Dogfest Anmeldelser 

This was our first time going to Dog Fest and we were super excited. We booked to go to Harewood House on Sunday. We paid for the premium tickets, specifically for the meet and greet/Q&A with James Martin. This never happened, instead there were free photo opportunities for everyone with him, which made the upgrade a complete waste of money. The bar in the premium area had barely any drinks. The lanyard was just a card and didn't come with an actual lanyard. And the bandana was way too big for our Shih Tzu's.

This whole event is targeted at bigger breeds of dog. The few actual dog related stands that were there only had products for medium - large dog breeds and there was nothing suitable to buy for my small Shih Tzus. The have a go events were basically non-existent. The one agility course that were was didn't open until 10:50 AM, despite the man already being sat there waiting at 9:30, which we thought was completely stupid, there was already a staff member there but we couldn't use the course.

The ballpit was one part that my dogs did finally enjoy a little bit, although again it was targeted at bigger breeds of dogs and was too full that they couldn't reach the floor and kept falling over.

Then the stalls were ridiculous and not what I expected from a dog event. There were only a few small businesses there. The majority of the stalls were just dog food subscriptions (Butternut box, Bella and Duke etc) or charities. There was even a Polestar car stall trying to sell their cars, which is very odd for a dog event. The only stalls we enjoyed were the photo opportunities with MI & Co photographers and Peanut & Pickle, as well as spending time on Billy's bus, which both of my Shih Tzus did really enjoy.

There was a falconry company there which had signs saying 'no dogs'. Which is completely ridiculous, it is literally a dog event. This is cruel to both the birds and any dogs with high prey drives.

One of the stallholders also had an aggressive German Shepard dog that actually growled and lunged at another dog as it passed the stall, which I'm sure put a lot of people off from shopping at that stall. There was also things on social media after the event from a different stallholder who actually posted an image taken of herself going to the toilet at the back of her stall, which is ridiculously unprofessional and honestly gross when there were toilets on site.

We were finished going around the entire event within an hour, and we were disappointed straight away. We had already prepaid for competitions, but had nothing to do for another two hours until the first one that we had booked, so we ended up actually going back to sit in the car.

Then when it was finally time for the first competition we were really excited as there was finally something to do, and we hoped our dogs would be considered to win as they are actually from crufts show dog lines. We entered the Judge the dog would most like to take home competition first. We first struggled to find the entrance to ring one as the signage was basically non-existent. We then went into the ring with both dogs and the judge went around the edge to meet every dog. She spent around a minute or two fussing every dog and asking their owners questions about them. Then when she got to our dogs she would barely touch them and only asked their names. She didn't even take thirty seconds on both of them. They obviously didn't win any place in the competition and it was clear that this was because of their size and it was only larger dog breeds that were even considered. Also the man who was hosting the competition was not very professional, he was making jokes about everyone, including himself, having already had a drink. There were quite a few children within the ring, who didn't need to be hearing jokes like that, and it was also very inconsiderate to anyone who doesn't drink alcohol for any reason.

The staff were all clueless and no one was checking tickets properly. And there were barely any options for food. All we got was some chips with cheese that cost £8 each and was a tiny portion.

Overall the whole day was terrible and we left straight after the first competition (before 1 PM). And didn't even stay for the second competition that we'd already prepaid for. This was such a disappointment and a complete and utter waste of money and time (we also travelled over two hours to this event). We were so upset and will never be going to Dog Fest again.

Don't waste your money on tickets, if you're considering going to any of these events in the future.

I went to Harewood House in 2025 and 2026. 2025 was brilliant, there was lots of activities for dogs as you would expect for a festival for dogs. My dog loved it so I booked again this year.

2026 was disappointing, there were fewer activities, and we were done with everything within the hour. Much less than last year.

It was more like a market for dog owners than a festival for dogs. I wouldn mind this if not for spending £25 for the privilege to shop. I couldn't find a single vegan meal in the place other than chips, it would be good if there had been a range of dietary requirements catered for and not just a range of cuisines.

There was a bird display area which I think was a cruel and unusual decision to have at a dog festival.

