programming
saturday, november 9
catvideofest
1:00 - 2:30 PM
What better way to kick off the first annual Virginia Cat Festival than watching cats being their weird and wonderful selves?!
CatVideoFest 2024, presented by Oscilloscope Laboratories, is a compilation of the latest and best cat videos culled from countless hours of unique submissions and sourced animations, music videos, and classic internet powerhouses.
This program is extra special because each year, across the country, a portion of ticket proceeds from every CatVideoFest show goes directly to local cats in need. Keeping with this tradition, the Virginia Cat Festival will make a donation to the Heritage Humane Society, a nonprofit animal shelter in Williamsburg.
Jackson galaxy
3:30 - 4:30 PM
Jackson is an animal advocate and a renowned cat behavior and wellness expert with over 30 years of experience. He hosted Animal Planet's My Cat from Hell, a long-running hit show which helped countless cat parents address feline behavioral issues. His unique ability to connect with cats emerged from his background working at a large animal shelter and laid the foundation for his private practice, his TV show, and his platform as a digital content creator with over 7 million followers.
Jackson is a two-time New York Times best-selling author of the books Cat Daddy, Catification, Catify to Satisfy, and Total Cat Mojo. His foundational approach to a happier, more confident cat and a deeper human-animal relationship centers around understanding and honoring who he calls “the Raw Cat”: the ancestral wild animal that lives within each individual.
Virginia cat festival’s
funniest cat people
5:30 - 7:00 PM
This show is a riff on the classic TV show America’s Funniest Home Videos featuring only cat videos, of course! A team of comedians will use cat videos and photos submitted by you, our cat-lovin’ festival attendees, as inspiration for improvised comedy and other shenanigans.
True to AFV’s style, there will be prizes (besides the pure joy of seeing your fur baby on the big screen). Submit your best cat video or photo here and join us for this show full of surprises!
cats: feral edition
9:00 - 11:00 PM
“No amount of A-list stars can save Tom Hooper’s dire Lloyd Webber adaptation from being a career low for all involved” – The Guardian
Ouch. The movie was bad. If you saw it, you already know that.
So, why are we screening it? Because this will not be a normal movie screening. This is the “feral edition.” We will heckle the film–hiss when things are particularly slow, shout at James Corden as he digs through CGI garbage for 5 agonizing minutes, sing along to the terrible songs, and more. It will be a rowdy good time where we turn this “career low for all involved” into a festival high note.
programming
Sunday, November 10
vcf marcatplace
12:00 - 7:00 PM
Vendor booths include creators, businesses, and nonprofit organizations that support cats. There will be cute merch available for purchase, businesses with the latest and greatest products for your cat, and nonprofit organizations that support cats sharing their work and how people can support their mission.
workshops & panels
12:00 - 7:00 PM
These sessions feature content that ranges from educational to playful and are intended to help cat people care for their fur babies and support cats in need. Sessions are a great opportunity to connect with experts and fellow festival attendees!
cat adoptions
12:00 - 7:00 PM
The VCF is thrilled to partner with Critters 4 U Rescue, a nonprofit animal rescue organization, to offer cat adoptions at the festival! People interested in adopting a cat are encouraged to review the adoption requirements in advance.
activities & games
12:00 - 7:00 PM
Part of our mission is to cultivate community among our cat-lovin’ attendees. The MarCATplace will feature an activity and game area where people can hang out and enjoy the coloring station, photo booth, board and card games featuring cats, and get a custom portrait drawn by a caricature artist.