You don’t need to be too familiar with the Internet to know that most everyone on it loves cats. On average, Internet users conduct 12 billion online searches per month, many of which involve videos of cats. There are more than two million cat videos on YouTube, which get more average views than dog videos on YouTube.
Cat videos are so popular, in fact, that there’s actually a Chicago Internet Cat Video Festival, which is coming to the Athenaeum Theatre on Saturday, September 19. Best of all, the third annual cat-concentrated film festival is being “hosted” by celebri-cat Lil BUB.
The festival’s events include the debut of a new film by Will Braden, the creator behind the Henri Le Chat Noir videos, and a Golden Kitty Award winner. The exclusive screening is part of the Chicago Internet Cat Video Festival’s 75-minute event, which is comprised of — you guessed it — cat videos. The some 2,000 attendees expected will also be able to play with adoptable cats, and kittens, while also hang out with the hosts of the CATastrophes Web Series.
The purring party is being put on thanks to the Chicago Cat Rescue and the Tree House Humane Society. All proceeds from the festival benefit those organizations, as well.
Those who are dying to hang out with Lil BUB and the rest of the celebri-cats can purchase pre-show meet-and-greet tickets for $100. These special passes will get them into a private party with Lil BUB and Mike Bridavsky, who star in the documentary Lil BUB and Friendz as well as Animal Planet’s Lil BUB’s Big Show. Guests will be able to take pictures with the famous feline and even get a print signed by the adorable star.
General admission tickets are $15 ahead of time, and $20 day of. For groups of 10 or more, tickets are $10 each.
