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The Seattle Opera Hosted Its First Official Furry Night – The Stranger

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The Seattle Opera Hosted Its First Official Furry Night – The Stranger


Writing and photography by West Smith

Furries are everywhere.

That’s the biggest lesson I took away from attending my first furry convention earlier this year. Before that, I think I still carried some lazy stereotype in my head about the furry community being made up exclusively of Reddit-dwelling teenagers. Then I got there and met doctors, lawyers, medical technicians, people from every possible walk of life. The point was driven home a few months later when my urologist casually told me he’d been to a few furry conventions himself.

Christian Pursell, known in the furry community as Chester the Geroo.

So by the time I found myself heading to Furry Night at the Opera, the idea of a furry opera singer didn’t feel surprising at all; if anything, it felt obvious.

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The evening was championed by baritone Christian Pursell, better known in the fandom as Chester the Geroo, who plays Escamillo in Carmen. As far as anyone can tell, this was the first official Furry Night at the opera in history, a genuinely historic moment for the fandom and the city of Seattle.

An attendee grooms their tail after removing it from a suitcase ahead of the evening’s performance.

Seattle Opera seemed proud to be hosting it. After seeing how successful the night was, I’d be surprised if other opera houses didn’t soon follow (fur)suit.

At first, I wasn’t entirely sure what “Furry Night at the Opera” meant. Was this an event exclusively for furries? Would I feel out of place showing up without a tail? When I asked someone at the box office, they laughed and said, “This is a 2,800-seat house. There’s going to be all kinds of people here, not just furries.” They were right, the crowd wasn’t all fur-suited. But this wasn’t a typical opera crowd either. In the lobby, there were dozens of oversized, fur-covered heads weaving through the crowd (they were asked to remove their heads for the show, to make sure they didn’t block the view of the stage).

So furry.
At the pre-show meet-and-greet, Pursell handed out stickers, signed posters, and gave out head pats.

Furries arrived in formal wear, some toting their fursuits in. Pursell arrived wearing his authentic Escamillo matador costume from that evening’s performance of Carmen. Before the show, he hosted a free meet-and-greet, handing out stickers, signing posters, and giving out head pats.

The Bull at will call.

In line with his matador costume, he also staged a mock bullfight with someone in a bull costume.

Anyone else see the second set of horns in this photo?
The muleta is the same prop used later that evening in Carmen.

It is difficult to know exactly how many furries attended the event. More than 50 guests used the special Furry Night coupon code, though additional attendees purchased regular tickets to attend the pre-show meet-and-greet.

That neckerchief though.
Yincollie the mouse brought their own opera binoculars for the evening’s performance.
Some attendees arrived in formal wear before changing into their fursuits in designated changing areas set up by Seattle Opera. Some attendees transported their suits in name-brand wheeled luggage, and some used reusable Walmart bags.
The Slightly Furry cider box.

But not everyone had to check their fursuits. Local cidery Slightly Furry rented out a private box for the event so they could stay suited up for the performance.

Woof.

Opera has a reputation for being a stuffy, upper-class art form, something exclusive, intimidating, and maybe not entirely meant for me. But just as my assumptions about the furry community turned out to be lazy and incomplete, so too were my assumptions about the opera. Furry Night at the Opera reminded me that both are, at their best, invitations: spaces built around passion, community, and the simple joy of sharing an experience with others. Art, it turns out, is for everyone.



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Seattle, WA

NBA Commissioner says Las Vegas, Seattle remain expansion targets for 2028-29 season

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NBA Commissioner says Las Vegas, Seattle remain expansion targets for 2028-29 season


Las Vegas could be years away from landing an NBA expansion team, but the league’s commissioner is now offering a clearer sense of the timeline.

On Tuesday, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver told “The Dan Patrick Show” that Seattle and Las Vegas remain the cities the NBA is focused on if it expands. “If we expand, at least we’re thinking ’28-29 season,” Silver said.

Silver had previously signaled before that March meeting that Seattle and Las Vegas were at the center of the expansion discussion, while cautioning that no decision had been made.

“We will make decisions in 2026,” Silver said in February.

