On October 1st, Richmond witnessed the inaugural DachtoberFest for the Central Virginia area, at the Delta Hotel in Downtown Richmond. Leiderhosen and pretzels were certainly part of the deal, but the event was mainly held in celebration of man’s best German friend, the weiner dog. Originating in Washington, DC, the event has been held for 20 years there. And don’t worry, if you missed the first one to come to Richmond, another celebration is already locked in for next year. In the meantime, here’s what you missed at Richmond’s first DachtoberFest.
The second floor of the Delta Hotel was packed tail to tail, as aficionados of the popular pup met each other, and allowed their pets to play amongst themselves. Costumes were seen in every variety possible – from dragons and ballerinas, to Sir Elton John with his iconic piano in tow, and various pop culture characters from Disney and Harry Potter.
The big event in one of the conference rooms found a place for Dachshund parents to allow their cosplaying pups to show off what they got as they entered a costume contest with various categories. Naturally, what is a Dachshund fan event without every variation of hot dog costume?
Of course costumes weren’t the only event on the scene. Amongst other sights was a big vendors hall full of merchandise for pup and person alike, a silent auction and raffle to benefit various charities, and pop ups to bring awareness to the health of your pup. Various organizations such as K-Kids Dachshund Rescue had pups available to be fostered by loving homes, along with raising money for their organization.
Here are some more scenes from the inaugural Central Virginia DachtoberFest:
For more information including when Dactoberfest 2023 will be held, visit Dachshund Enlightenment Foundation. (https://www.definc.org/). For more information about K-Kids Dachshund Rescue, visit their website. (https://www.kkidsrescue.org/)
