Everything you need to know for The North East Dog Festival

It's almost festival weekend...so here is the lowdown on everything you need to know for this year's festival.

Save this link or keep it open to make sure you've got all the festival details to hand.

When and where

When - Saturday 2nd and Sunday 3rd September 2023

Where - Kirkley Hall, Ponteland, Northumberland, NE20 0AQ

Times - Parking opens 8.30am. Gates open from 9.00am

Access - Parking is now in a different field. What3words access ///tangible.failed.meal. General parking is free and does not need to be booked. Forward and disabled parking is available by pre-booking and gets you closer to the festival. Please drive slowly on site. No dogs to be left in cars in visitor parking. Disabled parking requires a blue badge which must be shown on arrival.

Tickets - Early bird tickets are available until the night before, tickets will then go to gate prices but can still be bought online. Tickets can be bought at the gate. Cash and card accepted. There is a disabled carer ticket option which admits one carer and the person they are caring for. To qualify for a carer ticket you must be in receipt of carer allowance or a carer payment. Please note that you must provide evidence of eligibility at the entrance gate with your ticket.

Merchandise - Show guides, limited edition totes and forward parking can be booked as 'add-on's via the ticket page. Ordered merch? Visit our stewards tent to pick it up. Festival merchandise can also be bought at the show.

Visit our FAQ's for more information.

Our partner sponsor

This year The North East Dog Festival announced a partnership with the brilliantly talented Katie Guastapaglia, Founder of Dogwood Adventure Play Secure Fields and creator of the Scentventure training platform. This festival couldn't happen without the support of our wonderful sponsors. This collaboration brings an exciting new experience to the festival in September with the Scentventure team of expert instructors offering visitors a chance to learn how quick and simple techniques can make your everyday walks easier, calmer and more fun. Speaking in the Wellness Tipi, Scentventure founder, Katie Guastapaglia will discuss how this way of training is a full and complete solution to your dream of stress free dog walks.

Katie commented; Team Scentventure absolutely loves The North East Dog Festival! We're so fortunate to have a leading UK event right here in our area. We love meeting so many dogs and their families over the weekend, and showing them how quick and simple activities are not only fun, but can reduce pulling on the lead and reactivity, and increase calm confidence and focus. We can't wait to share the Scentventure love with even more people this year!

Rebecca and Dawn, Festival Founders commented; Scentventure is always one of the most popular have a go activities at the festival and Katie and her team bring a wealth of knowledge. Working together this year means we can bring fantastic training opportunities to our festival followers. Dog training is one of our passions alongside helping dogs and their owners; so Katie and her ethos of Scentventure fits very well.

Timetables

This year we welcome back our main arena, sponsored by Artificial Grass North East. You'll be able to enjoy everything from soaring whippets to athletic agility dogs, expert gundog trainers and even some ferrets! Find out more here

The wellness area will host a tipi; new for 2023, thanks to our wellness sponsor Alnorthumbria Vets. Listen to everything from why hearing dogs are so important to how your dog could be a blood donor. Find out more

The breed hang out returns, so check out the timetable and visit at the right time to meet other like minded dog owners and doggy lookalikes. Find out more here

Dog Shows

This year our dog shows return with Roo's Journey sponsored by Hearts to Heaven Pet Crematorium and Newcastle Dog and Cat Shelter sponsored by Doggy Days Creche and Dog Grooming. Both shows will be offering a range of classes throughout the weekend. Find out more here

Have a go activities

It's one of the most popular parts of the festival and this year will be no different. Welcoming over 15 different have a go activities there is something for every dog to try. Find out more here

Shopping

Over 80 different exhibitors will be at this years festivals, from handmade collars to natural dog treats, dog coats, dog beds to human apparel. Not to mention food, drink and gorgeous gifts! Check out the list