Next WFS Meet:
When Furballs Strike 53
Date: TBD
Time: Noon-5:00pm
Registration/Check-in: 12:15-1:45
Group Photo: 2:00-2:15
Bowling: 2:15-4:15
Awards/Prize Raffle: 4:30-5:30pm
Group Dinner: TBD
Location: Kenmore Lanes
7638 NE Bothell Way
Kenmore, WA 98028
Updates/Announcements
Our world record from WFS 51 didn’t last long… When Furballs Strike 52 welcomed an incredible 411 attendees from all over the Pacific Northwest, including 203 fursuiters, both setting new marks for the World’s Largest Furbowl! We also raised $1,500 for charity in our biannual auction, supporting Camp Woodrich, a free summer camp for families with children who have special needs & disabilities, and the University of Washington Huskies bowling program.
We gave away 100 FurLife logo grocery tote bags and dragon-themed items to our Ultrasponsors and more than 50 prizes in total in our raffle, so many of our attendees went home with a nice gift for attending our furbowl.
DJ PaperMario played a great set for everyone to enjoy and a great time was had by all, including at our first-ever group dinner hosted by Vulpine Taproom, “Noms at the Burrow” which went very well! Thank you to Iku Fox for having us and we are proud to support a great furry-owned local business. Thank you to all our volunteers who help the event go smoothly on the day of, the wonderful and welcoming Kenmore Lanes staff, and everyone who purchases a high-level sponsorship, donates prizes or otherwise supports our event. We can’t do it without you <3
WFS 53 will be our annual Pride-themed bowling event and take place in late Spring, stay tuned for announcements and don’t forgot to join FurLife on Meetup so you get notifications on all our events. We hope to see you at WFS 53!
High Score Winners
Regular Division: Siku (245)
Fursuit Division: Willie (171)
Well, we did it again! WFS 51 “OMG Aliens!” once again broke our own record for World’s Largest Furbowl with 385 attendees and an incredible 202 fursuiters, completely selling out the largest bowling center in the Pacific Northwest for a day of furry fun on the lanes! Huge thanks to our DJ Aiko Wolf who played a great set, all our high level sponsors, Kenmore Lanes staff and everyone who volunteers to make an event like this possible. We ended up raising three large tote bins full of toys, clothes and necessities for a holiday drive to help those in need, thank you to those who donated for that!
WFS All-Time Scoring Records:
Regular Division: Krissie (267) – WFS 48
Fursuit Division: Tucker (212) – WFS 50
Anyone who breaks an all-time record earns a free bowling entry to the next WFS!
To be eligible for the Fursuit Division, bowlers must at minimum wear a fursuit head on every shot thrown that game.
About When Furballs Strike
When Furballs Strike is a fun, fursuit-friendly bowling meet that takes place quarterly in the greater Seattle area. The meet is organized by Kijani through Furlife: Pacific Northwest Furries, a Meetup group with over 4,600 members of the anthropomorphic “furry” fandom.
From its humble beginnings in 2008 with 40 attendees, this meet has evolved into one of the largest furry bowling gatherings in the world, with recent meets reaching 300+ attendees, including well over 100 fursuiters, from all over the state of Washington, Canada, Oregon and even California!
This highly social event is family-friendly and open to furry fans of all ages… and no, you don’t need a fursuit to attend!
After bowling ends, there is always a fabulous prize raffle in the party room where lots of gifts are given away as a “thank you” for attending the meet and bowling with us at WFS. Each bowler gets tickets included in their registration, and more can be purchased for $1 each (or 5 for $4).
We typically do a Charity Auction alongside the Prize Raffle around once a year, benefitting a local 501 (c)(3). At WFS 50 we raised $2,560 for Homeward Pet Adoption Center, a no-kill pet shelter in Woodinville, WA, making a positive difference in helping the animals in their care.
Pricing & Registration
Base Registration
- Two games bowling + shoe rental
- 1 Raffle Ticket
- Sponsor Upgrade includes 5 Raffle Tickets + FurLife Decal
Supersponsor
Support WFS and get extra swag!
- Two games bowling + shoe rental
- 15 regular raffle tickets
- One FurLife logo decal
- Supersponsor Gift: Choice of: WFS/FurLife Magnet or TBD
Ultrasponsor
Get two special gifts & our undying gratitude!
- Two games bowling + shoe rental
- 15 regular raffle tickets
- One Ultrasponsor raffle drawing ticket for special prizes
- One FurLife or WFS logo decal
- Ultrasponsor Gifts: TBD
Attendees who wish to bowl have four options from $12 base reg, to $30 Ultrasponsor which comes with all of the swag, a bonus Ultrasponsor raffle ticket, and 2 amazing gifts. All registration options come with 2 games of bowling and shoe rental.
