This month I’m going to describe my experience attending Dogstival.
Since 2019 a festival catered to dogs has been taking place in The New Forest organised by Event Lighthouse Brand Marketing Ltd. This year for the second time Broadlands estate, where the late Queen Elizabeth & Prince Phillip spent their honeymoon, was the selected location. The first weekend in June was the date with opening times of 0930 – 1730 on both days.
Prices Advanced Adult Weekend Ticket - £34.00 (works out to £17 per day) Advanced Child Weekend Ticket - £13.50 (works out to £6.75 per day)
Advanced Adult Day Ticket - £19.50 Advanced Child Day Ticket - £10.00
On the day Adult Ticket - £20.00 On the day Child Ticket (6-16 years) - £12.00 On the day Family Ticket (2 adults/2 children) - £54.00 On the day Disabled Ticket - £20.00 (includes a free carer ticket)
Children under 6 years go free!
On the Dogstival website, they include information that they do not sell VIP tickets as they believe all dogs who visit are important and they believe everyone who attends can access everything they offer – which I think is great. Also, there are no camping facilities on the Broadlands estate for attendees – most of the vendors/speakers/acts stayed on-site in campervans etc due to having their animals with them. However, in previous years they have had camping facilities – whether this may happen again in the future at different locations who knows.
Being the first time I had attended this event, I purchased an advanced weekend ticket so I could see all that was on offer.
Getting there Living only 15 minutes away from Romsey the journey to Dogstival was pretty easy for me. There are two entrances (one coming from J3 of the M27 and the other coming from the A3090 dual carriageway - both have yellow direction signs visible along the routes)
I thought there might be queues from the small roundabout on the A3090 entrance but I found that the flow of cars entering the estate moved with ease. Slowly moving through the road system made for the event, there were plenty of cars already parked up and the queue to enter was snaking up and down possibly 3 times.
Parking is free for the event and is all on the grass. Luckily it was a dry, sunny day so no problems driving across the grass. If it had been raining and the ground soft, I wonder what would be put in place to help any cars that may have gotten stuck.
Dogs The number one rule is that all dogs are to be kept on leads. Makes complete sense! There are specified areas when competing in an activity where they can be let off.
The event does ask that any dogs in season to not attend. Again, no brainer – wouldn’t want to end up with accidental puppies.
They also want your dog to be up to date with vaccinations to avoid the risk of transmission of disease. Responsibility basis all covered.
Dogs are free of charge as this weekend is all about them. The ‘give it a go’ activities are free as well. There are 3 instances where activities are not free:
1. K9 Aqua Sports Pool – due to being provided by an external company there is a charge for your dog. I didn’t see the price but I would think to cover insurance basis the payment would be worth it.
2. The Fun Dog Show – the entry fee is £5 per dog per category. Categories can range from Golden Oldie to Best Rescue. All proceeds go to the list of charities who appear at the event so the money helps towards a range of fantastic causes. Pets as Therapy & The Dogs Trust to name a few.
3. Agility Open Cup – for the first time this year UK Agility hosted a UKA heat at Dogstival. Not only can people and their dogs give their agility course a go, but they can also compete in a national competition. Heats take place between January – August and then finals happen in September in Cheshire. The cost for this activity is the registration of the dog and its handler.
Festival Content There are opportunities for your dog to try something across the whole festival site. Whether that be flyball, scent work, tug o jaw or testing their speed in a chase game there is something for all abilities, breeds and ages to excel at. You may find a hidden talent that your dog has!
There are plenty of stalls selling food for dogs. The online Tails.com company tailors everyday food to a pick-n-mix treat selection at Dog Only Nose. Not only food but other retailers selling leads, harnesses, dog beds, dog portrait sessions, dog walking bags, portable showers and shampoos.
For owners, there are plenty of food vendors for all dietary types, and drink vendors too serving soft drinks and alcoholic beverages. A music stage with local acts performing sets the atmosphere in one corner so the talks and demonstrations in the other arenas can still be heard. Pub quizzes are on offer, a memorial garden to remember those pets who have been lost and a fairground ride for the kids (and big kids) to enjoy.
