Seven frequently asked questions about visiting Crufts 2020

Often hailed as “the world’s most famous dog show,” Crufts is the Kennel Club’s largest and most prestigious annual event, held in March of each year and attended by visitors and competitors who travel from all over the world.

Whilst Crufts is not everyone’s cup of tea and it is always to some extent controversial – in some years, more than others – as is the Kennel Club itself, it is one of those events that is worth visiting at least once if you’re a dog lover, even if only to see if you love it or hate it!

If you’ve never been to Crufts before and are planning your day out or a longer trip to the event, there may well be a lot of questions you want to find out ahead of time about Crufts 2020, in order to ensure that things run smoothly on the day.

With this in mind, this article will answer seven of the most frequently asked questions people have about visiting the Crufts dog show 2020, to make sure your visit goes to plan and without problems!

Can you take your own dog to Crufts?

You might think that Crufts is the ultimate dog-friendly day out, but you can’t take your own dog to Crufts 2020 unless it is a competitor or otherwise invited, such as a dog that is part of an event or display. The only exception to this is of course for assistance dogs.

If you turn up with your own dog on the day otherwise, you won’t be permitted to take them in!

Can you take your own food and drink to Crufts?

Yes, you can take your own food and drink into Crufts, and there are also a huge number of different types of food and drink stalls inside of the NEC where you can buy meals, snacks and drinks to keep you going. Queues for these can be long at popular times, however!

Do you have to queue for a long time to get into Crufts?

That really depends on when you go. If you arrive at opening time when everyone is waiting to get in, the queues will be longer than they will a little later in the day, but on the flipside, the admission booths are well staffed and the queues tend to move relatively quickly.

You can save queuing time by pre-booking tickets; and also, bear in mind that the roads and rail links to the NEC arena will be busier than normal too, so plan your journey accordingly.

What should you wear to go to Crufts 2020?

The NEC arena is very large and you’ll cover a lot of ground and do a lot of miles getting around it and seeing everything, and so the most important thing to wear is sensible and supportive footwear, to make sure you’re comfortable all day. You might also want to take a change of shoes for if your feet need a break.

Whilst some competitors and also the judges dress very smartly and formally, there is no dress code or expectations of what visitors will wear, and jeans, trainers, tracksuits, or whatever you feel comfortable in are all perfectly fine.

Can you touch the dogs and meet the competitors at Crufts?

You can meet a whole host of dogs at Crufts in the “meet the breeds” area, and you can get very close to competing dogs too when they’re kennelled between classes. Rehoming shelters, charities, and a range of other displays and stalls all have dogs to meet too.

There are also of course loads of dogs being moved around, walked and so on, so basically no shortage of dogs in general.

However, apply the same rules as you would with meeting strange dogs anywhere; ask if you can pet them, be gracious if you’re told no for any reason, and pick your moment; someone grooming a dog or waiting to be called into the ring is unlikely to be that up for a chat!

Can you buy a dog at Crufts?

You can’t buy a dog at Crufts, as in, you can’t turn up on the day and see dogs for sale and pick one to take home. That would be an irresponsible way to both buy and sell dogs! However, if you’re in the market for a new dog, going to Crufts 2020 can be really helpful.

You can visit the “meet the breeds” area for inspiration, see and talk to the owners of all manner of dogs of different breeds, and also, a large number of dog rehoming shelters and charities attend stalls at Crufts, and it is always worth talking to them about rehoming one of their charges.

Is Crufts being shown on TV?

If you can’t make it to Crufts 2020 in person or want to recap the event and make sure you didn’t miss anything, the whole of the Crufts event it televised, and can be viewed on Channel 4 and More 4. You can also see live streams of some of the Crufts 2020 events online too, as well as following the event on social media via the Kennel Club’s accounts on various platforms.