Pawsome 2026
I spent the last weekend at Pawsome - a smaller and relatively newer UK convention, with around 300-400 attendees on its third year in 2026, and my first time attending. Beside the con's intentionally smaller and more social atmosphere (the events table is decidedly less hectic to give more time for people to enjoy their shared time together in peace), the main "shtick" of Pawsome is its openness to casual self-expression in every manner; in practical terms, that means it's kink-friendly in a way that the main UK (and European) cons can't/won't be. I have gathered that Pawsome doesn't like to describe itself as a "kink con" per se, but it provides a comfortable space for people to hang out 24/7 in full latex outfits, go on pup play mode, wear something a little more risque or just generally explore and experiment with expression in the main hotel spaces, instead of keeping that locked away in room parties and private rooms1.
The vibe of it all is so different from my usual furcon experiences which took a bit to settle in, but it was refreshing. Half of it is rooted in its vibe of a more "nostalgically" small furcon: it reminded me a lot of the very first Confuzzled I attended (CFz 2009) where a couple of hundred of people took residence in one tiny segment of a world and transformed it into a celebration of the community for a couple of days. It was a lot easier to drift into random chatters, to meet new people and to spend the evenings talking away without the feeling of a constant rush like cons can sometimes be. That alone was a fun little breather, given pretty much every con I go to these days is quite sizeable. I don't particularly long for the era of tiny house cons the way some people do, but the size of Pawsome was a nice reminder that there's still a place for experiences of all sizes.
But the other half of the experience, the kink side, was the key to why this felt like such a different kind of event to attend. This isn't something that I currently think I'll ever go into full detail on this blog as it's not the place for it, but I do have a kinkier/less-fluffy side as well, which over the years has grown in importance for me when it comes to self-expression and pride of myself, but which doesn't get out much due to reasons2. Whilst I have become a little more open about it over the past decade or so ish, one of the key memories I have of the con is someone I've known for nearly as long as I've been in the UK being shocked and surprised to see me wear something else than a fursuit as they had no idea of my interests. Pawsome was therefore a really liberating opportunity to simply be open for a change, wearing different types of gear that makes me feel happy about myself outside enclosed rooms and my own home. It was wonderful to just hang out in different looks, adopting different mindsets with the outfit choices, exploring a few things I've recently found myself interested in and feeling supported throughout by everyone. I do envy those who live their freak life out loud, and for a weekend I could express that as well.
I maybe did not make the very most out of the weekend as I could have but for those I have nothing but myself to blame, and I am really happy of what I did get the chance to experience and do. There were a few lulls to the convention and I do feel like the con is still going through a little bit of new con growing pains (e.g. the schedule is intentionally quite loose but sometimes maybe a little too loose to the point that you're left a little drifting if you're not in a room party), but nothing that can't be assessed through constructive feedback and I get the impression Pawsome are pretty open to it. I am keen and open to attend it again next year, potentially - it was definitely a really interesting new con experience.
Post-scriptum
On the Monday of leaving the convention, we decided to drive through a scenic route back home instead of just taking the motorways again. Our planned route took us near the Telford Exotic Zoo, and so we decided to take a brief pit stop there. The Exotic Zoo holds a special place in my heart: about 4-5 years ago Shez had arranged a surprise for my birthday which they kept secret all the way to the point when we arrived at the zoo itself. They had booked a special VIP experience for me with the foxes in the zoo, allowing me into the enclosure and to feed them by hand. One of the two foxes - Freya, the young black fox - just wasn't in the mood and kept to herself, but the other fox, the log-shaped red fox Yogi, was more than happy to gobble all the attention and have Freya's share of the treats too. Yogi was the loveliest gentlefox anyone could ask for, a real sweetheart and I cherish that memory so much. Yogi was already really old for a fox by the time we met him, so it wasn't a surprise that when we visited the enclosure he was no longer there. But they had put up a small memorial picture of him next to his old lodgings and it managed to really hit an emotional chord with me and getting me a little teary-eyed. Thank you Yogi and I hope you are having a wonderful snooze somewhere out there.
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The hotel itself is used to hosting kink conventions of all kinds so none of the regular staff even bat an eyelid of what's happening around them, and the con staff do a lot of great work to make everyone feel comfortable. So the atmosphere is welcoming.↩
Mainly a lot of latent neurotic anxiety over expressing that side of myself courtesy of stunted personal development and being made to feel uncomfortable about my interests by someone I was close to throughout my twenties, which has taken a long time to heal and is still an ongoing work in progress.↩