Every dog has its day

SMALL PRINT:BLOOM IS "Glastonbury for bees", as Jimmy Carr puts it, Oxegen is a rite of passage for teenagers, Burning Man is a once-in-a-lifetime trip (in more ways than one) and with everything in between there is something for everyone during festival season. But surely demographics can be widened beyond humans. Why should man's best friend be left out of queuing for pies and getting locked in Portaloos? Luckily, Dublin has come up with a solution: Bark in the Park.

Now in its fourth year, this festival for dogs encourages owners to bring their four-legged friends for a day of fun in a selection of Dublin parks. This Sunday, Tymon Park, in Tallaght, hosts the canine shindig with a four-kilometre walk along a paw-printed route; it starts at 3pm. Sponsorship and donations are encouraged, to raise money for the Irish Blue Cross small-animal clinic. Much as with human festivalgoers, there’s also some emphasis on being and looking festival fit, all be it slightly different from the applause given to Kate Moss for wearing Hunter wellies and cut-off denims. There are four awards for attending dogs: for the best bark, waggiest tail, shiniest coat and happiest smile. So if you’re slightly cynical about Best in Show-style parading, this is probably the festival for you.

After this Sunday’s event, the next Bark in the Park takes place at Marlay Park, in Rathfarnham in Dublin, on August 28th, so there’s plenty of time to shine that coat and get into happy-smile training. And that’s just for the owners. See barkinthepark.ie.