Next WFS Meet:
When Furballs Strike 57
Date: June 6, 2026
Time: Noon-5:30pm
Registration/Check-in: 12:15-1:40
Group Photo: 2:00-2:15
Bowling: 2:15-4:15
Awards/Prize Raffle: 4:30-5:30pm
Group Dinner: 6-7:30pm
Location: Kenmore Lanes
7638 NE Bothell Way
Kenmore, WA 98028
Updates/Announcements
When Furballs Strike 57 has been booked for Saturday, Feb. 21! The theme will be our annual “Furry Pride” furbowl as we celebrate Pride Month – we have some great giveaways for our attendees and many themed items in our prize raffle!
We brought back the commemorative rainbow wristbands – they are custom printed with “When Furballs Strike 57: Furry Pride” on one side and “FurLife: Pacific NW Furries” on the other. Every registered bowler at our event will get one to celebrate our Furry Pride day on the lanes!
Our Ultrasponsor gift will be a Pride Bear! We have nearly 100 6′ stuffed bears to give away in each color of the rainbow: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo (darker purple) and Violet (lighter purple). Photos of the bears are below. Pre-Reg Ultrasponsors will get to choose what color bear they want – just include it in your notes when you send payment. Make sure to pre-reg early for best selection!
In addition, Ultras will get their FurLife sticker decal upgraded to a cool, shiny iridescent holographic design. Don’t miss out on these sweet perks! We also have about 10 of the WFS Logo Drawstring Backpacks left as an alternate Ultrasponsor gift, please request in the additional info of your pre-reg payment if you want that instead of the bear.
The WFS 57 Group Dinner will be a Pizza Party catered by the 11th Frame Restaurant at Kenmore Lanes – details and the event page are now on Meetup here: https://www.meetup.com/furlife/events/314027440 – please note attendees must RSVP on the Meetup Event Page and pre-pay to reserve their spots.
Please start getting those pre-registrations in, and like we did last year, let’s show our community’s Furry Pride and sell out Kenmore Lanes for our late Spring furbowl!
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When Furballs Strike 56: Furry Luau was another record-breaker! We welcomed nearly 350 furries to our furbowl, and among them an incredible 204 fursuiters which broke our old fursuit attendance record set back at WFS 52. Thank you all who attended, purchased high-level sponsorships and extra raffle tickets, donated raffle prizes, volunteered on meet day and otherwise helped support the event. We hope you all enjoyed the complimentary Leis and fun giveaways, and huge thank you to DJ TigerBeatz, and Vulpine Taproom for hosting the group dinner “Luau at the Burrow” which went very well.
WFS 56 High Score Winners:
Regular Division: Phil (212)
Fursuit Division: Damon (186) – both first time winners!
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When Furballs Strike 55 was a smashing success! We welcomed 321 attendees to our Fall Furbowl, including 154 fursuiters and 214 bowlers across 44 of Kenmore’s 50 Lanes! The most important number of all is that we raised an incredible $2,070 for the local Evergreen Chapter of the ALS Association through our Charity Auction and the “Beat the Organizer” Bowling Challenge. Thank you to all who donated valuable auction items and generously bid on them! We also gave away nearly 50 additional gifts in our regular raffle, one of our biggest ever, many of them tied to our Japanese Pop Culture theme.
DJ Neko Boy played a fantastic set, keeping the the vibe and energy levels high throughout bowling, and nearly 40 people stayed for a fabulous pizza buffet. A great and memorable day for our FurLife & Pacific NW fandom community!
Please make sure you’re a member of FurLife: Pacific NW Furries so you can get notifications about WFS and all our other furmeets! Happy Holidays ^^
WFS 55 High Score Winners
Regular Division: Krissie (181)
Fursuit Division: Maclod (141)
WFS All-Time Attendance Records:
Total Attendance: 411 (WFS 52)
Bowlers: 274 (WFS 50 – Most bowlers at a single event in Kenmore Lanes’ 68-year history!)