There are talks from Hampshire Fire & Rescue, DNA Protected, Dogs for Autism and local dog behaviourists such as Country Pooch & Fern’s Path. Medical tents are on hand for any accidents that occur on the day, there are stalls providing pet insurance advice and also animal rehabilitation methods.
As cheesy as it sounds. There is something for everyone in both human and dog form.
My Experience After easily parking up, meeting up with my parents and queuing to enter, the buzz of excitement can be felt in the air. As weird as it sounds, we felt the odd ones out due to not having a dog with us. Waiting for the ticket lines to open, you have a great opportunity to see all the different dogs attending that day as well as saying hello to those in front and behind you. The ticket lines move easily separating those who need to purchase tickets into another line. There are also plenty of staff on hand to help and for you to ask questions to.
Those stalls lucky enough to be nearest the entrance obviously get the biggest footfall first. I’d recommend going to the furthest corner just to beat some crowds and if you’ve got your dog, give them the chance for some space and to not overwhelm them. I’d also do a loop of all the stalls before purchasing anything. For a place with repetitive products, see everything on offer to find the one that best suits your dog/family.
Our wanderings in the morning took us past a ‘Barkour Playground’ where you can take your dog into the area to give the obstacles a go at their own pace. I saw breeds from Collies to Bulldogs all trying it out with their owners to different levels of success. We settled on a picnic bench provided by the festival (some with umbrellas some not) on the edge of the Top Dawg Show Ring. We watched Puppy Love, Best Rescue & Festival Fever which is part of the fun dog show. We saw a Dalmatian puppy, a Spanish Water puppy, a Terrier rescued from the New Forest, a rescue Cocker Spaniel who was being trained up to be a hearing dog plus a Poodle decked out in a handmade outfit made by their owner. Every participant who entered each category got a rosette and then a judge would decide on 1st, 2nd & 3rd. One criticism I had is that the judge didn’t introduce themselves when starting off. She was great at talking to the contestants and relaying the information through her microphone to the audience but I kind of thought ‘Who are you?’ – just a random person or does she have a connection to a company/behaviourist group etc. in my opinion a missed opportunity on her part for self-promotion.
Being a hot June day, my first purchase was a Purbeck Ice-cream, a Dorset-based company. I had mint-choc chip and banoffee flavours, both were very tasty and light. They also provided Waggy Doggy Doodah dog ice cream for your canine companions. I think they missed a trick by not selling soft drinks as well as ice cream – not that it took me long to get a drink to keep me hydrated.
Next up at the Top Dawg Show Ring was Trick Training with Jodie Forbes. She is a Dorset-based training dog club specialising in teamwork between dog and handler through partnership-based sports and activities. We saw some of Jodie’s members perform tricks they had learnt with their dog. The audience was asked to encourage and cheer everyone on as it was their first experience at a dog show for most dogs and owners. This was easy as you naturally just wished everyone to do well.
Near our bench was a speed test area. Phil Gibbons from Little Nippers Lurcher and Terrier Show had an area for dogs to see how fast they ran by using an electric lure. He would control the lure to go around the area and spectators can see how the dog fares. Some dogs took to it like ducks to water, others were more interested in getting back to the second owner on the outside of the fenced-off area who was taking videos/photos.
We decided on an early lunch as we had a table to sit at and queues were short. I’m a sucker for pulled pork so purchased BBQ pulled pork loaded fries from Oink BBQ and Dad bought 3 beef tacos from 3 Amigos. We shared and all thought everything was tasty. Oink BBQ gave me more BBQ sauce on request, 3 Amigos provided lime and a spicy dip on the side and the only criticism I had was with my dad for not ordering one of each flavour taco. They had beef, chicken and prawn (plus a veggie/vegan option). I would have liked to taste-test their variety. Overall, 10/10!
Fuelled up for an afternoon of exploring. We headed around the stalls at the back of the festival going past an agility area that wasn’t connected to the UK Agility heats. Every stall had an area where you could take photos of your dog on a chaise lounge, fancy dog kennel etc with their business hashtags. So even if you decide not to purchase anything, you can help their business by posting photos with hashtags on social media.
