- The Sydney Dog Lovers Festival (August) is the biggest — but there’s something on almost every month
- Not every dog event lets you bring your dog. The Sydney Royal Dog Show at Easter? Spectator only. We’ve flagged every entry so you know before you go
- Dachshund festivals have become a phenomenon — the Sydney and Penrith events sell out fast
- The best hidden gems are regional: Norman Lindsay Gallery, Tulip Time in Bowral, Paws in the Vines in the Hunter Valley
- Corin Forest Snow Dogs (ACT) and Floriade Dog’s Day Out (ACT) are worth the drive from Sydney
- For regular weekly and monthly meetups, see our companion guide: Breed Meetups and Pub Dog Days in Sydney
Late Summer / Autumn (February – April)
Dogs in the Park NSW at Kangaroo Valley Show
📅 February (exact date TBC annually)
📍 Osborne Park, Kangaroo Valley Showground
🐕 Bring your dog
🔗 Dogs in the Park NSW on TryBooking
A dog festival within a country show — competitions, stalls, and the beautiful Kangaroo Valley setting. A great excuse for a Southern Highlands day trip with your dog — the kind of rural day-out that gives an urban dog something genuinely new.
NSW Golden Picnic
📅 3–6 April 2026
📍 Campbelltown Showground
🐕 Bring your dog
🔗 Check Australian Dog Lover events calendar for updates
A multi-day gathering for Golden Retriever owners and enthusiasts. If you’ve ever wanted to see several hundred Goldens in one place, this is it.
Easter Dog Parade at The Winery
📅 5 April 2026
📍 The Winery, Surry Hills
🐕 Bring your dog
A garden event in one of Surry Hills’ best outdoor venues. Dress-up categories, relaxed atmosphere. Book early.
Street Paws Festival at The Albion Hotel
📅 6 April 2026
📍 The Albion Hotel, Parramatta
🐕 Bring your dog
Part of the rotating Street Paws series that pops up across Sydney’s inner suburbs — Pyrmont, Balgowlah, Rushcutters Bay, and now Parramatta.
Sydney Dachshund Festival
📅 12 April 2026
📍 The Entertainment Quarter, Moore Park (part of Sydney Family Show)
🐕 Bring your dog
🔗 Humanitix event page | TryBooking
The Dachshund Derby alone is worth the trip — sausage dogs racing down a track with wildly varying levels of enthusiasm. Competitions for cutest dachshund, best dressed, cutest puppy. Sells out — the 2026 event sold out weeks in advance.
ADVANCE Sydney Royal Dog Show (spectator only)
📅 2–13 April 2026
📍 Sydney Showground, Olympic Park
🐕 Leave your dog at home
🔗 Sydney Royal Dog Show | Easter Show
The most prestigious dog show in Australia — 150+ years old, FCI International sanctioned. Breed judging, obedience, agility, grooming championships, Police Canine Team demos. Incredible to watch. But only assistance dogs and registered competitors are permitted on the grounds. Your dog stays home; you go and admire everyone else’s.
Winter (May – July)
Dogs in the Park Castle Hill
📅 3 May 2026
📍 Castle Hill Showground
🐕 Bring your dog
🔗 Dogs in the Park NSW on TryBooking
Dog competitions, market stalls, food trucks. One of the suburban Dogs in the Park series — well-run community events with free or cheap entry.
Paws in the Park Camden
📅 17 May 2026
📍 Camden Bicentennial Equestrian Park
🐕 Bring your dog
Camden’s growing dog community event. Stalls, competitions, food.
Pets Life Festival Newcastle
📅 24 May 2026
📍 The Station, Newcastle
🐕 Bring your dog
Newcastle’s main pet event — rescheduled from late 2025. Market stalls, demos, adoption awareness.
French Bulldog Club of NSW Championship Shows
📅 7–8 June 2026
📍 Hawkesbury Showground, Clarendon
🐕 Check with organisers — competitor dogs registered; spectator dog policy may vary
🔗 French Bulldog Club of NSW
The 78th and 79th Championship Shows plus Veterans Parade. Judging from 9:30am both days.
World Dachshund Festival
📅 21 June 2026
📍 The Orchard, Penrith
🐕 Bring your dog
🔗 Humanitix event page
The Penrith Dachshund Festival’s ambitious attempt to break the record for the world’s biggest dachshund meetup. Dachshund Derby, competitions, themed market stalls.
Pavilion Paw Parade (Bondi Festival)
📅 July 2026 (exact date TBC — was Saturday 5 July in 2025)
📍 Bondi Pavilion courtyard
🐕 Bring your dog (essential, in fact)
🔗 Bondi Festival | Bondi Pavilion
Free. Categories include Best Dressed, Party Tricks, and Best Personality. MC’d by drag queen Charisma Belle. Puppy yoga, dog market stalls from Bondi Wash, Lyka, Darby’s Dog Bakery. One of Sydney’s most joyful dog events.
DOGS NSW “Dogs on Show”
📅 Date varies
📍 Bill Spilstead Complex, Orchard Hills
🐕 Bring your dog
🔗 DOGS NSW Upcoming Events
Free event run by the Royal NSW Canine Council. Dog sport demos, breed discovery, expert advice. Great for people considering a new dog.
