Tails, Capes, and Cortland: Ronnie’s 5th Annual Bernal Heights Pet Parade
Sunday, October 25, 2026
Bernal Heights once again turned out for its favorite four-legged tradition. Under sunny skies, about 100 pets and their people gathered at Holly Park for the fifth annual pet parade, then headed down Cortland Avenue. By all accounts, everyone had a great time.
The walk
The parade started at noon at Holly Park’s baseball field, then wound down Cortland Avenue to the Lucky Horseshoe parklet and the Good Life Grocery parking lot, where the costume contest awards ceremony closed out the afternoon. With roughly 100 pets in the procession, the avenue was a steady stream of wagging tails, with neighbors and shoppers stopping to watch it pass.
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The star of the show
If the parade had a headliner, it was Doggy Parton. The pup drew cheers and phone cameras along the route, and the gallery below features plenty of photos of the day’s clear standout.
Doggy Parton, Bernal Heights Pet Parade
A party with a purpose
The parade is also a fundraiser. All contributions support Project Open Paw, providing food and veterinary care for unhoused individuals’ pets in San Francisco.
Organizers included Ronnie from The Lucky Horseshoe, Bernal Beast, and FTK Martial Arts. Cortland Avenue businesses also contributed.
Those who missed the chance to give can follow Project Open Paw on Instagram to learn how to support its work.
A tradition with deep roots
The event has grown steadily since its early days. A listing for the 2023 parade, then in its second year, described a “Blessing of the Animals” at Holly Park followed by the walk down Cortland. By the fourth annual edition, local Cortland Avenue businesses donated prizes for the costume contest winners. This year’s parade continued that neighborhood-powered spirit.
Up next: Halloween on Cortland
The costumes aren’t done yet. Next up is Halloween on Cortland, a night of ghoulish delights along the avenue.
When: Saturday, October 31, 5:00 to 8:00 PM
Where: Cortland Avenue, closed to traffic from Bennington to Folsom
Human costume contest: 5:30 to 6:30 PM in front of the Bernal Heights Library
This time the humans get their turn on the runway. See you on Cortland.
The gallery
Share additional parade photos in the comments, with pups tagged.
Mike Doherty serves as Chief Experience Officer at Greening Projects, a nonprofit organization dedicated to transforming underutilized urban spaces into vibrant green areas
