So Cal Corgi pup Halloween party is a dog’s day at the beach

It’s a day for the dogs – but not just any kind of canine.

Corgis, the stout pups with big personalities that always look like they have a smile splashed across their furry faces, are the VIPs at this beach party.

So Cal Corgi Beach Day drew thousands of cute, cuddly corgis to the sand in Huntington Beach on Saturday, Oct. 25. The party was at a new location because the gathering has become so popular, more sand space and parking was needed.

The day was created in 2012 by Kelly and Dan McLemore, of Lakewood, who were trying to find friends for their pup Mr. Pickles, who had just healed from a surgery and was ready to get out and play. So they created a beach party, asking people on social media to show up at Huntington Dog Beach.

To their surprise, 15 corgis showed up. So they had another gathering. Then, 100 showed up. And the Corgi Nation, as they call it, was born.

The gatherings swelled into parties, to now full-blown festivals, with booths, food trucks, contests and costumes.

The gathering got so big, organizers had to move earlier this year from Huntington Dog Beach to a few blocks south of the pier in front of Pacific City and the big hotels – and plenty of parking for the pooches.

A section of the beach is closed off just for the corgi party, allowing them to frolic on the sand and in the surf.

The event is free, with costs offset by vendors and merchandising that raises money for various nonprofits. There was everything from photo ops in a VW bus to contests.

“We are really just so thankful for the community of corgi lovers — we call it Corgi Nation,” Kelly McLemore said. “The friendships people make, just being able to make memories is priceless, really.”

They have other gatherings throughout the year, such as the Corgi Nationals, a race at Santa Anita Park, Corgi Christmas parties and a Corgi Nation Vacation held in Pismo Beach.

The spring meet-up has changing themes, but the fall gathering is always near Halloween, a perfect excuse to get the corgis decked out.

They used to have a sign-up sheet, but the event got so big the organizers stopped counting the number of attendees. Each gathering draws thousands of corgies, McLemore said.

“It’s crazy,” she said. “We used to wonder, where do all these corgis come from?”

While most are from California, people report coming from Arizona, the East Coast, and even one guy and his corgi who planned a road trip from Canada, she said. “They make full-on vacations out of it.”

One corgi owner is bringing her elderly pup as a “bucket list” memory for them to share, McLemore was told.

“People have a lot of special memories, we have people coming for a decade, a lot of people have been coming the whole time,” she said.

There are plenty of reasons people love corgis so much.

“They are just the cutest,” McLemore said. “They are like big dogs in small packages, they always look like they are smiling. They are full of energy. We love them.”