One of Starkville’s most exciting events – the world’s largest wiener dog race – is returning to town this weekend.
The fourth annual Starkville Derby, which coincides with the Boardtown Pizza Arts Fest, will be held throughout the day on Saturday with the gates opening at 9 a.m. Live music begins and food and art vendors open by 10 a.m. Then, as with any major sporting event, the national anthem will be sung and a flyover will take place before hundreds of dachshunds line up for roughly 80 races. Races are scheduled to begin around 11:30 a.m.
Alden Thornhill, who founded the Starkville Derby with a group of friends in 2023, said more people and more doggos are expected this year than ever before. In 2025, the derby attracted more than 250 racers and thousands of attendees.
“We have 200-plus food and art vendors this year and 315 racers coming from 26 different states, including three international-born racers,” Thornhill said on Good Things with Rebecca Turner. “We have a great town and a great state that embraces this thing and even national weenie dog lovers have embraced this thing. So, we appreciate everybody who supports us.”
The races will be by category – puppy, adult, and senior – and be broken into randomized “heats” of about five dogs per run. If attendees cannot get a spot near the track, Thornhill said not to fret as there will be three jumbotrons throughout the grounds airing the main event.
The Starkville Derby is held along University Drive and in the surrounding areas. Parking will be available at The Mill and Barnes & Noble on Mississippi State University’s campus and then at Fresh Food Company, Regions Bank, and First Baptist Starkville. A “weenie bus shuttle” will run from each location.
The derby will also feature a kids’ zone, a tailgating section, and an opportunity to check out the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile.
“It’s an event that anyone can come and have a good time at, whether young or old,” Thornhill said. “There’s so much going on at this thing, and it’s a good time. It’s honestly a spectacle.”
While there’s no admission cost, attendees are encouraged to make a donation of any size to the Oktibbeha County Humane Society, a nonprofit that manages the local animal shelter. So far, the Starkville Derby has raised more than $150,000 for shelter pets – something Thornhill says is a cause all animal lovers can agree on.
“With it helping the Humane Society, even if you’re a cat person, you can have a good time at the Starkville Derby,” Thornhill said with a hearty laugh.
Overall winners will be announced at the end of the day and awarded a rose wreath, golden trophy, and plenty of treats and toys. But if you ask Thornhill, there’s no real loser at the derby.
“Everybody’s trying to be the top dog, but we do say that there’s no losers at the derby because everybody’s a wiener,” he said with another laugh.