I was also a bit disappointed to find out charities were charged £90 for WiFi on top of the fees they already had to pay.

The one good change this year was the net around the ball pit which was actually very useful.

I don't think I'll be booking again next year.

It seems that now being run by Agria Insurance this even all over the Country is the same, it is ruined.
Avoid the "Plus" Upgrade – Complete Rip-Off, but Standard Show is Great!We attended Dogfest and paid an extra £30+ per ticket for the "Plus" upgrade (and £10 extra for premium parking), and it was a total con.The advertised perks were completely mismanaged. The "exclusive" 11 AM meet and greet with James Martin wasn't exclusive at all—the area had no security until midday, so anyone could walk in. We later found out he did two other meet-and-greets for free anyway! The premium parking put us just 20 yards from the standard cars. Worse still, by 12:10 PM, the exclusive bar for our 2 free drinks was completely out of beer and soft drinks, leaving us with nothing to choose from but spirits, so we had to have a tea instead.To top it off, the staff were clueless. No one knew where the Plus tent was or where to get the dog bandanas. At noon, a security guard actually asked to look at our pass just to see what it looked like! The only thing we got out of the extra money was a nice toilet (which standard ticket holders used anyway for the first few hours).The verdict: The main show itself is fantastic, with loads of great stalls and activities for the dogs. There were a lot of stalls trying to get you signed up for subscription foods though, we will definitely go back next year, but we will strictly buy standard tickets. Do not waste your money upgrading!

Today was our 2nd visit to a Dogfest, our first being last years 2025 event at the same venue, Harewood house. We had such an amazing and unforgettable time that when tickets were released for the 2026 event we bought immediately.

Initially thinking the ticket price had reduced, i recieved an email stating that two separate tickets had to be purchased for the dogfest plus benefits. This was slightly annoying but since 2025 was so good, i thoight it was worth the extra cost.

On arriving to Harewood house today (saturday 12th sept), we got off to a bad start as no signage or direction to premium parking was available. We assumed it would be further along but were just directed to general parking. We dont have mobility issues so we didnt want to waste time figuring out where we should have gone.

Entering the park there were 2 disinterested staff members 'checking tickets'. No wristbands, no scanning and after entering i realised id actually accidentally shown the staff member the same ticket twice. A small glance at my phone to make sure i'd spent over £100 for two people was apparently sufficient.
My brother arrived 30 minutes later and entered the park casually without being stopped or approached for a ticket check at all. (He had purchased one and was confused about where the entrance was as lack of staff).

We decided to head to the premium paddock where our tickets were actually checked (not general admission however which now seemed like a waste of a lot of money).
The lanyard, which id been looking forward to as a souvenir, we were told had run out. This was at 10am on day one of the fest. The dog toy included in the ticket wasnt even mentioned, we only noticed this later as we checked what we had even paid more money for.

However none of this was even the biggest disappointment of the day. The festival seems to have shrunk in size considerably. So many small businessed that we enjoyed seeing last year either gone or replaced by huge pitches for dog food subscription services. Butternut, bella and duke etc. They were there last year however this year they seemed to have taken over. Couldnt walk 20 steps without being hounded by a hard sell from one of these stands.
The dog water demonstration from last year. Gone. The craft tent. Tiny. The food options, slashed to a third, or less of what we saw last year.

We saw a falconry area with signs saying 'no dogs'. This is dogfest?!!! We were laughing in frustration. Why not have a dog related live show?!

We gave up and decided to have lunch. The stand had sold out of things already, asked me if i wanted mustard and then said they didnt have any. I realise that individual issues with vendors are not a responsibility of dogfest, but if you are only going to have a handful of stalls then they should probably be decent.

Went to claim our free drink, as id seen a post online about cocktails in the premium paddock. There was no signage and when i asked the bartender he produced a picture on his personal phone for us to look at. How hard would it have been to print a sign?! He then spent over 5 minutes trying to make the cocktails seemingly for the first time, and we ended up with a sugary mess. Our vouchers were not asked for either.

