Festivals used to be purely for humans but our faithful hounds can now get in on the action too. There are plenty of cool events catering for the canine market, so here is my round-up of Britain’s biggest and best festivals for dogs – updated for 2025. Get your paws on some tickets now!
Dogstival
This two-day event, which is now in its eighth year, is packed full of things to please your pooch. They can showcase their skills in the Top Dawg show ring or have a go at flyball, Barkour, agility and fun scent challenges.
A number of experts will be on hand to offer advice. And as well as the usual fun in the Naturo main arena, the Away Resorts team will be providing the ultimutt holiday park experience, with a pop-up beach, outdoor cinema, DJs and foam parties.
Vets and physios will be stationed around the showground to offer visitors advice, and there will be more than 140 stalls. These will sell everything from doggy delicacies and gadgets to locally-sourced food and drink. Plus, there will be live music on the Hound Dog Music Stage.
- Dogstival 2025 will take place from 31 May – 1 June at Burley Park in the New Forest. Adult day tickets start from £18. For more information or to book, visit the Dogstival website.
Goodwoof
Want the chance to celebrate everything you love about your canine companion? Then head to Goodwoof, in Chichester. Teach your dog new tricks in the Have-a-Go area, cool off in Fido’s Lido and find out what the future has in store for your pooch by having their tarot cards read.
This year’s upmarket event will celebrate the dachshund and hundreds of sausage dogs are expected to attend. The Duke of Richmond will lead the dogs in a special parade from Goodwood House, before showing off some cutting-edge kennel designs as part of a Barkitecture exhibition.
A whole host of food and drink will be on offer over the weekend, not to mention stalls selling almost everything to do with dogs. Experts will be on hand to offer pet advice and all activities, from Doga (dog yoga) to canicross, are included in the ticket price.
- Goodwoof will be held at Goodwood House in Chichester, West Sussex from 17-18 May 2025. Day tickets start from £30. For more information, visit the Goodwoof website.
All About Dogs
For a great day out, consider All About Dogs, which has five action-packed weekends of doggy fun taking place across the country. Each event will be packed full of have-a-go activities like Flyball and have more than 150 trade stands plus a ‘Village Green’, where you can relax with live music and grab some food and drink.
Alongside the main area attractions, fun dog shows will also be taking place. In all, there will be more than 45 classes for your pooch to enter. Could your four-legged friend walk away with the coveted Best in Show trophy?
Each event will have scores of local exhibitors and experts offering advice. And Scruffts, the nation’s favourite crossbreed competition, will be coming to this year’s festivals – with lots of prizes for the most special mixed breed dogs. Visitors will also be able to donate to pet food banks and you can even camp at some of the sites.
- All About Dogs has events taking place in Essex, Berkshire, Norfolk, Suffolk and Nottinghamshire this summer. Adult tickets cost £14. For more information or to find out the 2025 dates, visit the All About Dogs website.
DogFest
This fantastic dog festival will be taking place at seven different locations this year. Your pooch will love taking part in all the fun activities, such as dogstacle courses and hay bale racing. There will be plenty to keep the humans amused too, whether they’re keen to sample local food truck fayre or quaff a few glasses of champagne.
If you have a young dog, the Puppy Academy will be the perfect place for you both to learn, rest and play. There will also be lots to see and do in the main arena and on the live stage where experts – who in the past have included Supervet Noel Fitzpatrick – will be giving talks throughout the two-day event.
Join one of the breed meet-ups to share notes and snap some pics with other proud dog owners. Festivalgoers can even join in with The Big Dog Walk, which is either a 2km or 4km stroll around the picturesque grounds. Those taking part can snap up exclusive DogFest merchandise.
- DogFest 2025 will be taking place in Warwickshire, Hertfordshire, Cheshire, Oxfordshire, Bristol, Yorkshire and Surrey. Adult day tickets start from £17.50. To see this year’s dates and book tickets, visit the DogFest website.
Paws in the Park
Active dogs will love getting involved with all the activities on offer at Paws in the Park. The fun festival, which takes place at two different locations in Sussex and Kent, has everything from flyball to canicross and gundog scurries and there are lots of have-a-go classes for dogs and their owners to get involved with.
Whether you’ve got a fit dog, fast dog, trained dog or talented dog, there’s sure to be an activity that gets their tail wagging – and no experience is required. All of the sessions are run by trainers and enthusiasts who know the sports best so you can just get stuck in, ask questions and maybe even find a new hobby for you and your four-legged friend.
The event also has lots of exciting arena displays and entertainment, as well as competitions, trade stalls selling all kinds of dog products and more. And, whether you’ve got a pedigree Pomeranian or a cheeky Cockapoo, there’s sure to be a class for you in the companion dog show, with lots of prizes and rosettes to be won.
- Paws in the Park 2025 will take place in Sussex, from 17-18 May, and in Kent from 20-21 September. Adult tickets cost £14 when booked online in advance, or £16 on the gate. Weekend camping tickets start from £60 – which includes entrance to the event. For more information, visit the Paws in the Park website.
Dog Lovers Festival
Keen to dance the day away at a music festival but don’t want to leave your four-legged friend behind? Then Dog Lovers Festival is for you. This fun-packed event has been created with dogs in mind and will see some of the UK’s best tribute bands – to artists such as Elton John and The Jam – take to the stage.
As well as non-stop music all weekend, there will be scores of stalls where you can treat your dog to toys or top-of-the-range accessories. Dog shows and outdoor cinemas events will be running on both days of the festival and your pooch can also enjoy agility, an outdoor dog pool and scurry run, as well as the main arena entertainment.
The event, which has been previously been featured on TV, will also have a number of animal experts onhand to offer training advice, information on how to foster or adopt a new pooch and free doggy MOTs.
- Dog Lovers Festival 2025 will take place from 1-3 August at Elvaston Castle Showground in Derbyshire. Adult weekend tickets start from £39. Camping passes start from £63. For further details, see the Dog Lovers Festival website.
Woofstock
Woofstock has been getting tails wagging since 2014 – and although the Devon festival is taking a break this year, it promises to be bigger and better than ever in 2026. The family-friendly two-day event has lots of action-packed activities for dogs, not to mention live music, police displays and a shopping village full of doggy-related stalls.
All four-legged attendees are encouraged to enter the fun dog shows, where the categories include Appealing Eyes, Golden Oldie and I Love My Mini Human. Pawsome demonstrations will also take place throughout the event and a number of awards will be handed out to service dogs, inspirational pets and brave pooches.
The festival proudly supports a number of charities, such as Pawsome Pensions – which helps retired police and fire dogs – and Animals in Distress, a Devon-based charity that works to find pets their forever homes. As a result, you can enjoy the festival safe in the knowledge that all money from your entry fee is going to a good cause.
- Woofstock normally takes place at Powderham Castle in Exeter, Devon. For more information about the 2026 event, see the Woofstock website.