Dogstival Highlights

After endless months of eat, walk, sleep, repeat, thousands of dogs finally had the chance to let their fur down at the ultimate doggy day out – Dogstival – bringing more than 8,000 humans along as chaperones.

Glastonbury with the bark-factor, Dogstival took place on Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th June in the picturesque surroundings of Burley Park in the New Forest, with dogs of all breeds, shapes, sizes and ages having the time of their lives in an environment catered exclusively for their enjoyment - with the added bonus of beautiful sunshine on both days.

Now in its third year and a sell-out success, top attractions included BARKOUR – Dogstival’s twist on parkour, which saw dogs navigate challenges such as agility ramps, ball pits, see-saws and dog-sized caravan, plus the K9 Splash Pool – a giant 8m dog diving pool where water-loving dogs launched themselves into water for fun and to cool off.

‘The BIG Bliss Bolster Bed’ visitor experience by luxury dog bed company Charley Chau, was another big hit with hounds and their humans lining up to enjoy a cuddle, picture and stretch out in a super-sized version of the brand’s most luxurious design - with the opportunity to donate to Pets As Therapy charity for every ‘bed hop’. Measuring over 2.5 x 2.1m (bigger than a Super King), using over 75sqm of fabric (bigger than average floorspace in a two bed flat) and stitched with 175m of seams (taller than the Blackpool Tower) – the BIG Bliss is one of the biggest dog beds ever made in the world!

Flexing their status as stars of the show, four-legged friends also took the opportunity to get a lasting token of their memorable day on various giant photo-props scattered through the showground including giant Hollywood-style BARK letters, large Dogstival Insta Cubes and the K9 Chapel of Love.  Dr Scott Miller, Dogstival’s celebrity vet, also proved a hit during his daily on-stage appearances, which covered dog health and wellbeing topics such as socialising pandemic pets to help promote first-class care for beloved canine chums.

With more than 140 stalls selling every doggy delicacy or bit of kit imaginable and locally-sourced food and drink vendors, dog owners also did their bit to help support small, independent and artisan businesses by indulging in food, drink and gifts for themselves and their dogs.

Commenting on this year’s event, Dogstival Show Director Richard Nowell says: “With all that has gone on these past twelve months, it was truly amazing to see people come to together to enjoy time with their dogs. It’s been a year in the planning and we are delighted to report a sell-out success – the sun even made an appearance too! Dogs have really helped us during lockdown, keeping us active, offering cuddles on down days and even making occasional appearances on Zoom calls, so they really deserved a treat and what better way to reward them at a day out that's all about them! We now can't wait to get planning for Dogstival 2022.”

Dogstival 2021 took place daily from 9.30am to 5.30pm on Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th June 2021 at Burley Park, New Forest, BH24 4AB. Look out for 2022 date announcements on Dogstival.co.uk and @Dogstival on socials.

PHOTO CREDIT: Harry Smith Photography