The special Ultrasponsor gifts for WFS 52 are choice of a solid wood dragon coaster or Dragon birthstone pendant, and all Ultrasponsors get a stylish black FurLife Logo Grocery Tote Bagand the bonus drawing ticket for over $200 in additional gifts for Ultrasponsors only, to show our appreciation for supporting WFS!
To pre-register (recommended) send your payment via Paypal or Venmo using the “Friends & Family” option: http://paypal.me/kijani or https://venmo.com/u/kijanilion
Include in the Notes section your FurLife username or what name you want on the bowling score screen, and also the names of everyone in your group (they must all pre-reg to save their lane spots). Please provide your Telegram handle if you have one for confirmation, otherwise confirmations are sent through Paypal or Venmo’s messaging system. We will be doing 5 bowlers per lane, but some lanes may have 6 if we sell out.
For those not bowling with a pre-registered group, you can also register at-event in the party room. The at-event reg desk is located farthest to the left near the raffle table, and pre-reg check in is on the right side. We take cash and cards (.50 processing fee per registration). At-event reg closes at 1:40 sharp so we can prepare for the group photo and get everyone’s names into the score screens. Please note that we may sell out of lanes during at-event registration, so pre-registering is recommended.
Location
When Furballs Strike’s permanent home is the iconic Kenmore Lanes, located near the north shore of Lake Washington in the city of Kenmore, about 15 minutes outside of Seattle. Founded in 1958, they have been the home of When Furballs Strike for all but two of our events.
The address is:
7638 NE Bothell Way
Kenmore, WA 98028
The facility has a very large party room that we use for check-in and our prize raffle, as well as a smaller side room for the fursuiters to change in. Kenmore is the largest bowling center in the state and has 50 lanes, which is a good thing because our group buys them all out for our event! They also have a full bar, restaurant and video arcade.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a fursuit to attend? Is there a minimum age?
You do not need a fursuit to attend, in fact a majority of attendees to When Furballs Strike do not own a costume of any kind. Just come as yourself and be ready to have fun! This is a family-friendly event and open to all ages of furry fans. We frequently have attendees in the 13-17 age range, and many bowl together with their families. Attending minors must have a parent or guardian present with them.
Are we allowed to wear fursuit footpaws while bowling?
Yes! Kenmore Lanes has graciously allowed our fursuiters to wear feetpaws while bowling, provided that they are clean, dry and free of debris. Please do not go outside in your feetpaws (or bowling shoes, for that matter), while bowling as this will damage the approach areas.
Is there a Code of Conduct?
All FurLife members are expected and required to dress and behave in a manner appropriate for an all-ages public venue. While we rent out most or all the lanes, it is still open to the public and shared by other patrons including young children and their families. While we encourage everyone to have a great time, please remember that your actions represent our group as a whole. Any inappropriate conduct or harassment should be reported immediately to WFS organizers. Please avoid gathering in the walkways, as this presents a hazard in case of emergency. Always leave room for people to walk through. Please do not bring in any outside food or drink as this is against Kenmore’s policies.
How do I register for the meet?
All registration is done on FurLife’s Meetup site, which you can access by clicking the link towards the top of this page (big green button). To pre-register for bowling, you must send payment via Paypal or Venmo (see Pricing and How to Pay/Register) section above).
Do I have to pay to just hang out?
There is no charge just to attend and not bowl. However, there are many costs associated with organizing an event of this magnitude and renting out most of the bowling center, as well as running our Meetup group. We greatly appreciate either purchasing raffle tickets or a non-bowling registration (this can be done at any level, including Ultrasponsor) to support When Furballs Strike and FurLife. Your support helps us continue to bring a world-class furbowl to the Pacific NW furry community!
How does the prize raffle work?
At every WFS meet there will be a large assortment of wonderful gifts available for attendees to win, mostly furry or animal-related, including many prizes related to that event’s theme. Every bowler will get at least one raffle ticket with their bowling fee, if you are not bowling or wish to buy more tickets they are available for $1 each, or $4 for 5 tickets (buy 4 get 1 free). All of the proceeds from the prize raffle go towards costs related to the event and prizes for future meets.
There will be paper bags labeled with prizes, and all you have to do is drop one of your two matching tickets into the bag of the prize you wish to try and win. ALL non-winning tickets will be deposited into a large bin, which will be drawn from for many “second chance” prizes, so you may still walk away with something if you don’t win what you were going after!
While some portion of the prize budget comes out of Kijani’s pocket, we graciously accept prize donations, and will give you 3 free raffle tickets for every prize you donate, up to a total of 9. We ask that prizes be at least $10 in retail value and in new (or like new) condition. Please clear all prizes you intend to donate with Kijani before the meet!