Williamsburg will host the inaugural Virginia Cat Festival Nov. 9-10, featuring cat-centric vendors in a “MarCATplace,” a showcase of “America’s Funniest Cat Videos” and appearances from “celebricats” like RuPawl, Cindy Clawford, Meowoncé and Purrince.
The Virginia Cat Festival is part of a joint venture between the city of Williamsburg and AVAdventure Productions to bring a series of community events to the area.
“This was one of the events we proposed and I must say I was really excited about it, because I'm a cat person,” said Liz Sykes, AVA owner and producer. “We heard of other cat events like CatCon on the West Coast, and we thought it would be really cool to have a cat event here on the East Coast that we can grow and make an annual thing that people look forward to – both people who are involved in the rescue community and people who have a cat at home, or people who just like cats.”
Sykes collaborated with Mary Tan of the Minnesota-based Whisker Media to come up with the details of the Virginia Cat Festival.
“Cats are really considered second class pets to dogs, and so what's wonderful is these events are really raising the stature of cats as pets in the United States,” Tan said. “A lot is due to the internet and cat videos. I call them pop culture cat events.”
Plus, Tan said, cats take up less room, which is a big plus for Gen Z and millennial pet owners who tend to live in smaller homes.
In addition to more lighthearted activities, the Virginia Cat Festival will have workshops for people who want to learn how to help cats, Sykes said, like “supporting kitten care at a shelter or fostering cats.”
Plus, cat owners can learn from panels on topics like feline health and wellness, how to take care of kittens and managing a multi-cat household.
Cat advocate and renowned cat behavior and wellness expert Jackson “Cat Daddy” Galaxy is the keynote speaker. Galaxy has more than 30 years of experience and hosts the Animal Planet show “My Cat from Hell.” He’s written several books and helped cat parents address feline behavioral issues.
“We are thrilled to have him,” Sykes said. “His show helped people better understand that cats are wonderful companions and also helped to change the perception of cats.”
And for those who like watching cats, the Virginia Cat Festival will include the 2024 CatVideoFest, which raises funds for cats in need. The festival plans to donate proceeds to the Heritage Humane Society.
Sykes hopes an interactive screening of the 2019 movie adaption of the musical “Cats” will become a tradition at the festival.
The movie didn’t do well in theaters, Sykes said, so “if we are going to screen this movie we may as well make it fun where attendees can engage and heckle, hiss (and) sing along to have a rowdy good time.”
The Virginia Cat Festival is Nov. 9 at the Kimball Theatre in Williamsburg and Nov. 10 at the Williamsburg Lodge. Tickets and schedules are available online.