We stopped at K9 Aqua Sports to see how far some dogs leapt to get their ball/toy. The owner would get their dog's attention to the ball then when it was their turn hype them up to chase and retrieve it. They’d throw it into the water and hope for the dog to jump into the approx. 5ft deep pool and swim back to the side ramp to go again. After a certain time, number of jumps or the dog’s enjoyment it was then the next dog’s turn with the help of a handy one-way system. I found that Labradors and Spaniels who are notorious for loving water and ball games were sprinting towards the end of the jetty, then putting their brakes on hard and not jumping. Whilst watching I started trying to figure out why this was. Maybe due to the new environment, people surrounding the pool watching on but I wondered if it was because the pool was bright blue with the clearest of water. Dogs’ eyesight isn’t as complex as ours so possibly the depth perception of how deep the water is, was putting them off. However, when a dog successfully jumped in there were encouraging cheers from the crowd. K9 Aqua Sports staff were on hand to encourage the dog as well and enter the pool to help them back to the exit ramp. I know I was certainly jealous of those staff members entering the pool (admittedly in dry suits) and cooling off from the day's heat! This was a great way for dogs to cool off and introduce them to the sport of dock jumping / dock diving. I think introducing everything at the dog’s pace would then create better results of achieving the desired ‘furthest jump’. So, I wouldn’t be disheartened if your dog doesn’t show willingness on the day.
Due to our family currently not owning a dog, we wandered through the stalls possibly quicker than others. We had no need to purchase some items on offer but I was dog-sitting for a customer that week whilst they were away on holiday. I wanted to get Maisie & Bailey a treat so when I came across Archie’s Pet Pantry, I was enticed to look at the variety of treats that had on offer. I chose 2 muffins that included carrots, peanut butter and honey plus dog-friendly chocolate and icing on top (pictured below). Safe to say from the videos I’ve included they were very tasty!
Mum gravitated towards the Association of Nihon Ken (UK) which promotes the six native Japanese breeds known as the 'Nihon Ken'. The are the Shiba Inu; Akita Inu; Kai Ken; Hokkaido Ken; Kishu Ken and Shikoku Ken. They are a non-profit club providing a platform for people to meet these rare breeds and ask questions to the people who live with them. It was interesting to learn about the rarer breeds.
I next stopped at Barking Bags. As a dog walker you’d think I’d have all the gadgets going but what I didn’t have was a dog walking bag. I’ll admit, I beelined for the first aid kit to begin with. It was pocket-sized and was packed with everything you could need from a pair of scissors and a torch to saline solution and dressings. 12 items in a 10cm bag weighing only 140g – incredibly handy for a dog walker, especially with a clip to attach to a belt. I asked the stall holders their views on the kit and they said it had come in handy for them a few times and pointed out the best-selling point. An interactive QR code keyring that you can scan to access instructions on administering first aid to your dog. I was sold. My memory is somewhat awful, so although I’ve completed first aid courses and passed etc it doesn’t automatically mean I’ve retained specific information for unique injuries – this way I have something to either jog my memory that I’m doing it correctly or helpful information on the injury at hand. All for £20 as well I might add!
The woman who was helping me then showed me the uses of the Barking Bags, and how much room I would still have for other essential items if I packed the first aid kit. There was plenty, plus other clips and attachments, see their diagram below…
Everything had been thought of. I was sold. I knew if I packed up my Barking Bags bag, I’d have everything I need rather than tapping my multitude of short pockets to make sure I had everything. A festival promotion was if you bought a bag, you got a free thermal water bottle – result. One happy dog walker. This company appeared on Dragons’ Den in 2022 where they got an initial investment promise from Sara Davies. Their business boomed thanks to their appearance and although a deal with the dragon didn’t come of it, they haven’t looked back since. Barking Bags have also made sure they support craftsmen and women in Chennai, India who make their bags with high ethical standards.
There were only a few more stalls to go when my alarm went off for me to get ready to head home so I didn’t leave Maisie & Bailey too long. Mum wanted some churros for the road so we headed there. Can confirm Los Churros Amigos were freshly made and extremely tasty. Plus, their delights are completely vegan-friendly even their Belgian chocolate dip.
