- Goodwoof presented by MARS Petcare celebrates another fun-filled weekend at the Goodwood Estate.
- Over 750 Labradors opened the event each morning led by The Duke of Richmond.
- Rolls-Royce Motor Cars won the Barkitecture design competition with ‘Pet All’.
- Appearances from Clare Balding, Dame Darcey Bussell, Kevin McCloud MBE, Dame Laura and Sir Jason Kenny, Dr Scott Miller, James Middleton, Tom Felton and many more.
The sun broke through at Goodwoof for a glorious weekend celebrating all things dog at the world's chicest and most stylish dog event. Packed full of activities, competitions, famous faces and plenty of new surprises for 2024, Goodwoof presented by MARS Petcare, had something for everyone and their four-legged companions.
Labrador Parade
Each year, Goodwoof celebrates a breed across the weekend, and this year, we welcomed Labradors of all shapes, sizes and colours to kick start the festivities each day. A breed close to the Estate's heart - including The Duke of Richmond's fond memories of his grandfather's black Labrador, Bruce - we were delighted to welcome over 750 Labradors as they ventured from the spectacular backdrop of Goodwood House down to The Kennels in the Breed Parade. After a photo moment, the parade was led by The Duke of Richmond, following the toe-tapping rhythm of the Batala drummers.
Barkitecture
Barkitecture returned with an array of unique kennels on display for guests to discover. The theme for this year's competition was Lounge Access: For the Jet-Setting Dog, seeing architects turn their talents to produce a kennel that creates a sense of calm and tranquillity for dogs accompanying us on our travels. Now more than ever - whether short or long haul - our jet-setting pets are becoming frequent travellers on planes, trains, bikes and automobiles.
A spectacular 12 kennels went under the hammer on Sunday afternoon at the Bonhams Auction, with designs by internationally-renowned architects Grimshaw Architecture, Birds Portchmouth Russum Architects and David Snowdon and Matthew Rice, to name a few. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars won the competition with 'Pet-All' judged by Kevin McCloud MBE and Bill Bailey.
The impressive structures, designed to be the perfect retreat for pets during travel, raised £29,200—our largest total raised at Barkitecture to date—for our event charity, Jai Dog Rescue.
Goodwoof Games
Over the course of the weekend, the event hosted a variety of competitors including everything from sheepdog and gundog trials, to CaniSports and Flyball. New for 2024 and open for public participation, Goodwoof Games proved popular amongst visitors, allowing dogs to compete in their own 'dog Olympics' ahead of the Paris Olympics this summer. Two of Britain's most successful Olympians, Dame Laura and Sir Jason Kenny, also made an appearance to hand out prizes to the best competitors in Hurdles, 25 Metre Sprint, Hammer Throw, Fetch and Long Jump.
Ministry of Hound
Co-hosted by the home of dance music, Ministry of Sound, the dog disco returned for its second year at the event. Internationally renowned DJs Fat Tony and Rio Fredrika took to the decks to provide the ultimate beat for hounds to wag their tails to. Professional dancers AJ and Curtis Pritchard got their dancing shoes on, showing visitors how to groove with their pooch to some of Ministry of Sound's most well-known tracks.
Literary Corner
Visitors took the time to unwind in Literary Corner, a place to listen to dog-inspired tales from a stellar line-up of authors and artists. The literary hub was joined by Clare Balding, who read extracts from her latest book 'Isle of Dogs: A canine adventure through Britain', as well as Bill Bailey, Hugh Bonneville and James Middleton, amongst others.
Health and wellbeing
The Wellness Stage presented by MARS Petcare, offered a host of demonstrations and fascinating talks across the weekend, including dog behaviourist Steve Mann's 'How to Talk Dog' session, Dr Bolu Eso's advice on allergies for dogs, and stem cell vet Dr Stewart Halperin's talk on dog mobility.
The Studio presented by Randox Health allowed owners and their dogs to truly unwind amid the excitement of the event. Chilled canines enjoyed doga, physio, reiki and blissful sound bathing.
Around the event
New for this year, the Woodland Walk provided a shady spot for hounds and humans to explore a variety of demonstrations and activities, including truffle hunting, tarot card reading, crystal healing, and the opportunity for customers to have their very own dog-inspired temporary tattoo.
Showcasing the most stylish hounds and their owners, Chien Charmant - the concours d'elegance for the dog world - was the best thing on six legs this weekend. Joined by judges Dame Darcey Bussell, Jodie Kidd and Pattie Boyd, Chien Charmanat celebrated the unique bond between owners and their four-legged friends.
In honour of the fantastic things dogs do to make our world better, Goodwoof and MARS Petcare crowned the nation's best dog on Saturday. The award went to Storm, the Staffordshire Bull Terrier who has been a great support to her owner over the years. Spreading joy to many people living with a range of conditions and challenging life circumstances, Storm has since gone on to become a therapy dog for the NHS Trust and volunteer for Pets As Therapy.
Amidst the action, the Taittinger Champagne Bar provided a tranquil setting as visitors enjoyed the glorious sunshine with a glass of Champagne. Picnickers found the perfect spot to tuck into a spectacular summer-filled hamper at Fortnum & Mason whilst perusing gundog and sheepdogs in action at Field & Trail.
Catch up on the action
For those who couldn’t make this year’s event, catch up on all the action on Saturday 8 June, Channel 4 at 14:30 BST.
Images
Image highlights from across the weekend can be found at the following links:
Please credit all images as captioned.
Goodwood are delighted to confirm that Goodwoof 2025 will take place on Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 May 2025. Tickets are now on sale within a limited window and visitors and their canine companions can get their paws on tickets by visiting goodwood.com. Tickets for the event will reopen after the limited window later in the year.
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