so anybody that wants a print can buy one from the artist. The artist will get paid for anything they sell whether they attend the convention or not. We will do all the work.

Prices are for each piece printed. The ranges are a discount tier where each pieces price drops if enough are ordered.

Yes, and we will have procedures in place to make sure they are not viewable, purchasable, or left out where any minors might be exposed to art of this nature. This may also include shipping the art to the purchaser after the convention, free of charge.

Please e-mail [email protected] with your proposal.

We will have a wide range of programs to appeal to as many interests as we can without overextending ourselves.

Please e-mail our Director of Programming at [email protected] with your suggestion.

First, congratulations!

While in the past our policy has been a blanket “no” to these requests, we now ask instead that you contact us and tell us your idea. While we can’t make any promises, often we will try to help provided it is done in such a way as that it minimizes the commitment of our staff and disruption to the convention. Anything that adds a little bit more joy to the world is a good thing.

While Furry Weekend Atlanta has in the past occasionally allowed this, we can no longer do so. Sorry, but our hotel agreements and liability insurance no longer permit us to sublease space.

Please e-mail [email protected]. At the con, speak to anyone on the Safety staff or one of the board members as soon as possible. If you can’t find a Safety staffer or a board member, then do not hesitate to talk to any staff member and get them to locate someone who can handle the situation.

Keep in mind that Furry Weekend Atlanta cannot “ban” someone from the convention just because you don’t like them, because they make you uncomfortable, or because they wronged you personally at some time in the past. We must be presented with specific evidence in support of revoking membership privileges, which usually must involve Furry Weekend Atlanta itself, or with some type of legal document (such as a restraining order).

Sorry, but Furry Weekend Atlanta cannot “ban” someone from attending just because you don’t like them. If you have an interpersonal disagreement with someone, we suggest you either work it out before coming to Furry Weekend Atlanta, or avoid said person altogether. Either way, we expect all persons attending Furry Weekend Atlanta to behave as adults.

Now, if you have legal documentation (such as a restraining order), you should contact our security as soon as possible. However, our security staff will not get involved in personal disputes, and any issues will be referred to local authorities.

See above.

Furry Weekend Atlanta does not ban people based on what they do at other conventions. They must violate our rules before being banned.

If you are banned, you will know it. You will have been provided with both verbal and most likely written notification (though it may be via email) notifying you that you are not welcome to attend Furry Weekend Atlanta and, if warranted, the length of your ban.

Please leave these at home. These are potentially harmful to both the hotel as well as our fursuiters (for those who don’t know, fursuits can cost over $1,000 each), and there are plenty of other ways to have fun at the convention without having to bring these items.

Security at the convention is designed to keep the attendees safe and everyone happy, but they can not act as your personal body guards. If you are merely concerned about a particular person, we suggest you avoid that person as much as possible. If you are directly threatened by a person (verbal attack, attempted physical attack, inappropriate physical contact, etc.), contact security to report the incident and they will advise you on what can be done about your particular situation.

If you see someone doing things that don’t seem right (especially anything in violation of convention rules or city/state laws), notify security immediately and let them deal with the situation. Anyone violating convention rules or city/state laws will be dealt with appropriately, which could include revoking membership privileges or being handed over to local law enforcement if necessary.

You’ll want to fly to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

Atlanta is a hub for Delta Air Lines and has a large presence with Southwest Airlines, so both of those should have reasonable prices to and from ATL. Hipmunk or Kayak are very good resources for hunting down good airfares.

Rules vary between companies. Most require a valid, insured driver to be 25 years old, though some will allow 21-year-olds to rent (with an accompanying, rather steep, deposit). Check with your car company for more information.

Please understand that, following the events of September 11, 2001, the transportation system in the United States is very sensitive to foreign visitors. This does not mean that foreign visitors are unwelcome, but that there are extra hoops they must jump through. Please follow all guidelines and instructions to the letter. Be prepared with at least three forms of current identification and full details about your travel plans including how you plan to get to your location and full contact information.

Under no circumstances are you to joke, AT ALL, with security or anyone else in a security zone or checkpoint area. Certain words, such as bomb, gun, fire, or other related words, will set off alarm bells with security people. Finish the humor before you get to the security area. If you listen carefully to what a security person tells you and do exactly as you are told, you should have no problems.

The United States has visa agreements with certain countries in addition to our neighboring countries of Canada and Mexico. Please check the State Department’s Visa Wizard page for more information.

Remember that all international visitors must get an ETA (Electronic Travel Authorization) before traveling to the United States. Visit the Department of Homeland Security for more information.

Be sure to check out our International Visitors page!

No. Furry Weekend Atlanta cannot take legal responsibility for sponsoring international attendees. We suggest you speak with a travel agent in your home country; often, they have resources that can get you sponsored to enter the United States.

Please see our Parking Options page with information about parking options.

Absolutely!

Thank you! Furry Weekend is always looking for volunteers to help out around the convention. Check out our Volunteering page for full details on how to sign up. A volunteer table will also be set up at the convention.

We do our best to accommodate volunteering requests. However, Furry Weekend Atlanta policy precludes volunteers from working in certain area of the convention (most notably, any position that involves the handling of money). All of our volunteer needs are being coordinated through our volunteer coordinator. Check out our Volunteering page and then e-mail [email protected] with your request.