Whilst those were being made, I snuck off to the fudge stall, Proper by SCT. Alongside fudge, they had pork crackling and nuts in tubs with various offers. The Dorset-based company add flavourings such as BBQ and sea salt to both snacks to provide a huge range for all customers. The fudge flavours I purchased were strawberries and cream, rocky road, millionaires’ shortbread and from the stallholder’s recommendation caramel with sea salt. All were delicious. 15 flavours are available all being gluten-free and made with locally sourced cream, there are 2 vegan flavours as well. I recommend a visit when you go to Dogstival next year!
Sunday, I made the decision to visit in the afternoon as I had done Saturday morning. Sidenote – the schedules of displays and shows are the exact same on both days so you’d never miss anything by only attending the one day. I got in around lunchtime, (yes conveniently planned), this time accessing parking was still just as easy as the previous morning but with no queues and parking further away from the entrance. Easy.
After my ticket was scanned, I headed straight for the food stall area. Knowing I’d be doing this blog I decided on trying something different to give a variety of recommendations, do you see how good I am to you all? I was tempted by halloumi fries at Stacked Burgers. You could choose from two different sized portions and as tempting as the larger portion was, I wanted to try out one of their burgers too. A standard beef burger with cheese and bacon in a brioche bun – yummy. Attending alone and halfway through the day meant I needed to carry everything I bought plus not many picnic benches were available to sit at. Therefore, I asked for the lids to the aluminium takeaway boxes they put the food into for ease (I could easily imagine myself tripping over and food flying everywhere). However, they didn’t have them so this would be my only negative about getting and carrying this food.
After carefully stacking my goods, I headed over to the main arena to watch Little Nippers, Terriers and Lurcher Show. Having seen how this all worked yesterday I got to just enjoy the display of his dogs showing us all how it was done plus dogs from the audience giving it a go whilst devouring my food. Next up was a flyball display with Hampshire Harriers.
A flyball race sees two teams of four dogs each, racing side-by-side over a 51 foot long course. Within a team, each dog must run over the jumps, trigger a Flyball box releasing a ball, retrieve the ball and then return over the jumps. The next dog is released, in relay fashion, to run the course. The first team to have all 4 dogs finish the course without error wins. A member of the Hampshire Harriers introduced the sport and explained why she chose this sport over agility. The main benefit was she didn’t have to remember the course route – fair one. Secondly was that the design of the spring-loaded box was that it encouraged the dog to leap up with all four paws, decreasing the risk of injury plus wear and tear on the dogs’ joints. Spectators got to watch the different stages of teaching a dog the art of flyball. You’d find out if they jumped clockwise or anticlockwise on the box which then determined which hole the ball would be placed into by the box loader. One jump would then be introduced before the box with the dog handler jumping over it as well to show the dog what to do. This then increases with the number of jumps, with the dog handler to higher jumps without the handler. We got to see their amateur and professional team do their stuff in a race. No audience participation in this arena display but there was a nearby flyball section for those who wanted their pooch to have a turn.
The last display I watched was The Friendly Dog Club Line Dancing Extravaganza. Yes, it is just as cheesy as it sounds but that’s what makes it great! Around 20 owners with their dogs all in purple/western attire entered the arena and showed us how to line dance to Shania Twain with their dogs. The main aim of the class is socialisation. Be that for the owners who are in search of new friends, increasing the dog’s ability to complete tasks with other dogs around them or an activity to deepen the bond between owner and dog it is just wholesome family fun.
On Saturday I had spotted a brownie stall and had already told myself I would purchase some Sunday as I already had fudge. The stall was Beaky Blinders, a home baking business in The New Forest where they strive on providing tasty bakes that are gluten and dairy free. I chose a box of 4 brownies, crème egg, smarties, Black Forest Gateaux and berry flavours.
I also knew I was going to buy another tasty treat for the dogs I was looking after so I opted for decorated biscuits this time from Four Legged Fancies. Biscuits weren’t the only thing on offer at this award-winning, wheat-free bakery stall. She had larger birthday cakes, cupcakes, toys, collars and party accessories! As someone who threw one of her dogs a birthday party with hats and banners – I was fully on board with this company. Safe to say Maisie & Bailey were too.
