Have you ever felt stuck inside your own thoughts—like you want to express yourself more, but something holds you back? Whether it’s fear of judgment, self-doubt, or just not feeling confident enough, that feeling can make it hard to be fully yourself—even in spaces where you want to belong. This panel is a practical, supportive guide to breaking out of that “shell” and building real confidence. We’ll explore why those feelings show up, how they shape your behavior, and how to take small, manageable steps to become more comfortable being yourself. You’ll leave with simple tools to build self-esteem, trust yourself more, and carry that confidence with you—both in fandom spaces and in everyday life.
Set to the song Immortals, featured in the animated movie, Big Hero 6, attendees will learn a choreography that will be performed as part of a flash mob performance in the outdoor terrace later in the weekend! Fursuits welcome but not required! And if you don’t wish to be in the flash mob, but want to learn the choreography, you’re welcome to join for just the class!
If you can't come to this practice, here's a link to watch a video tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjTPiDzUzgA
Come join us for some beginner friendly yoga! No experience needed, we'll walk through the steps together and just have a nice, calm time before the con chaos truly begins. If wanted, please bring your own yoga mat!
Back for a third year, Pyro the Husky is here to help you shake off the pressure of meeting new people! Discover fun, practical tips for making genuine connections, inspired by psychology, sociology, and years of experience as a teacher and salesperson. Whether you're a convention veteran or your first con, come build confidence, meet fellow furs, and make some new friends together!
Are you new to the fandom? Is this your first convention? Have you been to conventions before but want to better utilize your time? This panel will be your guide to making the most of your AWU experience!
Ever wondered what it takes to be an awesome handler?! How to interact with a suiter?! Curious about working in the medical industry?! Wanna hear some cool stories about people I have helped?! Look no further! I'm Mobius, here with my full suit friend Anpu to help me! I have been an EMT since 2010, a part time Firefighter/EMT since 2011, currently full time Scrub Tech in the operating room. I have been in the furry fandom since 2017. Handling for my furriends at conventions, and public spaces is one of my passions, and applying my EMT skills to that is easier then you think, but not required! Being a handler, or knowing what to do if a suiter is in distress is a skill anyone can do! Yes, I have a few fun stories to share, and am happy to talk about my adventures! Let's get HANDLING!!!
Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather for a game of Jeopardy! Are you a fan of Erin Hunter's "Warrior Cats" book series? If so, come enjoy live game-show trivia about these brave, anthropomorphic battle cats. To avoid recent book spoilers, our game will not include any Warrior Cats books published after 2015. Do you want to be a Jeopardy contestant? We will hold open sign-ups during the first few minutes of the panel. Three contestants will be randomly selected by StarClan immediately before the game begins!
What do your characters want? How do they approach their goals? What is a story circle? We'll talk about these topics and more, including examples of each one, and how they can help elevate a story to be more engaging and impactful.
Come hang out with a career A/V engineer as he discusses the live event industry, skill building, and even stories from life on the road! This panel should be a good introduction to anyone interested in beginning their A/V journey whether as a hobby or a career. For those who are just curious, it is also sure to be entertaining as well!
Have you wanted to learn about retrocomputing, but aren't sure where to start? Come to this presentation about the basics of retrocomputing, and how you can get started by yourself or with a friend!
Fear of judgment, rejection, or not being accepted can hold us back from fully expressing who we are, both in and out of the fandom. This panel is a practical, down-to-earth guide to understanding those emotional fears and learning how to move forward anyway. We’ll explore why these fears exist, how they influence your choices, and how to take small, meaningful steps toward confidence and self-acceptance. Whether you’re new to the fandom or have been part of it for years, you’ll walk away with simple tools to help you feel more confident, more grounded, and more like yourself—both behind the fursona and beyond it.
In this panel i will be teaching younger/newer furries (or anyone curious about character design) the know-how about how to use shape language, theming, and color palette elements to create a character. I am an experienced character designer who wants to share my insights with the world and help those attending choose their sona species!
Come join cocoa the Dutchie and learn the ins and outs of photography, what gear is for you, starting your business and the ins and outs of of how to take professional photos.
Your human is showing! Come learn techniques to hide the human figure in your fursuits and cosplays. From digitgrade padding to stilts, from muscle suits to fatsuits and much much more.
Did you know "Koopa's Road" from Super Mario 64 is neither major nor minor? Did you know "Mad Space" from Sonic Adventure 2 is in 7/8 time? Want to hear some video game music broken down into its components? I think video game music needs to be part of the music theory discussion! You may even learn about some techniques teachers might not have talked about much in school. Come hear me play some video game music on the piano and I'll discuss it!
