At a distance, the crowd at Ocean Beach seemed typical for a Saturday afternoon. There were surfers, Karl the Fog, and sparse parking. But as visitors descended down the steps and hit the sand, they were soon greeted by a chorus of barks as hundreds of stumpy corgis ran back and forth in elaborate costumes.
Corgis in sunglasses, pineapple corgis, even shark corgis all came to frolic and play with fellow pups and their owners at San Francisco’s semi-annual Corgi Con.
Corgi Con has been held twice a year, in the summer and fall, since 2014. In that time, the bi-annual convention has become a cult hit, spawning hundreds of attendees and official merchandise. Aaron Beltran, who was involved in the planning of the event, believes that the growth of the event is due to the power of social media and people’s love for dogs.
“From what it was when it first started, we had only maybe 50 visitors and it was mostly local organizers,” Beltran said. “Now we’re to the point where through the power of social media and the ability for things to go viral, we’ve grown into such a large event. I mean, it’s huge and it’s fun and we love it. We wouldn’t have it any other way.”
For every corgi in a costume, digging a hole, or taking a nap, there are at least two people capturing the moment with their phones and posting it on Instagram or Facebook. This mass sharing on social media has contributed immensely to the popularity and success of Corgi Con and has not only captured the hearts of locals, but dog-lovers from other parts of the U.S. as well.
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