Pet Rock Festival

Pet Rock Festival Pet Rock Fest, celebrating more than 25 years in action, is New England's largest animal welfare nonprofit, which hosts its flagship festival each fall
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Celebrating more than 25 years, the Pet Rock Festival is an annual event held in the fall each year. It is an afternoon expo/festival that includes live music, vendors, food, contests, and most importantly, more than 150 animal organizations broadcasting their causes.

​Proceeds from the festival are distributed to Massachusetts-based animal welfare organizations, including shelters, cruelty watch

dogs and rescue leagues. Regular recipients of our festival include Red Rover/KIND News, Foster Parrots, Animal Legal Defense Fund, Maple Farm Sanctuary and the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (MSPCA), to name but a few. $1,000, $500 and $250 awards are also handed to rescue groups and shelters that win our coveted “lottery” and “shelter/rescue dog parade” during the festival. Pet Rock Fest has distributed thousands to worthy animal causes in New England. We’ve also given to groups such as Mass. Vest-A Dog, Dog Orphans, the Community Cat Center, the Worcester Animal Rescue League and the Second Chance Animal Shelter. The festival is produced and founded by Pet Rock Fest, Inc., which
is a 501c(3) organization whose mission is to educate, promote and communicate the importance of treating animals with kindness. Our Web site, www.petrockfest.org, and social pages have become a general meeting place for concerned animal lovers to unite and share information and thoughts. On our site and social pages we post animal news, link to important animal related sites, update you on our upcoming festival and most importantly, provide a forum for folks to chat. Please visit our site and communicate with us, and others, often. Get involved. Learn more. And remember, they can’t talk, so we will.

07/15/2025

🐾 POSTERS ARE IN! 🐾
The first printing of the 2025 Pet Rock Festival poster is here — and Lewis Ray is already showing it off like a total rockstar. (Spoiler: it looks AWESOME.)

Now we need your help to get these beauties up and around town. Can you hang a few at your favorite local haunts — dog parks, coffee shops, vet offices, music venues, you name it? Whether you can take two or twenty, we’d be grateful for the helping hands (and paws).

📬 Want some?
➡️ Email Charlene at [email protected]
➡️ DM us
➡️ Or just drop a “👋” in the comments and we’ll reach out!

Let’s get these posters posted and make the 27th annual fest our biggest yet.

This is positively heartbreaking. Our thoughts go out to all of those affected.
07/09/2025

This is positively heartbreaking. Our thoughts go out to all of those affected.

Video from the scene showed flames engulfing the barn on North Street.

07/08/2025

The famous actor Ryan Gosling never imagined that one of the deepest and most sincere bonds of his life would be born in 2000 behind the bars of a Los Angeles animal shelter.
There, among many animals waiting to be adopted, was George—an elderly, scruffy-looking dog that no one paid attention to. No pedigree, no cute tricks. Just a quiet, dignified, almost invisible presence.

But Ryan saw him. And he chose him.
He adopted George without hesitation, and from that moment on, they were inseparable.

George followed him everywhere: to movie sets, interviews, neighborhood walks—even red carpets.
Once, while on Ellen DeGeneres’ show, Ryan laughed and said: “George never thought of himself as a dog... he believed he was a rockstar.” Even at 17, he added, “he still had his charm, in his own way.”

But behind those jokes, there was something much deeper.
For Ryan, George wasn’t a pet. He was family.
He wore George’s tag around his neck, printed his face on t-shirts, and talked about him at festivals the way one speaks about someone who changed their life.

When George passed away, Ryan mourned him with genuine sorrow.
He remembered him as “more than a dog... a true friend.”

But Ryan’s love didn’t end with George.
One day, while driving with Eva Mendes, he saw a dog running in the middle of the road.
He stopped the car, turned around, and saved him from traffic.
No one filmed it. No photographers, no applause. Just the right thing, done in silence.

Over the years, Gosling has spoken openly against animal abuse, supported shelter adoptions, and used his voice for those who cannot speak.
Not to be seen, but because he knows firsthand what it means to be loved by an abandoned animal.

Because it wasn’t just George’s story.
It’s the story of all those forgotten dogs, waiting silently behind bars for someone to notice them.
And it’s the story of what can be born from a glance, a choice, an open heart.