Interested in meeting other college furs? Perhaps even thinking about starting your own furry club on campus? Then come say hello! The Anthropomorphic Animal Appreciation Association (AAAA) is an international federation of university furry clubs that has helped many colleges start and grow their organizations. Part panel, part meet-&-greet, University Furs 101 will explain the general process of setting up a college furry club for success and give you connections that can support your journey. Furries? At my university? It's more likely than you think!
Are you a fan of puzzles? If so, come down to the mechanical puzzles panel! We will have a brief presentation on different types of mechanical puzzles and a hands-on experience to try. Feel free to bring your own puzzles too!
Are you a TF2 player? Do you happen to also be a furry? Well you are in luck! Please come join my boyfriend and I talk about TF2 and participate in a TF2 trivia. This panel is also a partial meet and greet for those who are looking for more people to play with! Show off your loot to one another and possibly make some trades. Please feel free to bring your steam deck or your gaming laptop to join us for a couple of rounds of payload. Please note that AWU's internet connection can be a bit spotty. If this is the case, we may not play.
Whether you enjoy dancing to KPop music or just like listening to it while others groove along, this KPop Random Dance Play (KRPD) will be a ton of fun! This format has the floor open for anyone to join in who knows the choreography to popular KPop songs! We'll even begin with a quick tutorial on one of the songs so everyone has a chance to join in the fun!
(20$ FEE) Welcome to Dearpy's butterfly pinning panel! This panel will be a full lesson, demonstration, and hands on activity for those who would like to learn how to pin their own insects! All materials will be provided by the host including frames, pinning supplies, and ethically sourced butterflies of various species. The pins are sharp and butterflied are delicate, so no young children will be allowed to participate. Anyone is welcome to sit in and watch, but if you'd like to take home an insect for yourself, you will have to pay a fee of 20$ for the material costs. SUPPLIES LIMITED, first come first serve (or message me on telegram @DearpyReaper)
Back once again folks, whether you like it or not! Just like the previous years, I have a list of strange characters, and you've got your weird taste in partners! You gotta tell me whether you wanna smash or pass each character!
Got wares, trinkets or goods you no longer connect with? Come down to Tori’s Trading Tavern, where you can trade your furry and non-furry bits and bobs with one another.
Are you a maker and want to get into 3d printing? Maybe you just want to know more about 3d printing? This may be the panel for you! We go over physical printers, materials, software, and Q&A!
In this panel we will be discussing what makes a perfect kaiju. there are many factors to involve and every situation is different. I hope to you help me make- uuh I mean discuss kaiju and what makes them so great- DANGEROUS! I meant dangerous.
Learn how to make animal masks for therians, alterhumans, otherpaws, or anyone else interested in this fun craft! You will learn everything from the basics to advanced tips and tricks on how to make high quality therian masks. This is an all ages panel. At the end, there will be a free raffle for various furry/therian items!
Come build your dream Roller Coaster Tycoon park, but with a twist - with friends! With no financial constraints, you and your friends can build the ultimate theme park together.
Interested in exploring the outdoors but don't know where to start? Worry not! In this introductory hiking panel we will discuss the basics of hiking, what you'll need to get started, safety, and some great trails in the Salt Lake area to try out!
Hey! Are you all ready for the major swap meet? Come with your odds and ends a plenty! Pins, stuffies and more oh my! Just make sure the littles can see these items as well :D
Is it a giant monster, or is it a Dragon? Join host Gelum Arcana, his Kobold crew, and the panelists for a high-stakes edition of the comedy panel show Is It A Dragon? We’re putting the formidable Kaiju of the Wasatch Rim through our rigorous draconic standards. Through heated debates and rounds of Dragon, Drake, or Dud, we’ll decide which towering titans earn the title and which are just fire-breathing phonies. Grab a seat, if the kobolds haven't sold it for gold first!
PLEASE NOTE: set-up is from 4pm-4:30pm and take down is from 5:30pm-6pm Please give them space to breathe, thank you!
Do you like birds? Do you like Kahoot (or should I say, KaHOOT OvO)? Come learn about Utah's birds of prey from a falcon, then test your knowledge against your flock-mates for a chance to win an epic raptor-related prize!
Saturday August 1, 2026 5:00pm - 6:00pm MDT Twilight 2
Do you have a 3d printer and you want to 3d print your own creations to behave like cast foam? We'll go through how to accomplish this with a real time demonstration. We'll also have example prints if you want to see if it is right for you!
