Huge Christmas party for dogs to take place in city centre - with free present for every pooch

Hundreds of dogs and their owners are expected to descend into the city centre later this month for a huge Christmas party.

Organised by Pup Up Cafe, there will be two parties in Manchester as part of a Christmas tour heading to various locations across the UK. Next Sunday (November 17), Manchester will host a ‘Dashing Dachshund’ event specifically aimed at sausage dogs and another for any dog to attend.

The festive parties will feature plenty of Christmas props, a ball pit, and prizes in store for the best dressed pooch. There will also be unlimited puppuccinos available to order, as well as a free Christmas present for each dog on entry.

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The event, which will be held at the Revolution bar on Parsonage Gardens, will also feature Christmas-themed photo ops with pictures taken by a professional photographer, as well as a safe, secure and staffed space for dogs to enjoy ‘off lead time’.

Pup Up Cafe’s owner Marcus Ackford, who has been running similar events since launching the business in 2018, said of the Manchester party: “We're SO excited for this year's Christmas Tour in Manchester. We've been running it for years now and it's always our favourite time of year.

“We've got tons of Christmas photo ops and props and 90% of the dogs always get their best Christmas outfits on making giving out the best dressed prize always a dilemma for us.

“This year every single dog will get a little present on entry just to say Merry Christmas from us too. The venue is always super Christmassy around this time of year and we can't wait to get there and host all of Manchester doggos!”

Speaking more about how the party works, Marcus says there will be two separate parties on the day itself. Those wanting to go to the ‘Dashing Dachshund’ party can book a 90-minute session between 10am and 1.30pm, whilst the ‘Jingle Paws’ event - open to all friendly breeds - will take place from 2pm until 3.30pm.

“We've been visiting Manchester with the Pup Up Cafe for seven years now and every time we host here we love the people, the atmosphere and of course, the dogs,” he adds. “The parties have an amazing team of staff and the space is just perfect, light, bright and most importantly safe and secure for all of the dogs during the 'off lead' time of the event.

“We split the day into sessions with some open just for dachshunds and some open to all friendly breeds. Each session is run as its own event so we've got off lead time, best dressed competitions and more in each one. For the dogs there's plenty to do alongside the socialising with other friendly dogs; we've got ball pits, boxes of toys, puppuccinos, unlimited treats and a photographer taking photos throughout the session which are accessible as part of the ticket price.”

Marcus also says that the events, which are free for dogs and tickets start from £5 for under-eights and £12 for adults, will feature up to 50 dogs per session and are geared just as much towards the humans as they are the dogs.

“For the humans, there's plenty to do alongside making sure your dog isn't waiting by the puppuccino topping station for unsuspecting humans to drop anything,” Marcus laughs.

“Petting all the doggos, shopping at the local dog businesses that come along and set up for the day, ensuring a good dog pose is found for the photographer to grab some pics of your pooch on the many photobooths and grabbing a coffee and a drink just to name a few!”

In fact, the event is also open to those without a dog who want to enjoy some canine companionship. “We keep the ‘regular human’ tickets very limited to ensure the dog-human ratio is to our and, more importantly, the dogs' liking.

“If anyone without a dog fancies coming along for a little serotonin boost or to ask questions to dog others or breed specific dog owners before going ahead and reserving that cute puppy, we're here for it.”

Adding about the demand for a party held just for sausage dogs, Marcus says: “Sausage dogs have been increasing in popularity over the last ten years or so. We think it's the small, cute frame and the strong personality each of them have.

“Every single sausage we've met whilst being different in their own way has shared similar stubborn, funny and loyal traits. We've been hosting our Dachshund Tour for almost seven years now and the Dashing Dachshund Christmas Tour for five!”

Tickets for the Dashing Dachshund party can be booked here, whilst tickets for the Jingle Paws party can be found here. Both events take place on November 17.