Premium paddock was also full to bursting, most likely because there was complete lack of signage saying it was the premium paddock and nobody stood at the gate. Last year we were greeted and checked by several very friendly staff members who made sure we had everything we needed and had paid for.  These staff members stayed at the paddock entrance the entire day.

The gulf of difference from last year is just ridiculous. We managed to stay 3 hours, whereas last year we were sad to leave at the end of the whole day.
We feel like we we've been truly scammed and completely ripped off.

To anyone thinking of going please please save your money. Sorry for the few small businesses that would miss out but this is just a complete waste of money and time.
Dogfest have sold out completely and have completely ruined what they had.

Happy to cancel and transfer tickets when it suits them but can’t accommodate their customers when they can’t attend due to medical reasons. Poor customer service.

Ruth general site manager rude unprofessional didnt answer emaols swore told traders not allowed on due to there rules turned away 30 approx traders from setting up
Laughed when we demanded a refund TOTAL SCAM those whp paid by credit card and bank card get in touch with tjere lemders and banks for refund

What a disappointment. We’ve been previous years and thoroughly enjoyed it but this year it was a fraction of the size with mostly charity and dog food stalls all trying to tout for business. Octopus energy were there too trying so desperately to sell their energy.

There weren’t all the wonderful independent stalls creating a vibrant atmosphere and instead folk were mithered consistently by those who were there.

It was definitely less about being a ‘dog festival’ and more about a sales pitch.

There wasn’t any shade at all at the event unless you were at an activity (although zero shade for the competitions).

What a waste of money. Definitely would never again recommend

My friend and our Great Danes had a lovely morning at the Tatton Park Dogfest on Saturday 20 June 26.

Not to busy that it wasn’t possible to walk around and look/speak to stall holders.

Everyone was happy and the atmosphere was relaxed and friendly.

Only negative is that there was no cover to shade from the sun other than going out of the event a little to where there were trees to shade under.

We left after lunch before the heat became too much, however was a perfect way to spend a morning.

Went to dogfest at tatton park and was really disappointed by the lack of events going on. I’ve been to dog fest every year for the last 4 years and have enjoyed every single one. Today there was half as many stalls, no dog shows, no K9-unit/fire engines, less photo opportunities, no big brands to shop from. £27.50 per ticket when I have paid a lot less in the past. I feel ripped off, won’t be going again!

Poor really. No displays or exhibitions? Just felt like ‘Sell Fest’
Only decent things were the small splash pools (not like last years large pool where they take a run and jump off which was so much fun to watch), and the feee agility. That’s it

I’ve been to Dogfest once quite a while ago when Noel Fitzpatrick was the “host” and decided to go again this year 20 June 2026. I would not recommend, mainly for the cost. There were a LOT more stands last time compared to this time as well. It was more like a local fair. Then the cost! £26 which rose to £28.95 with admin fees at checkout and then a further £10 for parking - £9 if bought in advance (admittance to Tattenhall). I would recommend taking food as £15 for a jacket potato was ridiculous - though I know a lot of events have similar charges, this can be very costly for a family and there were a lot of children there.

Purchased tickets in 2025 and the organisers cancelled the venue twice due to weather conditions. I was given the option of a refund or to carry over to this year. The dates for 2026 have just been announced and unfortunately I’m unable to make any of the availability….. requested a refund and now it’s not possible. Come on Dogfest…. that’s incredibly misleading. How many other people have you taken their hard earned cash from. This is not good enough and I will not be a returning customer….. very disappointing .

I attended this festival last year (2025) & loved it. So much so I booked tickets to attend a second time in 2025. This however was cancelled twice because of weather conditions, once because it was too hot, & once because it was too windy. Completely understandable, we cannot control the weather. At the time I was offered the choice of a refund or transfer tickets to 2026 ( reasonable). I opted for the transfer. After checking this years dates however, I am unable to attend because of other commitments so today requested a refund only to be informed that I am not able to receive a refund purely based on the fact that I am unable to attend & if I wanted a refund I should have requested it at the time the event was cancelled last year. I was able to attend when the tickets were purchased but the event organisers cancelled the event. I do not understand why I am no longer able to get my money back. Very, very frustrating