"Don’t shop. Adopt. Because they’re not just looking for a home. They can teach us how to love."

We’re excited to welcome Col. Potter Cairn Rescue Network to this year’s Pet Rock Festival! 🐾 They’re one of the many in...
07/08/2025

We’re excited to welcome Col. Potter Cairn Rescue Network to this year’s Pet Rock Festival! 🐾 They’re one of the many incredible animal welfare nonprofits joining us Oct. 5 at the Lancaster Fairgrounds. They’re also running an online auction right now—check it out while supporting terriers in need! Make sure your organization (or your favorite organization) is signed up - message [email protected] to reserve your spot. No cost for nonprofits.

Are you happy with your pet insurance? Sounds like quite are few are very unhappy with Nationwide Pet  in Massachusetts ...
06/30/2025

Are you happy with your pet insurance? Sounds like quite are few are very unhappy with Nationwide Pet in Massachusetts --

Some Massachusetts pet owners say they’ve been duped. They’re suing Nationwide Insurance for dropping their pet insurance they thought was good for the life ...

🍽️ Calling all food vendors! Pet Rock Festival returns to the Lancaster Fairgrounds on Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025, and we’re l...
06/24/2025

🍽️ Calling all food vendors! Pet Rock Festival returns to the Lancaster Fairgrounds on Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025, and we’re looking for vegetarian/vegan-friendly vendors to join New England’s largest animal welfare festival! 🐾Thousands of attendees, great exposure, and an amazing cause. Interested? Email [email protected] for details!

We’re thrilled to welcome VEG ER for Pets  – Shrewsbury as a major sponsor of Pet Rock Fest 2025! 🐾🎉 VEG has quickly bui...
06/19/2025

We’re thrilled to welcome VEG ER for Pets – Shrewsbury as a major sponsor of Pet Rock Fest 2025! 🐾🎉 VEG has quickly built a stellar rep for top-notch, 24/7 emergency care — and we’re proud to team up with a crew that’s as passionate about animals as we are. 💚

🎸 CALLING ALL BANDS & MUSICAL ACTS!Think you've got what it takes to rock the Pet Rock Festival stage? We’re making our ...
06/19/2025

🎸 CALLING ALL BANDS & MUSICAL ACTS!
Think you've got what it takes to rock the Pet Rock Festival stage? We’re making our final picks in the next two weeks—and we’ve got two open slots left for never-before-played performers. No repeats! We’re looking for fresh energy, killer sound, and good vibes only. If you're interested, email your band/act's bio, pitch, and video/audio clips to [email protected] for consideration. We get lots of requests, so get yours in ASAP. Rock for a cause—and in front of thousands of animal lovers—this Oct. 5 at the Lancaster Fairgrounds. 🐾🎶

06/16/2025

🐾📸 Is your cat the Cutest in New England? Let’s settle it.

Enter the Pet Rock Fest Cat Photo Contest and show off your fabulous feline in their finest moment — snoozing in the sun, perched on your head, cuddled up with the baby, or just being their chaotic cute self.

✨ Prizes! Trophies! Eternal Internet Glory!
Deadline to enter: Sept. 25 (then the real drama begins — voting!)
Winners announced live at Pet Rock Fest 2025!

GO HERE TO ENTER 👉 https://www.petrockfest.org/catcontest

Address

Worcester, MA

Telephone

+15088328918

Website

https://biz.yelp.com/biz_info/luwlvIUPflDMzWZnjRj3uA

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Our Story

Pet Rock Fest is a animal welfare nonprofit that holds the largest event of its kind in the Northeast, an annual festival that promotes kindness to animals and responsible pet ownership. Pet Rock Fest, held in September each year, is a family festival that features guest speakers, vegetarian food, live music, games, events, a raffle, vendors, and hundreds of area animal welfare organizations. Pet Rock is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization. Donations are tax deductible.

Pet Rock Fest has distributed thousands to worthy animal causes in New England that include the Animal Legal Defense Fund, MSPCA, Humane Society, Foster Parrots, Worcester Animal Rescue League, Second Chance Animal Shelter, Maple Farm Animal Sanctuary and countless others.

Pet Rock Fest also organizes fundraising efforts throughout the year to continue with its mission of issuing grants to those organizations that are committed to making our world better for animals.

If you’d like more information, visit www.petrockfest.org.