Staff photo.
Pet owners and their dogs are invited to Fido Fest at The Summit on March 30.
The fourth annual Fido Fest, an event for pet owners and their dogs, will be March 30 at The Summit. It will run from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the parking lot near Old Navy, Orvis and Swoozie’s.
“We decided to make an event especially for people and their animals to come and meet others,” said Natalie Gravois, marketing manager for The Summit.
Gravois said the event will feature food trucks, live music, face painting, balloon twisting, a pet caricature artist, mobile photo booth and dog entertainment like an obstacle course or splash pad. The first 300 attendees also will receive a complimentary portable pet bowl as part of a swag bag. Vendors will be on hand selling dog clothes and accessories.
Gravois said she expects around 1,500 people and 300 dogs to turn out for the event, which benefits the Greater Birmingham Humane Society and Hand in Paw.
Hand in Paw is an organization that provides animal-assisted therapy services.
Sarah Morton, The Summit’s assistant marketing manager, said past events have raised around $1,000 for the beneficiaries.
“We’re really proud to be a shopping center that is dog-friendly,” said Morton, who noted that about half of The Summit’s stores welcome pets.
Fido Fest will be sponsored by Tito’s Vodka, which brands itself as Vodka for Dog People. Gravois and Morton said there will be a bar for humans and, potentially, a bone bar for dogs.
For more information, visit thesummitbirmingham.com or call 967-0111.