America's most watched gameshow you've never seen of all time! Come join Jimmy and his fantastic crane of fantastic prizetastic winnerness! Laud over his selection of ridonkulous trivia and sillyiferous prizes. Act fast or your seat will not be taken. Remember: The price is always right... and the floor is lava.
Scheduler's note: the full title for this panel is "The BEST Crane Game Ultra Mega Sonic Responsive Resonating Tubular Catastrophic Graphic Live Studio Bestest Gameshow of Gameshows in the Category of Gameshows Debut Episode Microscopic Definitive Ginimanosaurous Edition" Thought y'all should know :3
You, yes, you! Have you ever wanted to learn about the mysterious, yet fascinatingly buggy world of insects? Well now you can in this new and improved panel, where you will learn the one question everyone has pondered since the dawn of time: What is a 'bug'? Whether you know nothing, or you know everything, please come! There will be (non-live) examples of pinned insects, and even...prizes for people who answer questions.
We all know protogens, sergals, and dutchies, but what exactly is an original species? Come learn the history of furry species communities, make your own, and celebrate the Tiba species 10 year anniversary with us!
Want to listen to a goat yap about Deltarune for 50 minutes straight? Then this is the right place! I'll be covering my general predictions and thoughts about upcoming chapters, and using that as a framework to talk about what I think makes an interesting and altogether sound theory. That means there will be SPOILERS! (for Undertale and Deltarune chapters 1-5) Go play these games, seriously! I think anyone can enjoy them. Also, I will have my set of talking points, but if I garner enough interest and have enough attendees, I would love for this to turn into a theory crafting/general discussion panel! My thoughts are good, but I think everyone's thoughts are better :3c
A free-to-enter tournament for the platform fighter Rivals of Aether 2! Players of all skill levels are welcome to either participate and/or spectate. BYO controller if able, or use one of our loaners!
Welcome to round two of drunk herpetology! Come see Robin, a local zoologist and artist, get drunk while talking about a variety of reptiles, as well as getting hands on experience with different reptile species.
A panel on an introduction on the different types of model kits automotive, planes, trains etc. we will discuss how to get started, types of kits, brands, and even go into contests and what judges look for.
Come relax, chit chat, and howl along to your choice of songs! Songs will include uncensored lyrics that may include profanity and adult themes. Request a song here: https://forms.gle/sY9Hk1f8P61mSoqM8
Here is what you need to bring: 1. A sketchbook suitable for all ages 2. A writing utensil such as a pen or pencil 3. (Optional) A reference of a character you would like to have drawn. Here is what to expect during a sketchbook swap: 1. Each participant will write their name and contact info on the inside cover of their sketchbook 2. Each participant will put their sketchbook on a table for someone else to grab and draw in 3. Each participant will draw in a sketchbook that is not their own while theirs is occupied 4. When you are finished drawing in a sketchbook, swap it out for another one. 5. Repeat This is a great way to get a lot of sketches of your character and meet other artists!
Get those feet moving and blood pumping with a fun dance workout with JD Puppy. If you're a fan of Zumba, Just Dance Workouts, or just shaking your tail for a healthy dose of cardio, you'll love to join in! Wear comfortable athletic clothing and shoes and bring a towel and water bottle. Fursuits optional but not encouraged.
Step into a sanctuary of vibration, stillness, and inner exploration. In this deeply restorative sound‑bath meditation, Amra the White Lion guides participants on an astral journey through the healing resonance of singing quartz bowls, gongs, bells, and chimes. As layers of harmonic overtones wash through the space, the mind softens, the breath deepens, and the body enters a state of profound relaxation. The crystalline tones of quartz bowls open spacious inner landscapes, while the grounding pulse of gongs and the shimmering textures of bells and chimes help release tension and invite clarity. This experience is designed for anyone seeking: Deep relaxation Meditative stillness Emotional reset Energetic cleansing A gentle, cosmic journey within Participants are encouraged to lie down, get comfortable, and allow the sound to carry them into a dreamlike, restorative state. No prior meditation experience is needed—just an open heart and a willingness to drift.
I have modded myself into/paid for modding myself into several different games over the years for fun, this panel will go over some of the highlights, experiences, best and worst practices, tools, and favorite modding experiences I’ve had. I will also go over how easy or hard some of the mods were to make and cliff notes on how I made them, General price ranges for commissioning mods, and good things to do first if you yourself would like to see yourself as a husky/bear/bird/otter/etc. in your favorite games.
