Olivia PowellFitz All Media have announced the launch of the Great Dog Walk series.
For the past six years, over 125,000 people (and their dogs) have taken part in The Great Dog Walk at Dogfest. Due to this success Fitz All Media made the decision to launch the walk as a series of events across the UK, with the aim of ‘bringing people and their animals together as part of the biggest communal dog walking series in the country’ whilst helping raise money for charity.
The two launch events in 2019 at Loseley Park, Surrey and Ragley Hall, Warwickshire included a festival village with interactive activities for walkers along a 2k, 5k and 10k routes. This year, six events will now take place, including new venues in Scotland, Yorkshire, Essex and Nottingham from April.
Launched in 2014, DogFest has grown from a one-day event to three two-day events across the country attracting over 70,000 visitors.
Last year DogFest saw a 41% increase in visitor ticket sales from 2018 to 2019 with 70,944 total visitors, making it the largest DogFest to date, along with a 76% increase YOY of sponsorship sales. The 2019 show attracted sponsorship from leading pet industry names and over 540 exhibitors.
The festival itself offers dog friendly attractions, entertainment and activities, as well as hosting special guests like Supervet Noel Fitzpatrick and TV Broadcaster Clare Balding. The show’s main aims are wellbeing and education, meaning much of content focuses on health and the emotional wellbeing of dogs and their humans, including everything from first aid training, nutrition advice to the mental health benefits of getting outdoors with your dog.