Nottingham’s dog lovers are being invited to bring their pups along as Pop+Bark hosts a whirlwind, one-day dog café takeover in the city.
The much-loved dog social is set to run six sessions on Sunday, February 1 at Slug & Lettuce in the Old Market Square, welcoming everything from playful beagles to fluffy cockapoos.
Designed as a relaxed, dog-friendly hangout, the event blends coffee, community and canine companionship – giving owners the chance to socialise their dogs in a safe, welcoming environment.
“The whole thing kind of blew up. They knew they had a good idea on their hands.”
Sebastian MAitre, events manager
Pop+Bark began after founders James Morgan and Anushka Fernando arranged a pug meet-up in Guildford where they’re based to give their own pug, Berty, a chance to socialise.
After undergoing spinal surgery when he was younger, Berty had missed out on early socialisation, prompting the pair to create a space that didn’t exist at the time.
Sebastian Maitre, the events manager for the company, said: “The whole thing kind of blew up. They knew they had a good idea on their hands.”
Founded in 2020, Pop+Bark has grown rapidly and six years on, the team now travels around the country visiting cities from Chester to Newquay, bringing dog-lovers together in what has become a sell-out social experience.
“It’s really a win-win situation where you get a reasonably priced ticket to come and help your dog socialise off lead with their own breed”
Sebastian Maitre
Sebastian, who also prepares the events, likes to refer to the days as ‘organised chaos’.
“We do six time slots a day, we’ll have six different breeds across six different times, starting at 10am and finishing at 6pm”. He said.
The breeds being invited to the Nottingham events include beagles, cockapoos, cocker spaniels, golden retrievers and labradors, with each session dedicated to a specific breed to ensure dogs can socialise comfortably off-lead.
He added that the events are just as much for dog-lovers as they are for owners.
“I’m really trying to reach the dog lover market. For example, golden retriever is always a good mix of dog owners and dog lovers, but I personally think that all the spaniels are really love breeds to be around and so we’d like to promote more dog-lovers for those breeds.”
Alongside the feel-good factor, Pop+Bark has also raised £10,640, for charities related to both dogs and humans through its events so far.
“My goal is preferably doing a few more larger scale outdoor events in the summer and just building the brand,” Sebastian said.
With sold out events, thousands raised for charity and exciting plans on the horizon, Pop+Bark is fast becoming more than a pop-up café concept. It’s a growing community built around joy, inclusivity and quite simply a love of dogs.
If demand continues as it is, and dog people keep coming together, this may just be the beginning of a much bigger bark on the UK events scene.
Three of the six events are sold out but there are still tickets for beagle, labrador and cocker spaniel sessions. For more information click here.
