Your Summer Guide to Dog-Friendly Events Across the USA

We get it. Summer is here and your dog is ready to play! You want to get out and about and enjoy some warm weather adventures together. We’ve assembled a one stop guide to dog-friendly events around the United States to take your pup to. If you know of any other events where dogs are welcome, please post them in the comments section to share with other dog lovers. We hope you and your dog get outside and #KurgoTogether this summer!

Outdoor Concerts:

Outdoor concerts are a great place to bring your dog to enjoy some live music and enjoy tasty treats! Look up events on your local news website for free concerts in your area or check out BringFido.com.

The Historic London Town and Gardens near Annapolis, Maryland hosts a free concert series for two Sundays in August (the 4th and 18th). Kicking off the 2019 season is Dog Night, which will feature a “pupcession” stand with tasty treats for the pups.

Starting May 25, Salishan Resort on the Oregon Coast returns with their summer concert series. The concerts feature some of the best Oregon bands and admission is free. Dogs on leash are welcome.

From July 4 to September 2, L.L. Bean hosts their annual Summer in the Park in Freeport, Maine including free outdoor concerts with indie and folk bands, and more! Head over to Discovery Park, bring your pal, and enjoy a nice picnic on a hot summer day.

From May 31 through September 1, the Allegheny Summer Concert series hosts free concerts at the South Park Amphitheater. The event features performances from the Pittsburgh Ballet Theater, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and plenty of well-known artists. Dogs on leash are welcome and food trucks and craft beer are available starting an hour and a half before showtime.

Numerous pet friendly concerts take place throughout Orange County, California during the summer months. Throughout the country these free concerts welcome pups for an evening of good tunes and entertainment.

Sporting and Athletic Events:

Most Major League Baseball teams have at least one, if not more, games where pets are given a warm welcome. Take your pooch along to enjoy a hot dog and cheer on your favorite team. For schedules, see the 2019 schedule on the American Kennel Club website.

Vail GoPro Mountain Games

Not only are dogs welcome to the GoPro Mountain Games, there are specific events just for them. From dock diving competitions to trail runs, dogs will no doubt have a blast with their humans at the country's largest event for adventure sports. The event takes place June 6-9 in Vail, Colorado

A number of dog-friendly running events take place throughout the summer all over the country. Trail races often tend to allow dogs more so than road races. Take a look at The Dog Race Finder to locate a race near you.

Food & Outdoor Festivals:

Reflecting the eclectic and hip West Town Community in Chicago, The West Town Chamber of Commerce is bringing back WestFest on July 5-7 featuring new high-profile, and current music with an emphasis on Chicago House. This pet friendly and kid friendly environment is hosting its own Pet Fest from 12-6 on Saturday and Sunday featuring a charity dog wash, obstacle course, paw painting, and more!

Los Angeles, Phoenix, and San Diego are all hosting their Street Food Cinema festivals for live music, food trucks, and movies on the outdoor screens. Most of these events are dog friendly. Check the schedule, pick what you want to see, and have a blast.

Eat I See I Hear is LA’s original traveling outdoor movie series rotating venues around the city. Check out the movies playing, stop by the food trucks and bring your pup to enjoy the outdoors.

From July 31 to August 4th, visit the Maine Lobster Festival in Rockland Maine. The events there include live music, shopping, and a whole lot of fresh lobster!

Arts & Crafts Festivals:

Every first Sunday of the month in the Annapolis Art District in Maryland, spend the day meeting over 130 artists, designers, and musicians at First Sunday Arts Festival from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The 17th Annual Art Paws will be taking place on July 21st in the McKinley Arts & Culture Center in Reno, Nevada. From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m, come visit over 70 local vendors, artists, and animal organizations to celebrate your pet and raise money for pets in need.

On August 9th and 10th in East Nashville, Tennessee, The Tomato Art Fest will come together to celebrate… you guessed it, tomatoes! Come for the free live music, arts, parades and for the costumes (encouraged for you and your dog!).

For the Wine Lover:

The website napavintners.com has a list of all the wineries in Napa Valley that welcome your pup while Sonomacounty.com has the list for Sonoma County. Hopefully the only one “wine-ing” there will be you!

Saturday, August 3 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. is the Wine & Woofs: Canines Uncorked Wine Tour event in north Willamette Valley. With all proceeds going to pets in need, you can buy a Doggy passport and attend the many events at the different winery hosted by the Oregon Humane Society.

In Hudson, OH on July 21 & 22, you can bring your pup to the 10th Annual Hudson Wine Festival. With over 150 wines, craft beers, live music, fantastic food, and educational seminars, the purpose of this event is to increase awareness and support for animal welfare and military support in Northeast Ohio.

For those in the Northeast, The Grapehound Wine Tour is July 25-28 in Seneca Lake, New York. The goal of this event is to raise awareness of greyhound adoption and increase the number of adoptive and foster homes for sight hounds. Enjoy music, vendors, wine, and great food at this wonderful event!

Beer Festivals:

On July 20 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., the Animal Welfare Society of Kennebunk, Maine will be hosting Woofstock, a dog-friendly food and beer festival to benefit AWS’s Companions for Life Fund for pet veterinary care program. Activities include music performances, dog agility, food and beer, bounce houses, obstacle courses and more. The event is free.

The Portland Cider Summit takes over Fields Neighborhood Park in the Pearl District featuring more than 150 ciders, cider cocktails and apple spirits. Well-behaved and leashed dogs are more than welcome, and the event even has a Dog Lounge with shaded areas and water. DoveLewis is among the beneficiaries of the event, which is a non-profit emergency animal hospital.

Enjoy beers from around the world at the Portland International Beer Fest from June 28th through 30th on the North Park Blocks. The event showcases hart-to-find beers and ciders in just about every style you can imagine.

The Hopped Up Caribou Festival at Caribou Highland Lodge in Lutsen, Minnesota is a beer fest combined with music, food, and adventure like canoe trips and mountain biking. The event claims to be the most dog-friendly beer festival in the state!

Yappy Hours:

Around the country, more and more people are allowing dogs into hotels, breweries, bars, and anywhere else with an outdoor area to host their own version of a Yappy Hour. Enjoy drinks, socializing, and playing with a whole lot of pups at these events!

Here are a few Yappy Hours that we found around the country:

New Hampshire: A series of yappy hours is held at various Seacoast breweries to benefit the New Hampshire SPCA. Get the full schedule here.

California: The Ritz-Carlton Laguna-Niguel, Thursdays 5-8 p.m.

Massachusetts: Cape Cod Beer Yappy Hour, every 2nd Tuesday of the month 4-6 p.m.

Texas: Mutts Cantina Dallas, Monday – Friday 3-6 p.m.

Washington DC: You can find a full list of great DC Yappy hour locations here.

Do you have a favorite dog-friendly event that Kurgo fans should know about? Post it here in the comments and we will add it to our list! 

Jen Sotolongo is a writer and photographer and runs Long Haul Trekkers, a blog about independent, responsible travel with a pet. Over the past few years, she and her partner have taken their dogs around the globe including a cycle tour spanning across Europe and South America, proving that adventures can include your dog, no matter where in the world they may be.