The Internet Cat Video Festival tour is making its way to the Christopher Cohan Performing Arts Center on Jan. 21. “It’s a whole different experience from watching maybe 20 seconds at a time of cat video by yourself in your room,” this year’s host, Will Braden (right), said.
Laura Wilkinson
Special to Mustang News
From Colonel Meow to Keyboard Cat, it seems that farcical felines are everywhere these days. And just when you thought cats couldn’t permeate your life or your Facebook feed any further, the Internet Cat Video Festival tour is coming to the Christopher Cohan Performing Arts Center on Jan. 21 at 7:30 p.m. Yes, cat ladies (and gentlemen) rejoice.
As the name suggests, the main event of the festival is a 75-minute video reel of more than 80 Internet cat videos.
Will Braden, creator of popular cat video series “Henri Le Chat Noir” and this year’s festival host, said the viewing is a uniquely fun affair for all.
“It’s a whole different experience from watching maybe 20 seconds at a time of cat video by yourself in your room,” Braden said. “The reel is specially crafted into categories and has a certain flow that makes watching it very cathartic.”
In addition to the film, the festival will include a cat-themed costume contest and showcase cat-related vendors and representatives from local animal shelters and humane societies. Proceeds from the $20 ticket price will also go directly to the Cal Poly Cat Program.
“If there are going to be funny cat videos, then I’m definitely interested,” computer science senior and cat owner Matthew Werner said.
However, others were less enthusiastic about the festival.
“It’s disturbing that there are festivals centered around digital media distractions that take the focus away from real world problems such as food insecurity, water pollution and tyrannical governments,” economics senior Derek Rieger said.
He hopes, at the very least, the money will be put to good use by the campus program and help improve the cats’ quality of life.
The Internet Cat Video Festival was started in 2012 in Minneapolis, Minn. by the Walker Arts Center. Since, it has toured to a number of metropolitan cities across the U.S.
Those interested in more information can use the hashtag #catvidfest to keep up to date on all festival news and highlights.