The city of Golden will be flooded with fur this weekend for an event that’s become a bucket list item for Golden Retriever owners and fans.
“There's so much going on in the world, but this is something we can all agree on,” said Joy Meadows, the event’s founder and a spokesperson for Visit Golden. “Everybody loves Goldens. The people are smiling, the dogs are smiling. It is absolute heaven on earth. There's just a wonderful spirit of happiness.”
The event, which began in 2019 and paused for 2020 due to the pandemic, brings Golden Retriever enthusiasts together from Friday, Feb. 7 through Sunday, Feb. 9, with the main event taking place Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The goal of the first event was to give the local economy a boost in the slower winter months, but the city’s economic development manager Robin Fleischmann could never have predicted just how big that boom would become.
“We have been told by some of our businesses that either it's their busiest day in the winter or their busiest days ever, and that's quite a statement,” Fleischmann said.
Visitors are rumored to be coming from as far away as Australia and Japan for this year’s festivities. Meadows told CPR News the international recognition is thanks in part to the massive amount of both traditional media and social media coverage the spectacle garners.
In 2023, CNN International featured the event, which Meadows said drew over a billion views.
“I've never seen anything like it. It's beyond our wildest dreams and it's so much fun to see Golden in a national and international spotlight,” Meadows said.
The event also has its own Facebook group created by fans where people post photos of where they're traveling from with their dogs.
“Photos appear of people flying in, driving in from all over the country. We never could have imagined it would become such a mecca for golden retrievers and their owners,” said Meadows.
Part of the event’s success comes from the heavy buy-in from the local business community.
“The hotels have special dog packs, bark-cuterie and treats. At the Golden Hotel, people and their pets can dine together. There are photo opportunities, there are pup cups, there are pup cupcakes, there's also art with dogs at the Foothills Art Center,” Fleischmann said.
Attendees can run with their dogs, watch the Puppy Bowl and even get a cowboy hat for themselves and their furry friends at the Buffalo Rose.
“On Goldens in Golden day – Golden is the happiest place on earth. It is this wonderful coming together of people and their dogs,” Fleischmann said. They're just all so happy to meet each other and sniff each other and cuddle.”
This year’s event is expected to exceed the 2,000 people and 1,000 dogs that attended last year due to the weekend’s nicer weather forecast. If you’re attending, Meadows reminds you to plan ahead for parking, ensure your dog is well behaved and leashed and that you come ready to make new friends.
“It's amazing to me the people who come year after year,” Meadows said. “It's not a one-and-done type event. People want to come back and enjoy it.”