Late Winter / Spring (August – October)
Sydney Dog Lovers Festival
📅 Saturday 22 & Sunday 23 August 2026
📍 Sydney Showground, Olympic Park
🐕 Bring your dog
🔗 Dog Lovers Festival | Eventbrite tickets
The biggest dog event in NSW. DockDogs (dock diving), Mini Dog Races, Temptation Alley, K9 SuperWall, hundreds of breed meet-and-greets, 200+ exhibitor stalls. Combined with the Cat Lovers Festival — one ticket gets you into both.
Dogs in the Park Sutherland Shire
📅 13 September 2026
📍 Don Lucas Reserve, Cronulla
🐕 Bring your dog
🔗 Humanitix event page
Free entry. Competitions (cutest puppy, fancy dress, Golden Bone dog races), dog market stalls, food vendors, live entertainment. Cronulla beachside setting.
Dogs Day Out at Norman Lindsay Gallery
📅 27 September 2026
📍 Norman Lindsay Gallery, Faulconbridge (Blue Mountains)
🐕 Bring your dog (on lead)
🔗 National Trust event page
A hidden gem. The National Trust opens the gallery grounds for a day of paw painting, doggy fashion parades, photo booths, and picnics under the trees. The Blue Mountains setting is beautiful and the event has a gentler, more creative feel than the big city festivals. One of our favourites.
Blacktown City Pet Festival
📅 27 September 2026
📍 BARC (Blacktown Animal Rehoming Centre), Glendenning
🐕 Bring your dog
🔗 Blacktown City Council
Council-run, free, welcoming. All pets — dogs, cats, birds, reptiles. Strong adoption and rehoming focus. Good for families.
Tulip Time Dogs Day Out (Southern Highlands)
📅 Late September (exact date TBC — was 29 September in 2025)
📍 Corbett Gardens, Bowral
🐕 Bring your dog
🔗 Wingecarribee Shire Council
Dogs are normally banned from Tulip Time — but the Dogs Day Out is the one designated dog-friendly day. Thousands of tulips in bloom, your dog on a lead beside you. It returned in 2024 after a multi-year absence. One of the most photogenic dog outings in NSW.
Paws in the Vines (Hunter Valley)
📅 Late September (exact date TBC)
📍 Ben Ean Winery, Pokolbin
🐕 Bring your dog
Wine tasting with your dog in the Hunter Valley. Relaxed, beautiful, and exactly the kind of thing that makes dog ownership feel like a lifestyle rather than a responsibility — especially in autumn, when the Hunter is at its best.
Floriade Dog’s Day Out (ACT)
📅 October (exact date TBC)
📍 Commonwealth Park, Canberra
🐕 Bring your dog
Like Tulip Time, dogs are normally banned from Floriade — but Dog’s Day Out is the designated exception. Spring flowers, lake views, and dogs. Worth the drive from Sydney if you make a weekend of it.
Great Global Greyhound Walk
📅 Late September (exact date TBC — worldwide event)
📍 Various locations in NSW
🐕 Bring your dog
A worldwide event with local walks. Sydney’s greyhound rescue community — especially Greyhound Rescue and GAP NSW — organises group walks. Open to all dogs and breeds, but greyhounds take centre stage.
Late Spring / Summer (November – January)
Pub Dog Days (various)
📅 Throughout November
🐕 Bring your dog
November is peak pub dog day season. Dog Day at the Courty (Courthouse Hotel, Newtown), Beresford Dog Show Halloween Edition (The Beresford, Surry Hills), Darlo Dog Day (Darlo Bar, Darlinghurst), Dog Day at Public House Petersham. For the full pub dog day guide, see Breed Meetups and Pub Dog Days in Sydney. For the wider scene, our Best Dog-Friendly Pubs in NSW guide covers the venues themselves.
Santa Paws
📅 November (exact date TBC)
📍 Centennial Park Dog Park, Paddington
🐕 Bring your dog
Christmas-themed dog event in Centennial Park. Photos with Santa, costumes, festive chaos.
Double Bay Festive Fashion Pawrade
📅 Late November (exact date TBC)
📍 Guilfoyle Park, Double Bay
🐕 Bring your dog
Dog fashion parade with a festive theme. Double Bay’s version of the Bondi Paw Parade — smaller, polished, Eastern Suburbs energy.
Moonlight Cinema Doggie Nights
📅 November – April (entire season)
📍 Centennial Park, Paddington
🐕 Bring your dog (every night)
🔗 Moonlight Cinema
Dogs are welcome every night of the Moonlight Cinema summer season. Bring a blanket, your dog, and a picnic. Watch a movie under the stars. One of the best regular dog-friendly experiences in Sydney — and surprisingly few people know dogs are welcome.
Corin Forest Snow Dogs (ACT)
📅 Winter weekends, typically August–September (exact dates TBC — expanded to 3 weekends / 42 sessions in 2025)
📍 Corin Forest, ACT
🐕 Bring your dog
🔗 Corin Forest
The only place in the region where your dog can play in the snow. Sessions sell out fast. We’ve written a full guide to your dog’s first snow trip including Corin Forest details.
A Note on Dates
Last updated: May 2026.
Dog events in NSW shift dates year to year. We’ve listed confirmed 2026 dates where available and typical timing where not. Always check the organiser’s website or social media before making plans — events sell out, get rescheduled, and occasionally cancel. The best sources for up-to-date listings are Australian Dog Lover, DOGS NSW, and the individual event pages linked above.