Bark in the Park 2025

Bark in the Park 2025 will be held on Saturday, February 8th, 2025 at Curtis Hixon Park in downtown Tampa. Walk Registration begins at 10:00am, with the optional Walk for the Animals starting at 10:30am. The festival, which is open to the public, is from 11:00am - 3:00pm. 
Bark in the Park is a fundraiser to support homeless animals in Tampa Bay that includes a one-mile Walk for the Animals and a festival that features entertainment & music, fun activities for both humans and dogs, a Kid Zone, dozens of vendors, food trucks, drinks, and adoptable pets! Leading up to the event, you can help raise much-needed funds for homeless animals in our community by forming or joining a fundraising Pack to not only support the Humane Society of Tampa Bay, but also earn cool prizes! 

There are a number of ways to get involved!

Form or join a Pack to raise funds for homeless animals in Tampa Bay. The more you raise, the more animals you help and the more fun prizes you can earn! You can fundraise from now until 1:00pm on the day of the event. Just click "Register" at the top of the page to get started! 

Walk for the Animals - anyone who raises $100 or more as part of a Pack, or decides to fundraise on their own as a "Lone Wolf," will qualify to take part in the one-mile Walk for the Animals. This will begin at 10:30am on February 8th, 2025. 

Enjoy the Festival - anyone, whether they are part of a Pack or not, can attend the Bark in the Park festival from 11:00am - 3:00pm at Curtis Hixon Park. The festival is open to the public.

A Pack is a group of people who come together to raise money for the homeless animals cared for each and every year by the Humane Society of Tampa Bay. You will have a customizable fundraising page that you can share with your friends and family to help you reach both your personal and Pack fundraising goals. If you want to raise funds on your own instead of with a group of people, you can register as a Lone Wolf.

The more you raise, both as an individual and as a group, the greater impact you will make on the lives of homeless animals and the more prizes and incentives you will earn along the way!

YES! Forming a Pack is a great way to have fun with friends, family and co-workers while raising funds for the animals! It is also a great team-building opportunity for local businesses and organizations who want to give back to the community. Packs can also earn special prizes and incentives through their fundraising, including unlocking special event-day experiences as an "Official Bark Pack" by collectively raising $1,500 or more! 

Yes! Facebook is a great way to connect with your friends, family, neighbors, co-workers, and other people in your life that share a common passion for animals. Once you have registered for the event by starting or joining a Pack or by joining as a Lone Wolf, you will be able to connect your  fundraising page to your personal Facebook page. Once you have set up your Facebook fundraising page, any donations you receive through Facebook will automatically update in your Bark in the Park fundraising page!

If you have friends or family who want to donate to you or your Pack using a check or cash, you can reach out to SpecialEvents@humanesocietytampa.org to arrange a time to drop those off to the shelter before February 7th, 2025, and we will help you add those donations to your total. 

You can also bring any checks or cash collected to the event on February 8th, 2025 anytime before 1:00pm and the registration team will add those donations to your total. You will still be eligible for fundraising prizes and incentives if you reach the next level of fundraising. 

If you receive donations after the event, that is okay too! You can drop them by the shelter any time, and it gives you a great excuse to come visit the animals! 

Although we love to see everyone on the day of the event, attendance is not required to be a part of Bark in the Park! Animal lovers who want to help homeless animals in our community but who cannot make it to the event on February 8th can still register for the event and raise much-needed funds! You will still have access to all the website fundraising tools and can still have fun connecting with your friends and family as you help the animals. 

Yes! Bark in the Park is a pet-friendly event, with lots of fun activities for dogs and their people to enjoy. Dogs need to be on leash at all times, and if you have a retractable leash we ask that you lock it with the leash shortened so you can keep good control of your dog in the crowd. Bark in the Park attracts over 4,000 attendees and lots of dogs, so this will help keep everyone safe!