PITTSBURGH — Anthrocon, also known as the world's largest furry convention, is officially underway in downtown Pittsburgh.
The convention takes place through Sunday at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. It's the eleventh consecutive year the convention has been held in Pittsburgh.
This year's theme is "The Roaring Twenty," as Anthrocon is celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2016.
Furries are people who celebrate anthropomorphism which, simply put, means people who like to celebrate the human traits that can be found in animals or animal characters, like Bugs Bunny.
About 1,500 of the 6,500 people expected to attend the convention dress up in full-body suits that make them appear to be animal characters.
These "fursuiters" will take part in the Fursuit Walk on Saturday at 2 p.m. It's a parade around the convention center. People are invited to watch along Tenth Street, next to the waterfall feature.
According to VisitPITTSBURGH, Anthrocon will contribute to $6.3 million in direct spending for our region.
"We are always pleased to host Anthrocon's annual convention," said Craig Davis, CEO of VisitPITTSBURGH.
Anthrocon has raised more than $240,000 for animal-related charities in Pennsylvania. This year it has selected the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium as the charity it will support.
The convention started in Albany, New York.