PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – For the first time in 10 years, the annual Oregon Corgi Beach Day won’t take place in Cannon Beach. Organizers said the event outgrew the city and they had to look elsewhere for a location in 2023.
In 2022, Corgi Beach Day had an estimated 1,200 people attend, along with approximately 550 corgis and more than 70 dogs of other breeds.
What started as an event of 30 people in 2013 has grown into a gigantic attraction – and organizer Jennifer Robinson, from the Portland Corgi Meetup group, said Cannon Beach simply can’t handle the crowd.
“We have people coming down from Canada. We have people coming out from Arizona and Texas. I had somebody come from New York. I mean, they’re coming out to the coast from all over the place,” she said.
Larger crowds require bringing things like porta potties and dumpsters on the beach, which Robinson said was a big challenge for a one-day event. Limited parking was also becoming an issue as the event grew.
Cannon Beach wanted the corgis to return, but it wasn’t a good fit anymore. Robinson said the city suggested they move the event to September, but she didn’t want to hold it so close to the start of the school year.
For a while, it looked like the event was canceled, until other cities started reaching out and offering their beaches.
“Seaside was one of those, and when I talked to the lady at Seaside, she said, ‘We could do something maybe on the weekend and June 24.’ And since that is summertime, obviously that works for what we need,” Robinson said.
It was officially decided the Oregon Corgi Beach Day will go on in Seaside on June 24, 2023 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The city said it’s hosted events of a similar size before and that Robinson doesn’t need to worry about bringing porta potties or dumpsters onto the beach. The city also has significantly more parking.
In the past, participants in the Oregon Corgi Beach Day have stayed at places all along the Oregon coast, from Manzanita to Astoria, so Robinson expects Cannon Beach will still see some tourism as a result of the event.
Already, Seaside city officials have told Robinson that their hotels are getting bookings for pet-friendly rooms that weekend.
Participants in the Oregon Corgi Beach Day are encouraged, but not required, to donate $10 to the event. Once the permits are paid for, the net profit goes to the Oregon Humane Society. In 2022, the event donated $12,750 to the Oregon Humane Society and Robinson is glad the event can go on again so they can make that major contribution. Every year, they try to donate more than the previous year.
Already, a Facebook invitation for the event shows nearly 200 people plan to attend and more than 1,200 people are interested.
No RSVP is required for Corgi Beach Day. To attend, all guests need to do is show up at Seaside Beach on June 24. Guests should look for the Oregon Humane Society and Portland Corgi tents. Robinson said there will be several rounds of corgi costume contests and corgi races.