Dipper does the 2019 Philadelphia Flower Show

It’s funny how the theme of this year’s Philadelphia Flower Show was peace and love, considering my dog is a creature of unbridled rage and hatred. So, it was quite the mash-up when I arrived with Dipper at the show for its annual Fido Friday on March 8.

Each year, the Philadelphia Flower Show hosts a dog friendly evening for canine horticulturalists and their owners to take in the sights and smells of the spring to come. For four years, I’ve looked forward to this event as a much-needed goodbye to winter – of course, it started snowing on our way to the convention center.

A dog wearing a hat that looks like a sunflower with his face in the center stands in front of a sign made of flowers that says XOXO. — “Mom, you’re embarrassing me…”

For Fido Friday, the show invites many dog-related businesses and organizations to set up shop outside of the show floor. As with every year, there was an assortment of tables from Philly pet stores, dog daycares and trainers, crafters of handmade dog apparel, pet treat makers, and animal rescues.

We saw many of our friends from the city’s canine community there, including BarkPark, with exciting news about their upcoming West Philly dog park debut (June 2019, folks)!

Dipper came appropriately dressed (as he is known to do) for the 2019 theme, Flower Power. That meant there were lots of vibrant colors splashed across psychedelic floral vignettes. I wonder how much of it he could see, being a dog and all. Regardless, I know he could smell way more of the show than me. Considering it’s been months since he’s smelled this many living plants, I’m sure it was a lot for him.

But not too much. One of the best things about Fido Friday is how thin the crowds are compared to the rest of the week. If you stick around until the event closes at 9 p.m., the place is pretty much dead. Personally, I take that time to get up close and smell the flowers without fear of judgement.

We made sure to visit the design by our friends at the Woodlands, our favorite city graveyard (is that weird?), for their Grave Gardeners program

The global designs from the FTD World Cup were breathtaking, so I naturally posed my awkward dog in front of them for photos

Unimpressed by this year’s theme, Dipper wants to know when the Philadelphia Flower Show will choose something “truly important,” like dogs

Without fail, Fido Friday is an absolute delight. Spotted with dogs, the crowds are manageable and more than happy to give your dog a pat or two. Your dog will come away from the evening well-loved, but tired, and hopefully with a whole lot of new goodies. I can’t lie – the free swag from the evening’s sponsors are a lot of the reason I love Fido Friday. Dipper’s toy box and treat jar are always much fuller the next day.

But of course, I also can’t resist the chance to see my little bud amongst thousands of other beautiful flowers.