30 Oct Canines in Costumes Parade Through Point Isabel for Barktober Fest

Dogs of all shapes and sizes wore costumes of all kinds at Barktober Fest in Richmond, including 11-year-old Lucy.

Photo essay, Joe Porrello

A canine cow, a flowering fido, parrot pooches and more — dogs in Halloween costumes came to compete at Point Isabel in Richmond on Sunday afternoon. 

Hundreds of people and their dogs were dressed up for Barktoberfest, a parade and costume contest held by East Bay Regional Parks District and the Point Isabel Dog Owners group. A nonprofit run entirely by volunteers, PIDO keeps the park clean and facilitates classes.

A $20 entry fee — $10 for those considered low-income — goes straight to waste management at the park and comes with a lifetime membership to PIDO. Members are subscribed to the “PIDO Pointer,” an online and print blog with park updates, and have access to off-leash dog walking group classes with a professional trainer. Entry was free for existing members.

PIDO secretary and event organizer A.J Benham said it’s the park’s largest event of the year, and multiple contestants said there were more people at this year’s event than any other. Benham herself found out about PIDO around five years ago after her friend invited her to Barktober Fest.

 

With over 50 acres of land, Point Isabel is the largest dog park in California and one of the biggest nationwide, hosting over an estimated 1 million visitors per year, according to the parks district. But parking space is not as vast, and every spot was filled up Sunday; many presumably would-be contestants pulled up in their cars and turned around and left because there was not anywhere to leave their vehicle close by. There were countless people and dogs at the park just to walk, who were not taking part in the competition.

 

Those that were involved did not let the gradually intensifying windy and rainy conditions take the smiles off their faces for the entirety of the roughly two-hour event.

Nancy Saban and daughter Michaela Saban Hinds of Berkeley were there with their 2-year-old dog, Ollie, and said they look forward to the event yearly. Last year, the trio won first prize for their costumes as a lifeguard and two beachgoers; this year, they were a flowerpot and its gardeners.

 

Pammy Cure of Richmond says Barktober fest unifies local residents. 

“These events are very important for strengthening the community because the world is horrible right now,” she said with a wry laugh. “That’s why I like coming here: Nobody talks about politics and stuff like that… I was a mail carrier for 38 years, so this place is my stress relief.”

 

Cure, who has been a PIDO member for 20 years, was there with her two dogs, Sugar, 7, and Cody, 1.

“They love it because it’s all off-leash. They can go swimming and run around, meeting people and other dogs,” she said.

Seeing all the new costumes every year, Cure says, keeps her coming back.

 

The canine contestants were separated into categories of small, medium and large for three judges and their assistants to score on a combination of cleverness, originality, character and craftiness. While the judges deliberated, the human contestants played trivia games with small prizes before the bigger prize bags were handed out to first, second and third place winners in each category.

 

Winning second place in the small dog category were Richmond residents Lauren Bloom and Tamara Vodovoz with their 5-year-old dogs, Kali and Waldo, the latter of who inspired the “Where’s Waldo”-themed costumes. Also winning second place last year, the pair said they have their sights set on first prize in 2026 and will begin planning early. 

 

Bags for winners included dog treats and toys, blankets, mugs, shirts, hats, and water bottles. The grand prize also featured a handmade quilt.

 

Winning the top prize were couple Louie Ponce and Gigi Bolaňos, dressed as pirates, and their dogs, Toby, 12, and Jack Jack, 4, dressed as parrots. Bolaňos says she has come to the event every year since getting Toby 10 years ago and made the costume by hand each time. This year’s costumes took her about a month to finish.

“I wasn’t expecting the grand prize, but I’m really excited we won it,” she said.

 

Holding the event for over two decades, PIDO collaborated with EBRPD for the first time this year, which Benham said resulted in an upgrade in equipment like speakers and microphones.

PIDO also used the day to celebrate its 40-year anniversary. According to Benham, 10 years after acquiring the Point Isabel land in 1975, EBRPD did not want dogs off-leash at the park anymore. “That’s when this neat little group of intrepid ladies called a Thanksgiving weekend emergency meeting… asked the Parks District if they could come to an agreement,” she said, “and that’s how PIDO was born.”

PIDO President Lew Jacobson says he’s seen the park since the very beginning.

“There used to be nothing here — it was just a bunch of kids doing drugs here who organically cleared out when people started walking their dogs,” he said. “The paved trails and bathroom structures you see now were once gravel and port-o-potties.”

Other additions include the on-site groomer, Mud Puppies, and a cafe.

And as Benham noted, one does not need a dog to enjoy Point Isabel.

“I used to come on Sunday mornings, and I didn’t have a dog,” she said. “I just came to hang out because it was such a beautiful place that revived your spirit.”

“This day has just become a great reminder that this is a multi-use park where we have privileges,” said Benham. “It’s the best visibility event for PIDO, and in the background we can kind of say, ‘Come help us.’”

For those looking to get involved, PIDO holds monthly clean-ups at the park. The next one takes place Nov. 29 from 10 a.m. to noon.