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At the time, Silver said the league was not expected to vote in March but could emerge from those meetings ready to take the next step and begin discussions with potential ownership groups.

Las Vegas has long been viewed as Seattle’s most likely expansion partner if the NBA grows from 30 to 32 teams. Silver, however, has repeatedly said the league could expand by two teams, one team, or not at all.

The potential of an NBA Las Vegas expansion team has already drawn interest. This week, majority owner of the Vegas Golden Knights, Bill Foley, announced he is putting together a bid for the expansion team in Las Vegas.



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How to watch Bosnia vs. Qatar in next Seattle World Cup match

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How to watch Bosnia vs. Qatar in next Seattle World Cup match


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Soccer fans waiting for affordable World Cup tickets might be in luck this week.

Two games in Seattle — Bosnia and Herzegovina vs Qatar (12 p.m. PT), Egypt vs. Iran (8 p.m. PT) — are dipping well below the $1,000 minimum price for Seattle’s first two games.

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After an opening tie between Egypt and Belgium and a dominant 2-0 USA win over Australia, the city welcomes four more teams this week to finish out group play at the 2026 World Cup in Seattle.

Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the final group stage matches.

How much are tickets for the Bosnia vs. Qatar game in Seattle?

Tickets for the next World Cup match in Seattle start at $380, and $276 via FIFA.

How can I watch the Bosnia vs. Qatar game?

  • Location: Seattle, WA
  • Date: June 24, 2026
  • Kickoff: 12 p.m. PT
  • TV: FS1
  • Streaming: FOX One, Peacock

When are the remaining World Cup games in Seattle?

  • Wednesday, June 24, 12 p.m. PT (Bosnia and Herzegovina vs. Qatar) – Shop tickets
  • Friday, June 26, 8 p.m. PT (Egypt vs. Iran)  – Shop tickets
  • Wednesday, July 1 (Round of 32 match) – Shop tickets
  • Monday, July 6 (Round of 16 match) – Shop tickets

Seattle ticket prices by game

  • Bosnia and Herzegovina vs. Qatar (June 24, 12 p.m. PT): starting at $380, $276 via FIFA
  • Egypt vs. Iran (June 26, 8 p.m. PT): starting at $630, $529 via FIFA
  • Round of 32 match (July 1): starting at $1,119, $977.04 via FIFA
  • Round of 16 match (July 6): starting at $3,011, $3,393 via FIFA

Where can I buy FIFA World Cup tickets?

Zachary Fletcher is a trending news reporter with USA TODAY Network’s Washington state team. Keep up with him on X (@zdfletch), BlueSky (@zfletcher.bsky.social) or reach him at zfletcher@usatodayco.com.



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Storm edged by Dallas Wings 112-110 in overtime heartbreaker

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Storm edged by Dallas Wings 112-110 in overtime heartbreaker


Paige Bueckers scored 27 points, Azzi Fudd added a career-high 26, including the go-ahead basket with 13.2 seconds left in overtime, and the Dallas Wings beat the Seattle Storm 112-110 on Monday night.

Bueckers, who scored 17 of the Wings’ final 24, netted her 1,000th career point in overtime to cap her night and put Dallas ahead 109-108. She tied Elena Delle Donne for the fourth-fastest in WNBA history to reach the milestone at 52 games.

Fudd followed with a go-ahead layup that put Dallas up 111-110 before Jessica Shepard stole the ball, and Aziaha James capped the scoring with a free throw to end it.

Dallas finished with a WNBA record 48 made field goals.

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James scored 18 points off the bench for Dallas (11-6), and Shepard had 14 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. Li Yueru scored 10.

Dominique Malonga scored a career-high 37 to go with 12 rebounds for Seattle (3-15). She became the youngest player in league history to reach 200 career field goals at 20 years and 219 days old. Natisha Hiedeman had 21 and 11 assists, and Awa Fam had 18 points.

Dallas trailed 94-88 with 1:24 remaining in regulation before Bueckers rattled off the Wings’ final eight points of regulation, including back-to-back 3-pointers, to help force overtime.

Seattle has lost 11 straight games.

Up next

Wings: Visit the Las Vegas Aces on Thursday.

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Storm: Host the New York Liberty on Thursday.



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