Vingis Park in Vilnius went full corgi on Aug. 15, as 150 Pembroke and Cardigan Welsh corgis from nine countries gathered for the fifth annual Corgi Race Vilnius, the biggest edition of the event yet.
Entrants came from Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Estonia, Germany, Ukraine and the Czech Republic, plus the United States and, for the first time in the race's history, Britain — the country most associated with the short-legged breed and long a favorite of the late Queen Elizabeth II. Ninety-four dogs competed in the main event, racing through heats, semifinals and a final over a 25-meter dash, according to NBC News. The top prize went to an American entrant named GG, short for Gustave the Girl Dog.
The event was never just about speed. A costume parade drew 38 corgis dressed as everything from dinosaurs to knights, alongside side competitions for "smartest nose" and loudest bark. A corgi named Amigo, outfitted in a knight-like ensemble, swept both the judges' panel and the public Facebook vote to win the costume contest, WISN reported.
Organizers said the event's growth from a local novelty five years ago into an international draw tracks the corgi's rising social-media profile, with the short-legged, long-bodied breed generating outsized attention online relative to its size. Owners who traveled from as far as the United States described the trip as something of a pilgrimage, according to the Press Democrat's wire report on the event.
With this year's field notably larger than 2025's, organizers said they expect the race to keep growing and are already fielding inquiries from breed clubs in additional countries ahead of next year's run. Qualifying heats ran through the morning, with dogs coaxed toward the finish line by owners waving toys and treats, before the afternoon's semifinals and final narrowed the running competition down to GG's winning sprint.
Local organizers said Lithuania's fondness for the breed has grown alongside the event itself, with the race now drawing sponsorship from pet-supply companies and coverage from broadcasters well beyond the Baltic region.
