Dipper does the 2018 Philadelphia Flower Show

Dipper and I visited the Philadelphia Flower Show for the third time together on Friday, March 9 for 2018’s theme, Wonders of Water. I probably sound like a broken record after my posts about the 2016 and 2017 shows, but it was a blast as usual!

If you weren’t aware, the flower show opens its doors to dogs and their owners for Fido Friday, an evening of dog-friendly fun on the last Friday evening of the show. There are pet-themed vendors selling wares, animal rescues with adoptable dogs, and dog daycares advertising services. Oh, and there’s lots of flowers, too.

This year, the show partnered with BarkBox in addition to its usual sponsor, Subaru Loves Pets. I usually wouldn’t bother mentioning who sponsored what, but because it’s always such a lovely event, some credit is due. This year, they gave out 150 BarkBoxes filled with spring-themed goodies and treats in addition to the usual free engraved nametags and bandanas. There was also an “orange carpet” for photoshoots. Our photo is extremely silly, but it was fun nonetheless. However, the wait was not.

In past years, owners could come and go from the pet-approved section in the grand hall of the convention center, located away from the hustle and bustle of the showroom floor. There was even a huge patch of real grass in this section for you-know-what the first year! There, we could grab our goodies and go. But this year, we had to wait in a rather long line. Many dogs were agitated, and even I was anxious to get into the showroom and sniff some flowers.

Aside from collecting free swag, there is loads to do at Fido Friday. It’s sort of disappointing that the event is only three hours long—it’s hard to really take everything in, from the dog-friendly vendors and other canine attendees to the flower show’s exhibits and own merchants. Thankfully, I visited the flower show earlier that day with my mother and used the same-day readmission to get in that night with Dipper for free. Score!

Turns out evenings at the flower show are significantly less crowded than the days. My mother and I actually left early because of the crowds, and I was afraid Fido Friday would be too much for Dipper. But the crowds thinned out, and I think it was the least crowded I’ve ever seen the event. At the same time, there were probably more dogs in attendance than ever before, which is great! Dipper even met up with a few friends.

All in all, we had a fabulous evening. The exhibits were beautiful (though there weren’t nearly as many opportunities for canine photoshoots as last year—take note, flower show planners!), and there was just so much to do. We even received two extra toys when we went to see who won the BarkBox subscription raffle at the end of the night. Dipper quickly promoted one of them to favorite toy status, an extremely high honor in this household.

Each year, Fido Friday is a great opportunity to get away from the bitter winter and look forward to the spring ahead of us. I also like to use it as an opportunity to celebrate. Usually, we’re celebrating Dipper’s March 20 adoptiversary—2018 marks three years since rescuing him! But this year, we also celebrated my new job, which was also the reason I actually forgot his adoptiversary this year. Sorry, Dip.

Thanks for reading! Will we see you at Fido Friday at the Philadelphia Flower Show next year?