The Kennel Club has announced today that Crufts 2021 will take place next year on the new dates of 15 -18 July at the NEC Birmingham.
Crufts, which will be celebrating its 130th anniversary in 2021, was due to take place on 11 – 14 March 2021, but with much of the UK in a second lockdown and events and exhibitions still not being able to be held it was looking very unlikely that Crufts in March was a foreseeable option.
Following lengthy discussions over the last few months on how it would be possible to hold Crufts next year, it has been agreed to move the show to July when hopefully it is more viable that the show can take place and that the situation with Covid-19 allows for it to happen. Changes to the show will be implemented to ensure more space is available for our exhibitors and visitors.
Said Vanessa McAlpine, Show Manager: “We are absolutely delighted to be able to look forward to a special summer Crufts Dog Show taking place next year and are thankful to the NEC for being flexible in finding us an alternative date and of course all our sponsors, judges, exhibitors and trade stands for their continued support. The Kennel Club will be working with the dog clubs and societies who already have shows planned for these dates to offer them assistance and other options for their events.
“There is optimism in the events industry as to the likelihood of summer events taking place with the new Crufts dates falling in a fortnight when hopefully some of our great British summer sporting events will also be returning. We know there are going to be many challenges and will need to remain adaptable to how the show will look as our priority is to not only the dogs, but our exhibitors and visitors whose welfare will always be at the forefront. We will continue to review the situation over the coming months and will adapt our plans as appropriate, however we are very excited to be able to plan for ‘Crufts in the summer’ to celebrate our wonderful dogs and to give our dog loving community something to look forward to next year.”
The Kennel Club hopes to be able to provide further information on how the show will look, including qualifications soon and will keep its website updated as it evolves www.crufts.org.uk.
It is hoped that Crufts 2022 will take place as normal on 10 – 13 March 2022.