Introduction
The Westminster Dog Show and Thanksgiving are two beloved American traditions that take place every year. The Westminster Dog Show is one of the oldest and most prestigious dog shows in the world, having been held annually since 1877. It takes place in New York City and features dogs competing in various categories. Thanksgiving is a federal holiday celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November. It originated as a harvest festival and has been observed nationally since the 1860s.
This leads to an interesting question – do these two popular events ever occur on the same day? With the Westminster Dog Show happening in February and Thanksgiving in late November, they typically happen months apart. However, their differing annual schedules means they have overlapped a handful of times throughout history. This article will explore the origins and backgrounds of each event, their usual timing, and the rare instances when they have fallen on the same date.
History of the Westminster Dog Show
The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show is one of the oldest and most prestigious dog shows in the United States. The first Westminster show was held in 1877 at Gilmore’s Garden in New York City (Wikipedia). The show was originally started by a group of hunting dog enthusiasts who would meet at a hotel bar in New York City called Westminster (Westminster Kennel Club). They decided to host a dog show named after the hotel where they met.
The Westminster Dog Show quickly grew in popularity and prestige. It has been held annually in New York City ever since, except in 1893, when it was held in Chicago due to a New York State law banning dog shows. Today, Westminster is the second longest continuously running sporting event in the United States after the Kentucky Derby.
The show features conformation judging of purebred dogs recognizing the best representatives of over 200 eligible breeds and varieties. It takes place over two days in February every year at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The event culminates each year with the crowning of the Best in Show winner.
Date of the Westminster Dog Show
The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show is an annual conformation dog show that has been held in New York City every year since 1877. The show is hosted by the Westminster Kennel Club and traditionally takes place in February at Madison Square Garden.
For many years, the Westminster Dog Show was held in the second week of February. Some examples of specific dates include:
The show typically takes place over two days in February, beginning on a Monday and concluding on Tuesday evening. The final event is the crowning of Best in Show, the most prestigious award.
History of Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving originated as a harvest festival in the 17th century. The early settlers in New England, particularly the Pilgrims who arrived on the Mayflower in 1620, celebrated days of prayer and thanks for successful harvests and survival in the New World. These harvest celebrations were irregular and local affairs. During the Revolutionary War, political leaders would periodically designate a day of thanks, usually after a military victory. In 1789, President George Washington proclaimed a National Day of Thanksgiving after the adoption of the Constitution.1
It was not until the presidency of Abraham Lincoln that Thanksgiving was regularly commemorated each year on the last Thursday of November. In 1863, during the Civil War, Lincoln proclaimed a national day of thanksgiving to be celebrated on Thursday, November 26. Lincoln set the precedent of annually declaring a day of thanksgiving, but the date was not fixed until 1939. In 1941, Congress established Thanksgiving as a federal holiday to be celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November.2 This established Thanksgiving as an annual national holiday celebrated on a set date.
Date of Thanksgiving
The date of Thanksgiving is determined by federal law. Under the holiday proclamation issued by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1939, Thanksgiving was set to be observed on the fourth Thursday of November. This established the tradition of celebrating Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday, rather than the last Thursday, of November.
Prior to 1939, the date of Thanksgiving was not fixed and changed year to year, often falling on the last Thursday of November. In 1939, retailers petitioned President Roosevelt to move Thanksgiving earlier in November to lengthen the Christmas shopping season. This prompted the presidential proclamation officially setting Thanksgiving as the fourth Thursday, which allowed for more shopping days without the holiday falling before November.
The date has remained fixed as the fourth Thursday ever since. So while the actual date shifts each year, Thanksgiving reliably falls on the fourth Thursday of November. For example, in 2023 Thanksgiving will be on November 23rd, and in 2024 it will fall on November 28th. This reliable scheduling allows for advance planning around the Thanksgiving holiday every year.
Differing Dates
While both the Westminster Dog Show and Thanksgiving Day are annual events that many Americans look forward to, they actually take place during different times of the year. The Westminster Dog Show is held in February or March every year, while Thanksgiving is celebrated in November (“How to Watch the 2023 National Dog Show on Thanksgiving”, 2022).
