In October, Bark Social in North Bethesda, a bar and social club for dog lovers, at 935 Prose St., will be the site of a three-day, Halloween-themed dog festival called Chonkfest.
At the festival, which will be held from Oct. 18 to 20, owners and their pups will get to show off spooky costumes and enjoy caricature and airbrush artists, photo booths and “eerie beats” from a DJ, according to the event flyer.
Tickets to the fest cost $60 for one adult and one dog or $71 for one adult and two dogs. Children 12 and under can enter for free but must register.
Don’t have a dog but want to attend? A ticket will cost around $50.
Chonkfest is hosted by internet-famous corgi, Hammy, who has garnered more than 16 million followers on various social media platforms, according to his owner Chris Equale. Maxine, another prominent social media corgi, known as the corgi in the backpack, will join Hammy in hosting the Halloween extravaganza.
Equale, 36, who grew up in Potomac and now lives in Great Falls, Virginia, described Chonkfest as a block party for dog owners. He said he partnered with Maxine’s owner, Bryan Reisberg—a content creator who also grew up in Montgomery County—to launch the festival after they met each other over social media through making similar content.
“We had this dream three years ago that we wanted to be able to pull our communities away from their phones and be able to create everlasting memories in person, together, with us,” Equale said.
In June, Equale, Reisberg, Hammy and Maxine held the first Chonkfest event at Bark Social in Philadelphia.
“We had nearly 2,000 owners and dogs all show up to Bark Social,” Equale said. “It was a three-day Coachella for dogs. There were DJs and pools and pie eating contests and caricature artists and dunk tanks.”
In addition to photo booths, music and caricature artists, the upcoming Chonkfest will have trick-or-treating for canines, a costume contest and stilt walkers and mimes roaming the premises, according to Equale. Festive cocktails and food trucks will also be available.
“It’s just going to be a jolly ol’ time for dogs and owners alike,” Equale said, noting that safety is a high priority at the event.
During the event, attendees will have a three-hour time slot to enjoy the festivities. The time slots aim to deter overcrowding, Equale said. In addition, Bark Social “rangers” patrolling the festival will break up tense moments between canines, pick up dog poop and help facilitate activities.
Tickets can be purchased at this link. Dogs must be registered with Bark Social by Oct. 15 to attend.
Check out these photos from the first Chonkfest held in June at Bark Social Philadelphia: