Foona Fest Brings Con Culture to DIY
The Washington, D.C. music and art festival is a perennial highlight of the furry music scene.
Thanks to Maxwell the Tiger for helping interview artists at Foona Fest!
"I wanna make it cool to be me," rapped SIR E.U in the closing minutes of Foona Fest, an annual one-night music and art festival in Washington, D.C. Like the best DIY spaces, Foona Fest created an environment where SIR E.U's wish was true for everyone attending.
Organized by K Nkanza of Spring Silver, Foona Fest sits comfortably at the intersection of music showcase, mini-furry convention, and foosball tournament. For its fourth edition, the festival moved into a new venue, Songbyrd in D.C.'s Northeast. In this bigger space, Foona hosted a rotating cast of musicians, vendors selling art prints, clothes, and merch, and plenty of fursuiters.
Foona blitzed through genres and sounds across the evening, but the energy remained electric throughout. New Jersey punk outfit Squelch kicked the night wide open with their sludgy sound, including a cover of Chappell Roan's "HOT TO GO!" delivered in an undeniable screamo style. Baltimore's Dickgirl easily claimed the night's most aerobic performance, running around (and outside!) the venue while shouting to pummeling, noisy beats. The crowd popped off for Spring Silver's signature mashup of math rock, emo, and power pop, moshing to the disco-punk of "It's Imperative."
The night had plenty to offer on the dancier side of things, too. hazelboy brought hyperpop magic all the way from Chicago to Foona's stage, including what might be the world's most hype song about wearing jeans. FIBRE, another artist from Baltimore, delivered a hybrid live performance-DJ set, singing over French house and future funk-tinged tracks. SIR E.U closed out the lineup with his hypnotic, spontaneous brand of hip-hop, urging the crowd to close in on the stage one more time.
For the third year in a row, Foona Fest has shaken out to be a stellar showcase of furry and DIY culture from the D.C. area and beyond. It also serves a great example of a furry event drawing crowds and making an impact, despite not being associated with a con. Here's hoping for many more Foona Fests (and more DIY furry events) to come!