21 Oct MTP 4th Annual Dog Costume Contest & Parade!
Thanks for joining us!
Click here to view the winners!
Come Celebrate the Spooky Season
with the cutest runway in L.A.!
The 4th Annual Dog Costume Contest & Parade
Sunday, October 26th 2025 11:30AM – 2PM
2025 Contest Registration is Closed!
Thank you so much for your interest in this year’s Halloween Dog Costume Contest & Parade!
We have received an overwhelming response this year and officially reached capacity for this year’s Costume Contest, but if you missed your chance to register, you and your pup are still welcome to participate in the Dog Parade portion through the market on October 26!
Please note we will not have space for in-person registration this year and will only be accepting pre-registered contestants for the Costume Contest portion.
CONTEST CATEGORIES
Best Float
Best Human/Dog Duo
Best In Show
Kobe Community Favorite
in honor of Kobe the Miracle Mile MoMo
Click here to see last year’s winners!
PRIZES
We are excited to offer our biggest prizes yet this year!
- Best In Show will receive a $500 Visa Gift Card plus $1000 in gifts and swag, which includes 2 Annual Passes to MTP and a bundle of MTP merchandise as well as gifts from our sponsors Prime Pizza, Rhinestone Master Creations, Pantheon Coffee House, Pink’s Hot Dogs, Voodoo Doughnut, A Puppy’s Tale, Kantor Chiropractic, Fairfax Poodles, and Alcove Bakery!
- Best Human/Dog Duo and Best Float/Wagon Costume will each receive a $300 Visa Gift Card plus $500 in gifts and swag, which includes an Annual Pass to MTP and a bundle of MTP merchandise as well as gifts from our sponsors Charmed LA, The Urban Pet, Pantheon Coffee House, Pink’s Hot Dogs, Voodoo Doughnut, A Puppy’s Tale, Fairfax Poodles, and Alcove Bakery!
- The Kobe Community Favorite (voted on Instagram after the contest) will receive a prize bundle worth $600 including an MTP Annual Pass, MTP Merchandise, a Dog Obstacle Course, and gifts from Pantheon Coffee House, Pink’s Hot Dogs, Pour La Pooch, Voodoo Doughnut, Fairfax Poodles, and Alcove Bakery! This award is titled in honor of Kobe the Miracle Mile MoMo, who was beloved by the MTP and LA communities.
- All Contestants will receive a Goodie Bag featuring MTP merchandise and gifts from Voodoo Doughnut, Nuzzle Pet, and Gear Up Creations!
THANK YOU TO OUR AMAZING SPONSORS!
HAPPY DOG SPONSORS
Paw Priority Veterinary Urgent Care • Fairfax Poodles • JustFoodForDogs • The Doggies Deli • Nuzzle Pet • Rhinestone Master Creations
GOOD DOG SPONSORS
Kantor Chiropractic • A Puppy’s Tale Book • Stardogs Clubhouse • Yee Paints • Pink’s Hot Dogs
FURRY FRIENDS SPONSORS
Voodoo Doughnut • Prime Pizza • Charmed LA • Ubatuba Açaí • Alcove Cafe & Bakery
The Urban Pet • Bark Bodega • Pour La Pooch • Pantheon Coffee House • Pink Moon Balloons
ABOUT THE CONTEST
The Melrose Trading Post is a pet-friendly, dog loving event, and we are celebrating the dogs and creative dog lovers of our community with our 4th Annual Dog Costume Contest! Held the Sunday before Halloween, this annual event showcases incredible handmade dog costumes.
- This year’s contest will be held Sunday, October 26th from 12-2PM at the Greenway Main Stage in the Red Section of the Melrose Trading Post. This area is the main hub of delicious artisan food and beverage vendors, and the location of the iconic Greenway Main Stage.
- Advance registration is appreciated and guarantees your pup a spot in the contest. Participation will be capped at 30 contestant slots, and we are seeking handmade costumes.
- Check In for pre-registered contestants will be available from 10:45 – 11:15 AM Sunday morning at the Fairfax & Clinton entrance of the market (by the Valet Lot). Find the Dog Contest Check-In Booth to receive free valet parking stamp and contest card. Because we have reached contest capacity, on-site registration will not be available this year.
ABOUT THE PARADE
Before the contest, we will also be hosting a parade of costumed and adoptable dogs throughout the market from 11:30-11:50 AM! While contest participation is limited, parade participation is open to everyone! Meet at the Fairfax & Clinton entrance of the market by 11:30AM to walk in the parade.
HOST / MASTER OF CEREMONIES:
PICKLE
Pickle is the Drag Laureate of the City of West Hollywood and the executive director of Drag Arts Lab, an organization focused on expanding and elevating the art of drag in LA County. Pickle will also be performing her latest Halloween hit, “Monsters In The Closet!”