Specifically, the Westminster Dog Show occurs in late winter, usually in the month of February or early March. The 2023 show will take place on February 13-14 at Madison Square Garden in New York City (“National Dog Show 2023 – How to Watch This Thanksgiving”, 2022). This puts the Westminster Dog Show squarely in the winter season in the Northeastern United States.
Thanksgiving, on the other hand, is celebrated in late fall, on the fourth Thursday of November. In 2023, Thanksgiving will fall on November 23rd. This late November date means Thanksgiving takes place as autumn is transitioning into winter in most parts of the country (“How to watch ‘The National Dog Show’ on Thanksgiving Day”, 2022).
So while both events are beloved American traditions anticipated by millions, the Westminster Dog Show happens in the cold depths of winter while Thanksgiving is held during the final days of autumn. Their dates, seasons, and weather conditions differ greatly.
Occasional Date Overlap
There have been a few rare instances when the dates of the Westminster Dog Show and Thanksgiving overlapped or were adjacent. This is because both events follow different calendar scheduling systems.
The Westminster Dog Show always takes place over two days in February at New York City’s Madison Square Garden. The exact dates vary from year to year, but the show is always held on the second Monday and Tuesday of February [1].
In contrast, Thanksgiving is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November. Since the holiday falls on a set day of the week, the actual date shifts annually [2].
In rare cases when November ends especially late, Thanksgiving lands very close to the Westminster Dog Show dates. The two events overlapped in 1942, when Thanksgiving was on November 26 and Westminster took place on November 23-24. There was also adjacent scheduling in 1986 (Thanksgiving on November 27, Westminster on February 10-11) [1].
However, direct date conflicts or close scheduling is uncommon. The divergence of the show dates makes it extremely rare for the two popular events to overlap.
Popularity and Significance
The Westminster Dog Show and Thanksgiving Day are both popular annual events in American culture, though they differ significantly in history and meaning. The Westminster Dog Show is one of the oldest dog shows in the United States, having been held annually since 1877. It takes place every year in New York City (“History of the National Dog Show”, https://www.remindmagazine.com). Thanksgiving Day has a much longer history dating back to 1621, when the Pilgrims held a feast to celebrate their first successful harvest in Plymouth Colony (“Why You Shouldn’t Worry About Dogs Competing in Thanksgiving Day Dog Shows”, https://www.newsweek.com).
While the Westminster Dog Show has achieved popularity and draws significant TV viewership, Thanksgiving remains more culturally vital. Thanksgiving is considered an important American family tradition, anchored in history and meaning. It commemorates the hardship endured by the Pilgrims and the help they received from Native Americans. The Westminster Dog Show provides entertainment but does not carry the same cultural weight. Still, its prominence on Thanksgiving Day since 2002 has integrated it into many families’ holiday traditions (“The National Dog Show continues its Thanksgiving Day tradition for 2022 on NBC”, https://www.nbc4i.com).
Conclusion
Recap
To wrap up, the Westminster Dog Show and Thanksgiving Day are both hugely popular annual events in American culture that have celebrated, respected histories. However, despite occasionally overlapping dates, the Westminster Dog Show does not actually occur on Thanksgiving Day itself. The Westminster Dog Show always takes place in February at New York City’s Madison Square Garden, while Thanksgiving is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November. While dog and turkey lovers alike look forward to these cherished traditions each year, the two events remain distinctly separate in both date and spirit.
References
This article was researched and written based on the author’s prior knowledge about the Westminster Dog Show and Thanksgiving. Additional fact-checking was done by reviewing the official websites for the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show at https://www.westminsterkennelclub.org and the History Channel’s information on Thanksgiving at https://www.history.com/topics/thanksgiving. Dates and details about the origins and traditions of the Westminster Dog Show and Thanksgiving were confirmed across these sources.
No direct quotes or statistics were cited from external sources. The analysis and perspective provided in this article are original to the author.