Join author Jade Griffin in a solo adventure... for the whole room! Modeled after Choose Your Own Adventure-style stories, "A Lone Collection" is a Call of Cthulhu tabletop roleplaying game for one person... or an entire room. Who are you in this game? Cue the set! "After thwarting a theft on the streets of 1890s Chicago, an old gentleman offers you a job of guarding his collection of strange artifacts while he is away. As the guard, your choices lead to mystery, mythos, magic, and even death while guarding... A Lone Collection."
Have you ever felt like people don’t really understand you—especially the people closest to you? Whether it’s parents, friends, or others in your life, feeling unheard or misunderstood can be frustrating and isolating. This panel is a practical, down-to-earth guide to improving relationships and communicating in a way that helps others better understand you—without losing who you are. We’ll explore why misunderstandings happen, how emotions affect communication, and simple ways to express yourself more clearly and confidently. You’ll leave with tools you can use right away to build stronger, healthier connections—both in fandom spaces and at home.
Join a licensed commercial nuclear operator for an interactive Q&A on all things nuclear! We'll use your questions to guide the conversation, covering everything from the basics of nuclear fission and electricity generation to the truth about nuclear accidents and the future of the industry. Get real answers from an expert in a fun, non-technical environment.
Learn simple dance moves from the Latin dance Bachata with JD Puppy, a former competitive Latin & Ballroom dancer. Wear comfortable shoes, no partner necessary, fursuits allowed but not necessarily encouraged.
First, I plan to introduce myself as a professional voice actor- I'll be giving some examples of my work while talking about how I had gotten started. Then, I'll share my own personal experiences with auditioning, cold-calling, and performing. I'll talk about the equipment that I use, the tools of the trade, and the mindset required for being a voice actor. I want to motivate the attendees of this panel; I'm not showing off or boasting. I want to show them that they can do it! The last 20 minutes of said panel will be an open mic for questions. By the way, here's my website and visual reel. If you have any further questions, feel free to email me at [email protected] https://triplelvoiceover.com https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z79ZdXgio_U
Ever wonder what to do with all your childhood cards that have been sitting in your closet collecting dust? Come show off your collection and learn how to play the game in a low stakes, friendly environment. Feel free to bring your own decks, or even if you don’t have any I will be providing 8+ decks of my own I will loan out for the panel, and I might even have some decks to raffle for you to take home! Come join other Pokémon trainers and enthusiasts and play this amazing game! The first 20 minutes I will go over how to play for those that don’t know how. After that we will get hands on for the rest of the time.
Ever wanted to get into the horse world (horse riding, training, therapy, etc) but don't know where to start? I'm here to help. I've been riding, training, and rehabilitating horses for 10 years. I have worked with volunteer workers and some amazing horse trainers. I've seen many ways to start yourself into the horse world without having to spend a whole lot of money in it. I will spend time talking about horse basics such as care, what to look for in work, and volunteering.
This panel explores the rich lineage and modern renaissance of modular, semi‑modular, and virtual synthesizers—an ever‑expanding ecosystem that continues to shape experimental music, sound design, and live performance. Through historical context, technical insight, and creative demonstration, the session will illuminate how modular synthesis has evolved from room‑sized machines to today’s portable, expressive Eurorack systems. The panel concludes with a psychedelic, immersive performance by Amra the White Lion, blending modular synthesis and live percussion.
Have a special interest or hyperfixation that you could go on and on about? Or maybe you like to sit back and learn about niche subjects? This is the panel for you! This panel requires audience participation! You get 5 minutes to talk about whatever topic you wish (as long as it’s pre-approved of course) and people get to listen to you! Maybe you have a favorite hobby, recommended cartoons to watch, conspiracy theories about the moon landings, or maybe a super hot take that pineapple belongs on pizza! (it doesn't btw) Come and yap about it! Message @northenlitess on telegram for more info if you would like to be a yapper!
Think you can stump a licensed commercial nuclear operator? Bring your toughest nuclear or science questions. If you succeed, the host takes a drink — and all donations during the panel go to Nuzzles & Co., with the host matching contributions 1:1. Come for the chaos, stay for the science, and help support a great cause.
*RED ALERT. RED ALERT* This is not a drill, repeat this is not a drill. All hands to battle stations. Kaiju attack imminent. Estimated time to attack in T-[DATA-LINK ERROR] Rise and shine everyone! fall in! We got ourselves a big'n! Get your dice ready and make sure you've crossed you I's and dotted your T's, Because, this charity "game" aint no game! Its a fight for our survival, its a fight for our city. Its a fight for our very AWU! Those who donate to this years charity will have the chance in joining in battle to fight the perfect kaiju.
Would you smash or be smashed by a Pokémon? Come help determine which is the most smash-able in a head-2-head bracket elimination. May the sexiest Pokémon take the crown.