THE ESTEEMED PANEL OF JUDGES
Lisa Hernandez
Lisa is an Assistant Principal at Fairfax High School, and a friend of Greenway Arts Alliance. She is a huge dog lover and is returning for her second consecutive year on the Judge’s Panel.
Ronald Wilson
Hailing from the pageant world, designer Ronald Wilson is behind the luxury pet brand Rhinestone Master Creations, known for their sparkling bedazzled accessories for any dog or cat who desires a little shine. A longtime Melrose Trading Post vendor, Ronald has served as judge every year since the contest’s inception in 2022.
DeeDee Cupcake
DeeDee Cupcake is a new judge on this year’s panel! A seasoned performer and burlesque dancer, DeeDee adores all things Halloween and dog-related, and has won 15+ costume contests with her handmade ensembles, including last year’s Bob Baker Marionette Costume Ball! DeeDee has also won 10+ pin-up pageants and is passionate about vintage fashion and shelter pet advocacy.
Dogwalk DJ
Nat Jio
Nat Jio will be DJing this year’s Dogwalk! She is a Los Angeles-based house DJ known for electrifying sets at extreme sports events and exclusive venues across Santa Monica, Hollywood, Hermosa Beach, and DTLA. She blends high-energy grooves with the pulse of the outdoor sports world.
ADOPTION FAIRS!
As we celebrate our dogs on Sunday, we also hope to help more great dogs get adopted with the help of Pawsitive Beginnings LA and Loved Again Pets. We will be holding adoption fairs with both rescues throughout the day.
SPOTLIGHT ON OUR NON PROFIT PARTNERS
Loved Again Pets – R22
Loved Again Pets is a 501c(3) all-volunteer animal rescue organization in Lane County, Oregon and the Greater Los Angeles area in Southern California. Loved Again Pets rescues dogs that many people would assume are unadoptable due to age, medical situation, or skittishness and transforms them into dogs that are routinely adopted into loving, permanent homes. They also provide long-term foster care for those dogs who are not adoptable and, when necessary, provide hospice care for dogs to spend their last days in a loving home environment.
Pawsitive Beginnings – R16 with A Puppy’s Tale
Pawsitive Beginnings LA will be in space R16 with adoptable dogs alongside author Grant Merritt of A Puppy’s Tale!
Pawsitive Beginnings is a 501(c)3 organization that rescues moms and puppies from high-kill shelters in the Los Angeles area. Shelters are no place to raise puppies – babies often get very sick and moms get very stressed. We give these families a loving home to grow up in, and find them furever homes when they are ready!
Honoring Kobe The Miracle Mile MoMo
On October 5, Kobe the Miracle Mile MoMo was tragically killed by a hit-and-run driver. Kobe was beloved by the MTP and greater Los Angeles communities. He often volunteered with his owner, Thao Tran, to support Queen’s Best Stumpy Dog Rescue, a nonprofit corgi rescue in the LA area. Queen’s Best is one of MTP’s partner rescues and have collaborated with us in the past for events like CicLAVia and our Merry Melrose Dog Parade.
In honor of Kobe, we ask that you consider donating to Queen’s Best.
Queen’s Best founder Susan Luong will be joining us on stage during the contest to talk about the rescue and Kobe’s memory.
Special Programming
Intermission Yoga + Soundbath – 11 AM
Join us for a soundbath experience with Dr. Kischa at a special time of 11 AM to rest and reset before the contest and parade at the Greenway Main Stage.
Los Angeles Poet Society Reading – 2:25 PM
Catch poetry from Jessica M. Wilson, Eli Chevalier, and Cynthia Briano on the Greenway Main Stage after the contest wraps up!
Space Sweep Collective – 3 PM
To close out the day, the Space Sweep Collective of DJ Nat Jio, JSN, Deadlyfishes, and All Echo will be performing.
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- Nat Jio
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- JSN
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- Deadlyfishes
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- All Echo
The contest will be held on the Greenway Main Stage by the food court in the Red section of the Melrose Trading Post.
Each contestant will walk their pup down the indicated path toward the stage and either walk onto the stage or wheel their float in front of the stage, then pause to be appreciated by the crowd. Then you’ll walk by the judging panel, pause so they can take it all in, then walk to the North Lawn area.
Once all of the dogs have walked the Dogwalk Runway, the judges will deliberate to pick the winners. Meanwhile the Christina Carrera from the Greenway Institute for the Arts program will introduce the students for a brief performance, and we’ll hear from the Greenway Court Theatre’s Producing Director, Mohammed Ojarigi about their current show, Haunted. We’ll also hear from our sponsors while the judges deliberate.
Don’t wander too far as we’ll have you reconvene by the stage for the announcement of the winners. After the winners are announced, visit the MTP Team for a gift bag. Make sure you’re there to claim your potential prize!
The judges will pick the winning contestants and the event M.C. will announce the winners of each category: Best Float, Best Human/Dog Duo, and Best In Show!