Fursuiters: 204 (WFS 56)
WFS All-Time Scoring Records:
Regular Division: Krissie (267) – WFS 48
Fursuit Division: Tucker (212) – WFS 50
Anyone who breaks an all-time scoring 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 ginormous Meetup group with thousands of members who enjoy the anthropomorphic “furry” fandom.
From its humble beginnings in 2008 with 40 attendees, this meet has evolved into the biggest furry bowling gathering in the world, with recent meets reaching 350-400+ attendees, including over 200 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).
Charity Tracker
Starting in 2023, we have run a Charity Auction alongside the Prize Raffle every few WFS events, offering 5-6 high value items to benefit a local 501(c)(3) organization. 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, and most recently we raised over $2,000 for the local chapter of the ALS Association, helping families and their loved ones as they fight that terrible disease.
Here are the totals we have raised for charity through When Furballs Strike so far:
WFS 45: $930 (Lambert House, Seattle)
WFS 50: $2,560 (Homeward Pet Adoption Center, Bothell)
WFS 52: $1,500 (Camp Woodrich & University of Washington Bowling Program)
WFS 55: $2,070 (ALS Association, Evergreen Chapter)
Total (All-Time): $7,060
Pricing & Registration
Base Registration
- Two games bowling + shoe rental
- 1 Raffle Ticket
- WFS Furry Pride Wristband
- Sponsor Upgrade includes 5 Raffle Tickets + FurLife Decal
Supersponsor
Support WFS, get extra swag!
- Two games bowling + shoe rental
- 10 regular raffle tickets
- One FurLife or WFS logo decal
- WFS Furry Pride Wristband
- Supersponsor Gift: One Logo Item of Choice: Fridge Magnet, Ballpoint Pen or Coaster
Ultrasponsor
Get two special gifts, extra raffle tickets & our eternal gratitude for helping make WFS possible!
- Two games bowling + shoe rental
- 15 regular raffle tickets
- One Ultrasponsor raffle drawing ticket for special prizes
- One FurLife or WFS logo decal
- WFS Furry Pride Wristband
- Supersponsor Gift of Choice (Magnet, Pen or Coaster)
- Ultrasponsor Gift: 6″ Pride Bear of Choice: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet (specify preferred color in pre-reg notes)
Attendees who wish to bowl have four options from $13 base reg, to $30 Ultrasponsor which comes with all of the swag, a bonus Ultrasponsor-only raffle ticket, and 2 fantastic themed gifts: A 6″ plush bear and a special holographic FurLife decal sticker! All registration options come with 2 games of bowling and shoe rental.
Supersponsors and Ultrasponsors get additional gifts: Supersponsors get their choice of a WFS or FurLife logo item: A Fridge Magnet, Ballpoint pen or Coaster!
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
Please including the following in the Notes/Additional Info box when you pre-register:
– What name you want for the bowling score screen (this will also be your check-in name)
– Your Telegram handle (for confirmation or questions about your pre-reg, otherwise confirmation will be through the app’s messaging system)
– If you are bowling in a group, please list ALL of your group members so there is no confusion after the pre-reg lanes fill up. All group members must pre-register.
– If Ultrasponsor, what color Pride Bear you prefer (if not specified, you will receive a random color)
We will be putting a minimum of 5 and up to 6 bowlers per lane, as we anticipate being close to selling out for WFS 57.
For those not bowling with a pre-registered group, you can also register at-event in the party room starting around 12:15pm. 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 (.75 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. Be kind and courteous to fellow attendees, WFS volunteers, as well as Kenmore Lanes staff who work hard to ensure everyone is having a good time.
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 if I’m not bowling?
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 purchasing raffle tickets or a non-bowling registration (this can be done at any level, including Ultrasponsor) to support When Furballs Strike and FurLife, or purchasing food and/or beverage from Kenmore Lanes. 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!