Crufts what day is best?

[josaphine32]

Hi, I have never been to Crufts and we would like to go this year, Can you buy tickets at the door or is it just online?
Ive been to there website but it does not say.

is saturday a bad idea? how many more people are likely to be there than thursday?

and do they do the collie agillity every day?

Thanks in advance

[fredpuli47]

You can buy tickets on the door. The Cruft's website 'ticket office' says if you only want the one ticket it's better to buy it there because there's a �1-50 handling charge per booking online. Otherwise you may as well buy online, if there's still time, that is, and avoid any queues

There is 'agility' every day. Most of the entrants are border collies. That's the one with the big course of tunnels, ramps, weaving poles and jumps.There's also 'flyball' everyday. It's the relay race where teams of collies run down a track, hitting a trap which fires a tennis ball into the air, catching the ball and racing back at top speed. Great fun !

I go every day, every year. Each year the order of groups is rotated, so one year gundogs are shown on the first day, next year on another, and so on. This year Toys and Utility are on day 1 (Thursday), Gundogs on day 2 (Friday), Working and Pastoral on day 3 ( Saturday) and Terriers and Hounds on day 4 ( Sunday).

If you like 'toy and utility' breeds Thursday would be ideal. They come in all shapes ! I'd certainly opt for the Thursday, myself. A lot of displays and competitions go on arenas where you may have to queue for vacant seats. Saturday and Sunday can get very busy and crowded.

There is a Discover Dogs section.. There you can see all breeds every day (including a few exotic foreign ones that aren't shown in the rings ) and ask advice about them all.

Check on the Cruft's website whether you need seat tickets in advance for any particular event (e.g. some of the rounds of 'obedience' are ticketed). The bulk of them aren't ticketed. If you want more info on what breeds are in what groups, try the Kennel Club website.

[jules77]

fred - you go every day, every year, gosh you are committed, it takes me a week to get over going on one day.

I find apart from the last day, Sunday, which is obviously the busiest, every other day seems the same. You need to get there early to stand any chance of walking round the stands, as after that you are just carried along by the crowds. And take your own packed lunch, as the restaurants/cafes are crowded, and sell over priced processed rubbish, IMO!

You can buy tickets on the door, although you can get them in advance on the Crufts website. Tickets for the main ring are usually sold out months in advance, but there are plenty of other displays going on ie: flyball and agility that you can get into on the day.

[amonty1144]

Every day is busy and it's hard to see it all in one day.
I'll be in Discover Dogs on Saturday with the Bavarian Mountain Hound Society, our dogs won't be as they are still in Poland.

see them at
www.paintandpins.com

[lankeela]

Thursday and Friday are usually less busy although the roads are busier getting there than the weekends. The later you get there the further away you have to park, and its a long walk. If you are going on your own ,just find someone with several dogs and loads of baggage struggling to get in, and offer to hold a dog or carry a bag, and you will get in with them for free. The car park costs �8.
Wear comfortable shoes and take plenty of drinks, and get a map of the place when you get there and plan what you want to see or else you will be walking round in circles.
Its bigger than you can ever imagine!

[lankeela]

Forgot to say, don't forget your credit card!

Will be on Discover Dogs on Thursday with the Lancashire Heelers in their booth and also on the British and Irish Native Breeds Preservation Trust stand, which is there to promote vulnerable British native breeds which have less than 300 dogs per year registered. Then back on Saturday showing the Heelers.

[Annlinda]

And I am showing a parson russell on the sunday....thanks Jules for reminding me to pack food......

[fredpuli47]

As a private game: just count the number of people who have bought and so are carrying rubber kennel 'brooms' around the show (sad, aren't I ?) It's bizarre. Why? How many rubber brooms do people need ? (None, actually)Every year, it's the same LOL

Seriously, I second that you'll have no idea just how vast it is AND you need the plan AND you need comfy shoes AND you'll still get lost because the layout of the Halls is so odd. There's no obvious logic to it.

You don't need the thick ,green, day's catalogue (unless you are desperate to know that the winning bitch 189674 is Champion Dogpound Fiifiluxe with Spangles of Bancroft at Willingham etc or her class was being judged by her breeder's cousin: it won't tell you the last bit...but it's probably true LOL). The souvenir programme is nice, but not essential: there are lists of the day's events at key points in the halls.

[josaphine32]

I have bought our tickets and my daughter and I are looking forward to it, Thanks for all the great advice, What time can you actualy get in? we were thinking of getting there at 7.30ish

[lankeela]

I think it is 8am for the 'public' but if you find someone to go in with who has dogs I think they would accept your tickets at the dog entrances. Some breeds start judging at 8, some at 8.30 and others later.

To be honest, there's such a rush getting in that if you just go in a dog entrance they will take your tickets and push you through without noticing. Just say you are with a breed that starts at 8 if you want to go in earlier.