This year’s Dog City Festival sets a rain-or-shine full day schedule designed for dogs, owners and dog lovers at The Backyard on June 18. For Rona Fraser, chief executive officer of Nina Haggerty Centre for the Arts, her most anticipated activity of the day is the dog talent show.
“Each dog has a minute and a half to come on stage and show off their magic. Winners have medals, and there is swag for every dog who attends.”
While the “Dog City’s Got Talent” show and competition doesn’t showcase professional show dogs, you may find some of the categories quite entertaining: best dressed, most unique dog, longest tail, worst listener and more.
“We come to realize that Edmonton is a place where everybody is really in love with dogs, and they want to go out for adventures with their best friends,” says Fraser. “That’s why we started it. And we do it as a fundraiser each year.”
When they first started in 2019, the Dog City Festival hosted a record-breaking DOGA challenge, allowing dogs and their owners to do yoga together on the hill. This year, it relocated downtown, and brought food trucks, local vendors and a splash pool for dogs, hoping the festival would gain more attention.
“Dog lovers who don’t have a dog are also absolutely welcome,” says Fraser. “Not all of us have the lifestyle for owning a dog, and this would be a great chance to see all the lovely dogs in one place.”
Tickets for the Dog City Festival are on sale now.
