19th Annual DogFest — Pup-Friendly Fair

McKinley Elementary School’s 19th Annual DogFest filled Duboce Park on Saturday, April 25, with a free dog fair and fundraiser running from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. (mckinleyschool.org) (dothebay.com) The event centered on a daylong dog show, plus food trucks, merchant stalls, a book fair, games staffed by McKinley students and a dog adoption zone. (mckinleyschool.org) (sf.funcheap.com) DogFest’s 2026 schedule started with Best Costume at 11:30 a.m., followed by Best Trick at noon, Best Coat at 12:30 p.m., Best Mutt at 1:30 p.m. and Best Lap Dog at 2 p.m. (sf.funcheap.com) The final contest, billed as “Best-In-Show,” began at 2:30 p.m. Organizers said winners from earlier categories advanced, and anyone else could enter that last round for $50. (sf.funcheap.com) (mckinleyschool.org) The fair is a fundraiser for McKinley Elementary, a public school at 1025 14th Street. Event pages said every dollar raised supports more than 275 students through literacy, visual arts, science and mental health programs. (dothebay.com) (mckinleyschool.org) Organizers said DogFest now draws close to 5,000 people to Duboce Park each year. They described it as the school’s biggest community fundraiser and one of San Francisco’s largest dog-centered public events. (dothebay.com) (sf.funcheap.com) McKinley says DogFest began 17 years ago as a small grassroots event and moved online in 2020 and 2021 during the pandemic before returning to Duboce Park. The school now calls it a San Francisco tradition with hundreds of businesses participating. (mckinleyschool.org) The judging panel has included Mayor London Breed since 2013 and Senator Scott Wiener since 2011, according to the school’s DogFest page. That civic backing has become part of the event’s identity as a neighborhood fundraiser with citywide reach. (mckinleyschool.org) This year’s vendor and sponsor lists stretched from Pet Food Express and Muttville to Wag Hotels, SFDOG and Compass Real Estate, alongside a silent auction packed with restaurant, museum and recreation packages. (mckinleyschool.org 1) (mckinleyschool.org 2) By midafternoon Saturday, DogFest had again done the same job it was built for: turn Duboce Park’s dog culture into cash and community support for a neighborhood public school. (mckinleyschool.org) (dothebay.com)