Photo Caption: Soleil shines! The now 5-year-old Belgian Sheepdog handled by Daniel Martin with a flowing black coat and crowd-loving personality, Solei bested about 2,000 other canines to take the title Best in Show at last year’s National Dog Show Presented by Purina. The first Belgian Sheepdog to win the title, Soleil captured her seventh Best in Show, setting a record for the breed. Experience the Kennel Club of Philadelphia’s National Dog Show live November 14 – 15 at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center. Tickets at NDS.nationaldogshow.com.
Photo credit: Steve Donahue/See Spot Run Photo
Tickets on sale now at NDS.NationalDogShow.com
PHILADELPHIA, PA (July 27, 2026) – The Kennel Club of Philadelphia (KCP) has set Saturday, November 14 and Sunday, November 15 as the dates for this year’s 25th annual National Dog Show weekend at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, PA. Celebrating its silver anniversary weekend, the National Dog Show will feature thousands of show dogs and hundreds of breeds plus agility dogs, therapy dogs and all things canine beginning at 8:00 a.m. both days.
Tickets are available now by visiting nds.nationaldogshow.com. Each day constitutes a separate and distinct all-breed dog show competition with breed judging in 13 rings on the Expo Center floor and group judging in the afternoon in the stadium show ring. Saturday’s competition is the National Dog Show Presented by Purina airing on NBC Thanksgiving Day from noon – 2:00 p.m. in all time zones following the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Ticket prices are $20 for adults, $10 for children 4-11 years old with kids three and under admitted free. Parking at the Expo Center is free. Tickets are also available at the door that weekend. The Kennel Club of Philadelphia’s shows are one of the least expensive family attractions in the region, in accordance with its mission as a non-profit to educate the public about responsible pet parenting and the wonderfulness of dogs.
The National Dog Show is unique as the only single-venue benched show in America. The vast benching/grooming area covers the almost the entirety of the Expo Center with the dogs set in designated locations throughout the weekend so visitors can meet them and their owners/handlers to learn about the breeds.
In two years of research commissioned by the KCP, Temple University students and members of its Sport Industry Research Center found that the average stay for a family at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center event was 3.5 hours, comparable to the time spent at other attractions or sports events.
Agility dog demonstrations featuring world-class canine athletes are featured throughout the weekend. One of the most popular attractions is the National Dog Show Therapy Dog Ambassador Team zone where certified therapy dogs are available for pets and hugs with their handlers present to answer questions about their work. Veterinarians from Purina and PennVet are also on-hand to answer questions from the public.
Over 75 vendors and expo booths feature free samples, pet-related products and services as part of the experience. The popular show, started in 1879 and staged continuously since 1933 by the KCP, is one of the most prestigious in America. Saturday, November 14, is the “National Dog Show Presented by Purina” airing 11 days later on NBC on Thanksgiving Day as a two-hour special. The holiday show has a total reach of some 20 million people from noon – 2 p.m. (regionally on NBC 10) following the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade before football takes over the day.
The National Dog Show is one of the most prominent in the world because of its history dating back to the 1800s, its location in America’s fourth-largest market and the national television exposure on NBC. Along with the National Dog Show’s 25th anniversary milestone, the Kennel Club of Philadelphia is celebrating 150 years since what is arguably the first-ever dog show, an “Exhibition of Dogs,” hosted by the KCP’s predecessor organization during America’s Centennial celebration in 1876. Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok: @natldogshow
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