I found out a couple of my friends were here so I went off to find them. As I had seen most of the stalls on Saturday, I followed their lead with what we saw. We mostly met and petted a lot of dogs and talked to their owners. One breed that I had never seen before was a white Doberman. As a group, we were trying to guess the breed and mistook her for an albino Weimaraner but she didn’t have red eyes as the owner pointed out. But in fairness whatever breed she was going to be, she was beautiful. We watched Chow Chows attempt the Barkour station, laughed at two huskies posing for photos (beach style where you put your head in the holes of the painted board) and just people watched – you know the saying how dogs often look like their owners.
After watching the K9 Aqua Sports Pool again wishing for water splash to hit me and cool me down, an ice cream was called for. A soft serve Purbeck cone with cute dinosaur chocolate instead of a flake. Some group members were in search of a beer instead so we headed to the Boogie Bus. A double decker bus with a bar inside playing music. Unfortunately, their card machines weren’t working and no one had cash on them so we moved on. Top Tip would be to take some cash with you just in case as I then felt sorry for them missing out on business due to no fault of their own.
On our way to the next bar, a guy from Pets as Therapy took to the MOT Centre stage. Being Sunday afternoon when the crowds had somewhat dwindled, he encouraged some people to join him for his talk. Putting myself in his shoes and not wanting to be talking to an empty area – I sat down. Matt talked about the charity, which was founded in 1983, where they believe that no one should be without the companionship of animals whatever their circumstances. He told us how they connect temperament assessed dogs and cats and their volunteer owners with children and adults in establishments such as schools, care homes, hospitals, hospices and prisons. Even with a healthy 5,700 volunteers signed onto their charity, they are always looking for more. I love this idea so would encourage anyone who thinks their dog or cat would be suitable, to take a look into applying.
My friends and I found a picnic table with an umbrella to enjoy our beverages out of the sun, beer prices were around the £4/£5 mark, by the Top Dawg Show Arena. The afternoon categories to win a rosette were Loveliest Lady, Fabulous Fella and We are Fur’amily. A great end to a lovely weekend at Dogstival.
Reflecting back, my opinion of the festival is that it's great. What more could dog owners/lovers/enthusiasts want? I guess it being so dog inclusive you’d feel compelled to take your dog. Would you then be able to do everything in one day? Possibly not. But as a Tottonian, being so close to the venue going back year in and year out to try everything on offer would be the way to go. Here’s hoping it doesn’t move elsewhere! Not only is this a place for fun, but it is also a fountain of canine knowledge all in one area. If you have a question or need advice then chat to those around to see if you can gather any new information. Personally, these are my recommendations
Pay for an advance ticket - just saves time on the day
Purchase a ticket for Sunday - noticeably fewer numbers
Take both cash and card
Save up a bit of spending money
As if I haven’t gone on enough for this blog post, I have asked my aunty to do a little review of her experience as she took her dogs with her to the festival. Willow, a Cavapoochon and Reggie a Cockapoo.
‘Dogstival. Beautiful sunny day and dogs everywhere. What more could a dog obsessed sunshine loving person want. It was our first time at Dogstival Romsey and we were suitably impressed.
Let’s start with the positives. Great stalls with everything from dog treats to treats for the adults too. A particular highlight for us was watching the dogs launch themselves from a platform into deep water – such fun not just for the dogs but for the humans to watch too. The temperature hit 23 degrees when we were there and the event had obviously thought this through as there were plenty of water everywhere, for the dogs to drink or to have a paddle. The have a go agility was great and a good chance to test our dogs’ skills whilst also having fun. We visited the Puppicino stall and at a price of £4 with a choice of two very generous toppings we didn’t consider this too bad. My dogs were suitably impressed too.
The negatives, there aren’t many. Considering the event had thought very carefully about keeping our pooches hydrated and cool, there was very little shade to escape the midday sun. I feel a few gazebos to create shade would have been perfect. As mentioned before the dogs launching from the platforms into water looked great fun. I would have loved to had given my Cockapoo a chance to have a go but the queues were too long – maybe an allocated time slot would have worked better.
All in all, I thought for the price of a £20 ticket, it was great value for money and a fun day out for dogs and humans alike. A thumbs up from me, Willow and Reggie for sure.’
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