Every dog will have its day! While your dog might not ever be mayor, they can still have a ball at North America’s largest dog festival. The Day of the Dog returns to Main Street in Santa Monica on Sunday, October 19th, from 12-5 p.m. This free, family-friendly event features dog races, pool parties, snow play, and over 100 vendors. It’s a day of fun, shopping, and celebration for dogs and their humans alike.
The Day of The Dog is also a fundraiser for the Just Love Animals Society, a non-profit organization focusing on community outreach and animal welfare. Their mission is to create a community of like-minded individuals and host community events to help people and animals in need.
Festival Highlights
Here are a few of the cool events happening at the Day of the Dog this year:
- Amaze-ment Park: A 100-foot pool party for dogs with live DJs.
- Snow Day in Santa Monica: 18 tons of snow for dogs to ski, roll, or frolic in.
- Ride the Wave: Complimentary 80-foot surf wave machine where pups can hang ten.
- Photo Ops: From superhero-themed booths with capes and wind machines to Ruff Rider motorcycle sidecar portraits and a 360-degree video booth.
- Food & Treats: A Puppuccino Bar featuring pumpkin spice and mushroom blends, dog brunch options, plus samples from Earth Animal, Tilted Barn, and more.
- Dog-lebrity Guests
Dog Races
One of the best parts of The Day of the Dog is the fun dog races, like:
- “Running of the Bulls” (Frenchies)
- “You Did What With Your Wiener?” (Dachshunds)
- “If Baguettes Could Run” (Corgis)
- “Doodle Mania”
- Fast Dog Races (all breeds welcome)
Other Fun Events
Other crowd favorites include:
- The Snaggletooth Showcase
- Dog blessings
- Foam parties
- A pie-eating contest
- The “Size Does Matter” parade, crowning the biggest, smallest, hairiest, and oldest wieners in SoCal!
📆 When: Sunday, October 19 from 12 p.m. – 5 p.m..
📍 Where: Main Street, Santa Monica (between Ocean Park and Strand Ave)