Few sporting events in the United States capture the hearts of generations the way the Westminster Dog Show has. Few have survived what the Westminster Dog Show has either. The show has gone on despite world wars, pandemics, stock market crashes, and many, many blizzards. (The event is traditionally held in February.)
Established in 1877, the Westminster Kennel Club, the event’s host, is the oldest organization dedicated to the sport of dogs in the United States. The Dog Show, celebrating its 150th anniversary this year, is the second-longest continuously held sporting event nationwide after the Kentucky Derby. (In 1884, there were two shows: one in the spring and one in the fall.) The event has also been the longest nationally televised live dog show since 1948.
“The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show is a celebration of the universal love of dogs, a sentiment that has woven its way through the fabric of our country’s history, in both good times and bad,” Dr. Donald Sturz, president of The Westminster Kennel Club, tells T&C. “When you think about the events that have occurred over the past 150 years, it’s incredible to recall that the dog show always persevered. Our canine companions have always been there—helping us hunt, serving on the front lines, or simply keeping us company on the couch—and the bond that we form with them is unlike any other connection in our lives.”
The dog house
The Westminster Dog Show is famously always held in New York City at Madison Square Garden. In fact, with the exception of the COVID-19 pandemic years, the show has always been held in Manhattan.
The exterior of the old Madison Square Garden in 1968 before being demolished.
The very first iteration of the event was held at Gilmore’s Garden, the venue that would later become the original Madison Square Garden. The Westminster Dog Show would be held at that site until 1968. The venue, later known as MSG III, was eventually demolished. In 1969, the Dog Show relocated to the current Madison Square Garden at Penn Station, several blocks from the original site.
A Cavalier King Charles Spaniel in the judging area at the Arthur Ashe Stadium in 2023.
The coronavirus pandemic forced the show to change both its timing and location for 2021 and 2022, moving from its normally-scheduled time in winter at Madison Square Garden to outdoor venues in the suburb of Tarrytown in Westchester County, in mid-June. But the summer heat and humidity created challenges for dog grooming, prompting another shift to early May at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens for the 2023 and 2024 events. The show returned to its home at Madison Square Garden in February 2025.
Best in Show
A poodle contestant is groomed in 1989.
The first Westminster Dog Show in 1877 was so popular that organizers added a fourth day to the inaugural event, donating proceeds to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, an early indication of the club’s charitable focus. From its earliest years, the show attracted prominent figures. In 1893, financier J.P. Morgan entered his dogs at Westminster, reflecting the event’s growing prestige.
Champion Stingray, a British Lakeland Terrier also known as Skipper, wins Best in Show in 1968.
The competition awarded its first official Best in Show title in 1907, helping formalize the structure that still defines the event today. Winners for each level of competition and category, including Best in Show, receive trophies, ribbons, and bragging rights—but no cash award. The value these days comes from reputation (for both the dog and the handler), potential sponsorship deals and paid appearances. Puppies of Westminster alums, for instance, reportedly go for as much as $10,000 to $25,000 each.
Miss P, 2015 Best in Show winner, walks to center ice with handler Will Alexander ahead of an NHL game between the Los Angeles Kings and the Chicago Blackhawks.
The only slight exceptions are the Masters Agility and Masters Obedience champions, who each receive a $5,000 prize each. But they can’t keep the money, as those prizes must be donated to either to a qualifying dog training club of the winner’s choice or to the AKC Humane Fund.
The show will go on
Orion of Dolomount was a St. Bernard who appeared in the Working Dogs group at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in 1955.
Westminster has been staged almost continuously, even as New York City and the country faced many upheavals. In 1918, show proceeds were donated to the American Red Cross to support the troops during the First World War. In 1943, amid World War II, proceeds were donated to Dogs for Defense, a program that encouraged owners to volunteer their pets for military service.
Meg Callea from Washington state arrives with her dog Bindi at the 2006 Westminster Dog Show.
The show has also endured severe weather. In 2006, as a blizzard dropped nearly 27 inches of snow on the city, Westminster proceeded as scheduled, a point of pride frequently cited by organizers.
A view of the show floor in 1957.
The event has also mirrored broader changes within society. In 1888, Saint Bernard breeder Anna Henshaw Whitney became the first woman to judge at an American dog show. In 1934, Westminster introduced its Junior Showmanship competition, opening the door for younger handlers between the ages of nine and 17 years old. Obedience demonstrations followed in 1936, and in 1992 Westminster became the first champions-only dog show, limiting entries to dogs that had already earned top honors elsewhere.
Television expanded Westminster’s reach nationwide. The show aired its first television broadcast in 1948. In 2000, its television audience exceeded 1 million viewers for the first time.
A poodle jumps through a hoop at the 138th Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in 2014.
The Masters Agility Championship debuted in 2014, welcoming mixed-breed dogs for the first time ever. The Masters Obedience Championship, which evaluates how well a pup follows commands to sit and stay, among other tasks, followed in 2016. These additions broadened the event’s appeal to mass audiences while highlighting the athleticism and training of dogs beyond traditional purebred standards.
How to watch the 150th Westminster Dog Show
The 2026 sesquicentennial event kicks off today, Saturday, January 31 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center with the agility competition. Breed judging will commence at Madison Square Garden on Monday, February 2. Best in Show will be awarded at the Garden on Tuesday, February 3. Attendees can buy tickets online in advance or at the venues, but visitors are advised that the 2026 show will be held at two separate venues, with each on a different ticketing platform.
A group of Bedlington Terrier dogs at the 2025 show.
All events will be available to stream on the Westminster Kennel Club’s website. Coverage will also be broadcast and streamed via Fox Sports. All times eastern below.
Saturday, January 31: Coverage begins at 7:30 a.m. with the Masters Agility Championship preliminaries, Flyball Tournament, and demonstration ring airing throughout the day on the FOX Sports app, foxsports.com, the WKC website, and WKC YouTube. The Masters Agility Championship finals air live from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. on FOX.
Monday, February 2: Junior Showmanship preliminaries and breed judging for the Hound, Toy, Non-Sporting, and Herding groups run from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the WKC website and FOX Sports platforms, with select live coverage from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on FS2. Evening coverage continues with the Day 1 pre-show from 7 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., followed by group judging from 7:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. on FS1.
Tuesday, February 3: Junior Showmanship preliminaries and breed judging for the Sporting, Working, and Terrier groups air from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the WKC website and FOX Sports platforms, with select coverage from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on FS2. The Day 2 pre-show airs from 7 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on FS1, followed by group judging and Best in Show from 7:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. on FS1.
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Watch on Fox Sports
Rachel King (she/her) is a news writer at Town & Country. Before joining T&C, she spent nearly a decade as an editor at Fortune. Her work covering travel and lifestyle has appeared in Forbes, Observer, Robb Report, Cruise Critic, and Cool Hunting, among others. Originally from San Francisco, she lives in New York with her wife, their daughter, and a precocious labradoodle. Follow her on Instagram at @rk.passport.
