Paw-lo-ween Dog Costume Contest

Thursday 29 October, 6pm–9pm

A dog costume contest at The River Shannon, the Lincoln Park Irish pub whose own website calls it "Chicago's Dog-Friendly Irish Pub."

The timings matter more than they usually do. The pub's own event page is specific: sign-ups close at 7pm and winners are announced at 9pm. Turning up at 8pm means watching rather than entering, and leaving before 9pm means forfeiting a prize — the pub says plainly that you must be present when the winners are announced to claim one.

The categories

Two, per the pub: Best Canine Costume and Best Owner-Pet Duo. There are "fantastic prizes for the top winners in each category" — the pub does not say what they are.

The rules it publishes

• Dogs must be on a leash at all times while on the premises.
• Dogs must be accompanied by their owners throughout the event.
• You must be present at the announcement to claim a prize.

Those are the pub's own words, not this directory's summary. It publishes no entry fee and no pre-registration link, which reads as sign up at the bar on the night — but the absence of a stated fee is not the same as a promise it is free, so bring a card.

Why this one is indoors

Chicago Municipal Code 4-8-031 confines dogs at a retail food establishment to a designated outdoor area with its own street entrance. The River Shannon is a tavern, and its site describes no patio, beer garden or sidewalk seating at all — the dog welcome it publishes was never an outdoor one. That distinction is explained in full on the Patios and Restaurants page, and it is the reason a costume contest for dogs can happen indoors in late October in Chicago at all.

Bring a water bowl. The pub publishes nothing about bowls or treats.

Lost dog? Chicago Animal Care and Control at 2741 S Western is the city's open-admission shelter and the first place to look.