The 5th annual Lithuania Corgi Dog Race took place on August 15, 2026, in Vingis Park, Vilnius, featuring around 150 corgis representing 9 countries [1, 2, 3]. Countries in the competition included Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Estonia, Ukraine, UK, Czech Republic, and the USA. This year was the first time in five years that teams from the UK, Czech Republic, and the USA participated [1, 2].

Over 20 additional teams registered on-site, reflecting growth in the event's popularity [1, 2]. Activities included approximately 50-meter corgi races, a loud bark competition, puzzle solving, a costume contest, skill challenges, and children’s games [1, 4, 2].

The loudest bark contest was won by Mr. Corgington, the 2026 Summer Corgi Nationals champion from California, who reached 111 decibels. Mr. Corgington also placed second in the race [1, 4, 2]. His owner, Zane Strong, said the loud bark "is not a favourable trait," but "comes in handy at events apparently" [4].

The winning costume in the creative outfit contest went to Amigo, dressed as the Iron Wolf from Vilnius's founding legend. Amigo’s owner Akvilė spent about a week making the costume and noted Amigo was "not very happy about it" but tolerated it. Amigo has won the costume contest three times and competed for five years in total [1, 2, 5, 4].

Organizers noted that the race results revealed dogs often behaving playfully rather than competitively, with some distracted or turning back mid-race. Event organizer Edvinas Miskas Grinius called corgis "one of the slowest dogs in the world" and said the race was "an oxymoron in itself," adding, "that’s why it is great fun. It’s all laughs" [4].

Launched six years ago during the COVID-19 pandemic as a small gathering among friends and family, the event has grown into a large annual festival attracting international attention [4, 1]. Event leader Dovilė Bielousovaitė said the race "was initially a small gathering" and "has now become a large celebration attracting many foreign visitors," noting two teams from the US this year show growing visibility [1].

The Lithuania Corgi Dog Race is part of Vilnius' efforts to brand itself as the "European Corgi Capital" and nurture a corgi community culture through related events including International Corgi Day [1, 4, 2].