Annual WAG! Fest canceled for 2024

WEST JEFFERSON, Ohio (WCMH) – An annual event for central Ohioans and their dogs has been canceled for 2024.

WAG! Fest announced this year’s event, scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 24, has been canceled due to “unforeseen circumstances,” organizers said in a statement.

“The organizers examined several different avenues to allow the festival to continue,” organizers wrote in a statement. “Options were exhausted and it became impossible to put on the first-rate event central Ohioans expect under these current circumstances.  This was not an easy decision, and organizers are very sorry for any inconvenience this causes.”

Vendors who have signed up will be refunded their participation fees, the organizers said.

Normally held at the Darby Bend Lakes area of Prairie Oaks Metro Parks, WAG! Fest is one of the largest dog festivals in the country and helps dozens of central Ohio dog-serving rescue groups, shelters and organizations reach donors and potential adopters.

The organizers’ statement did not say when the next WAG! Fest would be held.