Philly FatCon 2024 aims to bring fat liberation to Philadelphia this October

In October 2023, Deanna Garwol joined a lively crowd of fat-bodied people at the Post, a sports bar in University City, and immediately knew that investing in a ticket for Philly FatCon was her best decision that year.

Garwol, from Buffalo, N.Y., found the event on Instagram and traveled more than 300 miles to attend Philly’s first-of-its-kind fat-focused convention last year. Surrounded by happy, fat Philadelphians for the three days, she felt a deep sense of belonging.

“I knew that I was walking into a moment and a weekend where I could unconditionally know that the folks around me were not going to judge me based on what I look like — and, in fact, were going to celebrate me for all that I’ve been through, all who I am, and who I’m becoming,” she said.

Philly FatCon, designed “for fat people by fat people,” returns for its second year Oct. 18 to 20 at the University of Arts in Center City. Like last year, the weekend will feature panel discussions, parties, classes, and a clothing swap.

Donnelle Jageman, Adrienne Ray, and Kenyetta Harris are the brains behind the convention, which was an idea that sprung from the Philly Plus Swap, one of the city’s largest plus-size clothing exchanges, founded in 2021 by Jageman.

Previously, the swap included contributions from Adrienne Ray’s Curve Conscious and Kenyetta Harris’s Curvy and Seductive, a plus-size lingerie brand. The trio decided to expand into a larger event to unapologetically celebrate fat bodies and push for fat liberation, a movement addressing the social stigma associated with obesity and larger bodies, and fat acceptance in Philadelphia, Jagemen explained.

“That means impacting not just fat culture, but overall societal culture,” Harris said. “I know for a fact that we’re on the right side of history by doing something like this, no matter what hate that we’ve gotten from it — we’re doing the right thing, not just for fat people but for society.”

For Garwol, the event’s mission was so compelling that she immediately bought VIP tickets when she saw the post on Instagram last year, excited about an event that genuinely acknowledges the value of fat individuals and promotes societal change.

“Philly FatCon made me fall in love with Philadelphia — no city has ever pulled on my heartstrings like this city has,” Garwol noted, adding that she’s even considering moving to the City of Brotherly Love.

Madi McCool, a panelist and content creator, found the convention to be a transformative experience.

“It was a quick little conference, but I was able to unpack a lot of the ways that I do think about myself and the way that my friends think about themselves,” McCool said. “I was able to sort of take the things that I learned and transfer them on to other relationships and speak life into other people that are experiencing life in a fat body.”

Philly FatCon will be Oct. 18 to 20 at the University of Arts, Dorrance Hamilton Hall, in Center City.

The event will kick off with a welcome party on Friday, Oct. 18, where attendees can meet and mingle before the conference activities.

It will be followed by a day of keynotes and panels on Saturday, Oct. 19, on topics like fatness in fitness, fashion, and sensuality. From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., folks can attend the panels, movement classes (think belly dancing, yoga), and roam the marketplace of about 30 vendors from health-care providers and therapists to boutiques and jewelry artists. After, attendees can head to the Halloween costume party, featuring fat burlesque performances and a to-be-announced special musical guest.

The convention concludes on Sunday, Oct. 20, at the Plus Swap + Shop, where attendees can score plus-size clothing items. There will be a panel discussion.

Organizers are still finalizing details for the event, including pricing, ADA-compliant venues for the parties, and speakers. If you’re interested in participating as a vendor, speaker, fitness instructor, or performer, fill out the designated online forms linked in Philly FatCon’s Instagram bio.

For accommodations, discounted rooms are available at the Holiday Inn Express Philadelphia — Midtown for Friday and Saturday evenings. Use an online link or call and reference code FAC to book standard, double rooms. Accessible rooms are available.

Early bird tickets go on sale in August, with regular sales continuing into early October. Ticket prices are expected to be similar to last year’s, ranging from $250 for VIP, $150 for all-access, $75 for a single day, and $30 for the clothing swap.

📍320 S. Broad St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19102, 🌐 eventcreate.com/e/phillyfatcon2024, 📷 instagram.com/phillyfatcon