2011–2019: My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic era As the fandom grew between 2011 and 2012, nearly a dozen brony conventions were planned across the United States and internationally. Many of these conventions featured appearances by voice actors, writers, and other creative staff involved with the show who interacted directly with fans at panels,
autograph sessions, and other convention activities.
BronyCon was the largest brony convention, held annually from 2011 to 2019. In 2012, the third BronyCon attracted 800 attendees, and the fourth in 2013 expanded to a two-day event at the
Meadowlands Exposition Center in
New Jersey in June 2012, drawing more than 4,000 attendees. In 2013, the convention permanently relocated to
Baltimore, Maryland, and established itself as a
501(c)(3) non-profit organization under Lunar Solis Corp. Despite the brony fandom consisting predominantly of male fans (approximately 85% based on a 2013 unofficial survey), BronyCon attracted a more balanced demographic, with 34% female attendance at the 2014 convention. The event maintained a family-friendly atmosphere, with children under 14 comprising about 10% of attendees. In later years, BronyCon moved to the larger
Baltimore Convention Center, with attendance exceeding 8,000. In 2015, BronyCon reached its peak attendance of over 10,000 guests, becoming the first brony convention to do so. The final BronyCon, held in 2019, also attracted over 10,000 attendees. Other brony conventions founded during this period included
Everfree Northwest in
Seattle, Washington, Midwestria in
Chicago, Illinois, Canterlot Gardens in
Cleveland, Ohio, Equestria LA in
Los Angeles,
BABSCon in
Burlingame, California, Ponycon NY in the
metropolitan New York City region,
BronyCAN in
British Columbia,
Canada,
GalaCon in Ludwigsburg, Germany, BUCK in
Manchester, United Kingdom, PonyCon AU in
Sydney, Australia, Crystal Mountain Pony Con in
Salt Lake City, Utah and Pacific PonyCon in
San Diego, California. In addition,
My Little Pony conventions established prior to the airing of
Friendship Is Magic, such as the My Little Pony Fair and
UK PonyCon, saw increases in their numbers due to the brony fandom. A long-running annual art show, the "My Little Pony Project", where artists re-imagine
My Little Pony figurines and toys into works of art, also saw additional attendance and contributions from the brony community.
2020–2021: COVID-19 pandemic The
COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the brony convention scene, as organizers were forced to cancel, postpone, or transition events to virtual formats. Virtually all brony conventions were unable to hold in-person gatherings due to health restrictions, venue closures, and
COVID-19 lockdowns. During this period, some conventions experimented with online alternatives.
Vanhoover Pony Expo conducted its January 2022 event virtually using a
Pony Town server that featured digitally recreated Vancouver landmarks. Other conventions organized online panels, virtual vendor halls, and livestreamed performances.
2021–present: Post-COVID era As pandemic restrictions eased, brony conventions began returning to in-person formats.
UK PonyCon 2021, and
Ponyville Ciderfest 2021 were held in-person. In February 2022, Corgi Events LLC—the parent organization of
Ponyville Ciderfest and Whinny City Pony Con as well as five
furry conventions—collapsed amid financial troubles including an exorbitant tax warrant against its founder, unpaid staff compensation, and management issues. Charlie Worthley, the convention chair of Ciderfest and Whinny City, initially stepped down due to the organizational turmoil. Michelle, Charlie's wife, purchased both conventions from the dissolving company and reinstated Charlie as chair of both events. In 2023, Ponyville Ciderfest raised $111,186.90 for charity. In October 2023,
Mare Fair—an adults-only convention opened at the
Wyndham Orlando Resort in
Orlando, Florida, attracting 525 attendees for its first event. The Wyndham Orlando Resort closed early the next year, and in 2024, the convention was held at the
Marriott Orlando Airport Lakeside hotel, raising $111,415 for charity at its second event, and breaking all previous charity donation records by pony conventions. At its 2025 event, Mare Fair surpassed its previous charity record, and raised $116,090. The proceeds were donated to Fallen Oak Equine Rescue. In February 2024, the ''''
in Moscow, Russia was closed early by organizers after Russian police investigated complaints that the convention promoted LGBTQ+ content. A few months prior to this incident, Russian film database Kinopoisk had marked My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic'' as "
18+", with some speculating that it was due to the name of
Rainbow Dash, one of the main protagonists of the show. Police conducted two inspections but found no evidence of illegal activity. It was reported that in an attempt to avoid persecution, organizers of the convention had changed Rainbow Dash's rainbow-colored mane to the colors of the
Russian flag. == Activities ==