Two young women, friends, both named Kitty, Kitty Dekeersgieter and Kitty Ponnet, and both passionate dog groomers, decided to start an international groomers competition. The first edition of Groomania was born; that was 2003. And Groomania grew bigger, and became famous, world famous; a place to be, a prestigious title to win. A legend was born: GROOMANIA.
Groomania has been held ever since in Belgium and is now the biggest grooming festival in Europe—and one of the biggest in the world. Groomania has twice hosted the grooming World Championship and will host it again next year, September 17-20, 2026.
Transgroom, the company founded by Kitty Dekeersgieter and her husband, Darren, was the driving force behind this success story. Out of a common interest, the idea arose to set up an event to bring together all who are interested in the grooming of dogs. Via seminars and competitions, not only would beginners and students have the possibility to learn from the professionals, professionals and teachers would also be able to learn special techniques from each other. Soon, Groomania became one of the biggest events in this sector, with competitions and seminars, and numerous commercial stands where specialized tools and novelties are displayed and sold.
It was the second time that Groomania was held in the expo halls of Waregem. These halls are practical, with several smaller rooms where the 25 seminars and lectures took place, and the big hall that could easily hold the 42 trade stands, the restaurant with cozy corners to sit, and the huge main ring where no less than 100 identical, brand new and top-of-the-bill grooming tables were placed for the different competitions. These tables were on sale after the show for a very competitive price.
In front of the halls is a large parking area, and just across the street, less than 100m away, a nice hotel. During the three days of the event, a couple of thousand visitors, some from far abroad, showed their interest for new discoveries or one of the many specialized world-class seminars. Friday and Saturday were reserved for the regular competitions, like the Beginners Class, Handstripping, Spaniels and Setters, Pure Breeds, Freestyle, and Asian Style.
Saturday afternoon was totally reserved for the Poodles in all sizes. In the “It Takes 2 to Groom” class, one dog is groomed by two groomers. Participants in the Beginners class, who were not selected for the finals, were given the opportunity to improve their work and be coached by seniors and judges. This gives them an excellent chance to see where they made mistakes and how to correct them. This again proves the unique importance of participating. Winning is fine, but more important is to learn from the experts.
Very impressive, and showing the skills and art of dog-grooming, is the Asian Style. It is done on real dogs and on fluffy model dogs in black or white. The results of these competitions are real pieces of art. The dogs look like they jumped out of manga-style comic strips, with lots of curves and with the coats cut in layers, or formed in bows like a Christmas package or with other decorations attached, etc. They often look unreal, though this probably does not last long when the dogs leave the table and start playing. It would almost be impossible to bring the model back in every time after sleeping or playing in the garden. But, of course, here it is a matter of showing the summit of grooming. What happens next is not important.
On the other hand, you start seeing more Poodles and Bichons trimmed with certain Asian-style features, like wide curves, making them look like they have swimming rings around them. This is more acceptable and practical. The model dog competition is more extreme and shows the fantasy of the groomer expressed with comb and scissor. It illustrates what some are able to do with hair. The model dogs are painted, extensions attached to create wings, some painted as if catching fire, others transformed into four-legged dragons or even more extravagant mythical creatures. It is sometimes difficult to see where a dog’s head is.
Sunday was reserved for somewhat unusual but original competitions. One of them was “the Invitational Old Goldies Reunion.” Here, all the legends in the grooming world were competing, not only experienced groomers but judges as well. No need to say that the quality was high, but it was an extremely difficult task for the Jury to judge other experienced judges and highly talented “oldies.”
The afternoon was reserved for the “DIAMOND JACKPOT CLASS.” This three-year competition took a start at Groomania in Belgium this year, along with Mastergroom in Canada, it’s sister-event. No need to attend all six shows; the winners in each official grooming class can earn points and money prizes, but the winner with the most points after three years will win the fabulous jackpot of 15,000 EURO!
Very special here is the legendary Friday evening party. Every year it is held in another style; last year was James Bond, this year was Charleston. Everybody who has once attended this dinner and party will long for the next one to come. It was wonderful to see how everybody was dressed up in style. And after the excellent dinner, it was time to pull out all the stops. A fantastic and talented band was responsible for a full dance floor all the time, and everybody seemed to forget that two more days of grooming were ahead.
The next day, all grooming tables were ready at half past eight, topped with a fluffy dog, a real one or a model dog, and a nervous competitor in front, anxious to start. The hall was full every day, except on Sunday afternoon when only the Diamond Jackpot class was up. But that meant, with 100 tables in the arena, more than 500 entries in competition!
In total, 29 judges and speakers were invited, with no fewer than 14 nationalities! Together with the competitors and stand holders, no less than 52 nationalities were present here over the weekend, which makes Groomania probably the most international event of its kind in the world. No wonder that this is the place to be for producers of grooming tools, cosmetics, and equipment.
Groomania seems to grow from year to year, with a bigger backdrop LED screen showing interviews with the judges, results, sponsor info, etc. In front of the huge podium was a catwalk for the winners, and all around the big ring were chairs, couches, and a large tribune so that everybody could follow the proceedings in a relaxed way. On the right side of the large tribune was the stand holder’s village, strategically placed so that you had to go through it to reach the catering area and sit down with a drink from the bar on one of the soft couches, or take up a place at a table to eat an affordable, tasty meal from the catering corner.
The Groomania team is more like a family, and together, they have managed to build up a successful “festival of the art of dog-grooming.” Both Kitties share a talent and a passion for setting up a marvelous show, and they both are the driving forces behind it all, with Kitty Ponnet the coordinator in the background and Kitty Dekeersgieter as the born entertainer behind the microphone. It all became so refined over the years, with nice accents and useful details that bring it all close to perfection.
We will see what next year’s world competition will bring. It will happen on September 17-20, 2026. Follow Groomania via social media so that you don’t miss this opportunity.
