15th Annual SF DogFest is Back – IRL! Saturday, April 23, 11 am – 4 pm, Duboce Park
DogFest photos: Kimberly Power
We can hardly believe it, but San Francisco's famous DogFest is back - in real life! After two years of social distancing and Zoom festivities, we’re more than ready to let the dogs out for a family- and community-friendly festival. Think carnival meets book fair complete with funny dog tricks!
The SF DogFest will take over Duboce Park on Saturday, April 23, from 11 am to 4 pm. You’ll find the park on Duboce Avenue between Noe and Sanchez Streets in the heart of San Francisco near the Castro and Haight neighborhoods.
The event will have everything you could want in a family-friendly, dog-friendly play day, with live music, dog contests, carnival games staffed by McKinley Elementary students, a photo booth for humans and dogs, food trucks like Señor Sisig, a silent auction, t-shirts, DogFest swag, a book fair, and games. We’ll even have a 5K Doggie Dash leading up to DogFest for kid and grownup runners!
We are out-of-this-world excited to be back in real life! After two years of no hugs or belly rubs (except from pod buddies), isn’t it about time we get together to make up for lost time?
If you’re looking for ways to get involved, register your dog for a contest, sign up for the 5K Doggie Dash, or become a sponsor, vendor, volunteer, or donor, head to our website at sfdogfest.com.
Now read on for details…
Dog Contest and Show
The crowning event of the day will be the hilarious dog contest and show where pups will compete in a variety of dog sports and tricks for the prestigious top dog award, judged by a panel of San Francisco’s illustrious community members. The Bay Area’s most athletic, talented, tail-waggiest, and cutest dogs will be strutting their stuff in categories like Best Tail, Best Costume, Most Adorable, Celebrity Look Alike, and Funniest Looking.
You can bet the competition will be fierce (and friendly) so sign your pup up now for his or her favorite category!
Special Guests
Special guests throughout the day will include San Francisco Mayor London Breed, California State Senator Scott Wiener, members of The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, and more. In fact, you never know who you’ll see at SF DogFest!
Fun facts: Mayor Breed has been a dog show judge since 2013. We’ve also been honored to have Senator Weiner on our judges’ panel every year since 2011.
Rescue Zone
DogFest is proud to host a rescue zone for doggie adoptions for those of you who’d like to add a furry companion to your family. Joining us in the Rescue Zone this year will be Muttville Senior Dog Rescue. In the past, we’ve seen many lucky dogs adopted on the spot.
Community Support
We are so grateful to our generous sponsors, vendors, donors, and army of volunteer parents that make this event possible. Proceeds from SF DogFest benefit McKinley Elementary School, an SFUSD public school. Funds raised go towards necessary programs, resources, and supplies that help the school keep existing teachers and bring on more staff, including literacy specialists and art, dance, and extracurricular teachers.