The annual November National Dog Show Weekend in Philadelphia returns to the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks on Saturday and Sunday, November 16 – 17, 2024. Tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for kids 4-11 years old, with children three and under admitted free. Parking at the Expo Center is also free. Tickets can be purchased online.
The National Dog Show boasts the best family entertainment value in the region because the Kennel Club of Philadelphia is a nonprofit with the mission of educating the public about responsible pet parenting and the wonderfulness of dogs. That educational mission includes maintaining affordable price points for consumers.
“More and more, visitors come to Montgomery County from around the country because of the Thanksgiving Day broadcast on NBC. Montgomery County is the ultimate dog-friendly destination with 49 hotels, 44 restaurants and 11 parks,” said Mike Bowman, Valley Forge Tourism and Convention Board President and CEO. “The Kennel Club of Philadelphia produces a great weekend of dog shows mid-November, and the hotels fill up every year, proving that dogs are great and dogs create tourism too!”
The dog show has been held in Philadelphia since 1879 and it has run continuously since 1933, moving to the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center at Oaks in 2009. Attendance reached over 15,000 in 2023 as the attraction emerged from the COVID-constrained years.
“As a non-profit with the mission of educating the public about dogs, we take very seriously the need to maintain family-friendly ticket prices,” offered Wayne Ferguson, President of the KCP, “Our attraction is wonderfully unique since the dogs are on hand all weekend long at benches for people to meet them and interact with their owners, handlers and breeders so they can learn what kind of canine might be best-suited for their family.”
The National Dog Show is the only show in America this year that is a “benched” show, meaning that each of the 2,000-plus dogs are located on the Expo Center floor. It is one of the most prominent in the world, with its history dating back to the 1800s. Saturday’s show is broadcast nationally on Thanksgiving Day following the Macy’s Parade viewed by a total audience of over 20 million people every year from noon – 2 p.m. (NBC 10 regionally) in all time zones.
Photo – Stache, the Sealyham Terrier from the Philadelphia suburb of Cochranville in Chester County, strikes a pose after winning The National Dog Show Presented by Purina Best In Show last year at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks. (Steve Donahue/See Spot Run photo)
