A free four-day festival in the High Plains with 7,600 pounds of pit-smoked BBQ, a carnival midway, a Saturday parade, a car raffle, and 80 years of Lions Club tradition — Dogie Days is exactly what a small Texas town does best.
There is a phrase that defines the spirit of the Texas Panhandle as well as any: Get along, little dogie. It’s a cowboy call to the motherless calves — the ones that have to keep moving, keep going, no matter what. It’s also the name of one of the most genuinely beloved small-town festivals in the state of Texas, and it has been running every June in Dumas since 1946.
Dogie Days 2026 will be June 10 through 13, hosted by the Dumas Noon Lions Club. Soak up all the sights, sounds, and smells of a good old-fashioned midway, dive into delicious barbecue, and take part in a more than 70-year Texas tradition at Dogie Days in Dumas — fun, family-friendly, and free, serving up carnival fun and excitement for four days in mid-June.
80 Years of Community, Charity, and Barbecue
The first Dogie Days were held July 31 through August 3, 1946. It evolved from what was formerly called the Dumas Annual Old Settler’s Reunion and Rodeo, sponsored by the Noon Lions Club in an effort to meet commitments made to the Llano Estacado Boy Scout Council to aid the Don Harrington Ranch in scouting.
Considered the oldest civic club in Moore County, the Dumas Noon Lions Club held its inaugural meeting on August 27, 1930. The group’s membership grew from 23 members to well over 200, and by 2015 it ranked as the fifth-largest Lions Club in the world.
A highly effective fundraiser, Dogie Days supports the club’s well-known campaign to provide optical examinations and eyeglasses to those in need, as well as Texas Lions Camp, Lions Christmas Sharing, Lions Club scholarships, the Dumas Education Foundation, Dumas Meals on Wheels, and the Moore County Food Pantry. In 2018, the Lions Club netted more than $117,000 in proceeds for charity, and approximately 6,000 people — roughly half the population of Dumas — were fed at the town barbecue.
The BBQ Is Legendary — and the Numbers Prove It
Every Dogie Days, 7,600 pounds of meat is cooked in a covered pit with 15 cords of wood for 24 hours. Forty gallons of barbecue sauce. 800 pounds of beans. 200 pounds of onions. 228 gallon cans of peaches. 300 loaves of bread. Approximately 5,000 to 6,000 people are fed at the barbecue every year.
The original recipe and method has not changed since 1947. The meat is seasoned and wrapped in burlap bags one week before the day it is served, stored at about 38 degrees, cooked in a pit covered with tin and dirt, and served with beans, onions, pickles, bread, and peaches — the same way it was served at the very first barbecue.
Beyond the barbecue, the Dogie Days numbers are equally remarkable: 14,500 hamburger patties are ordered each year, approximately 8,000 cans of soft drinks are consumed, 2,500 pounds of potatoes are cooked into curly Q fries, and 5,760 cans of biscuits are deep-fried into rooster eggs — approximately 57,000 individual rooster eggs.
Four Days of Free Fun
The midway and booths open at 6 p.m. Wednesday through Friday, with all nights beginning with a $25 wristband for the rides. The midway and booths open at noon Saturday — after the parade — and close at 11 p.m. that evening. There is no admission charge. BBQ tickets are $12 in advance and $13 the day of the barbecue. Chances on the vehicle raffle are $5.
Members of the Dumas Noon Lions Club man all food and game booths — no outside organizations are allowed to run booths. The carnival rides are operated by an independent carnival company, but everything else — every piece of food, every game — is run by Lions Club members who have been doing this for generations.
The Car Raffle — A Dumas Tradition Since 1957
The climax of Dogie Days is the raffling of a new vehicle on the midway Saturday night. The first vehicle ever given away was approximately in 1957 — a 1972 Plymouth Duster was one of the early winners. Chances on the vehicle are $5. Someone wins a brand-new car every single year, and Saturday night at McDade Park when that winner is announced is one of the great small-town Texas moments of the summer.
Combine It With the Route 66 Festival
Dumas sits 47 miles north of Amarillo on US-87 — making it a natural complement to the Texas Route 66 Festival running across the Panhandle the same week, June 4 through 13. Drive the Mother Road, stop in Dumas for four days of free festival fun, and make a full Panhandle road trip out of it.
Event Details
Event: Dogie Days 2026 — 80th Annual Presented by: Dumas Noon Lions Club Dates: Wednesday, June 10 through Saturday, June 13, 2026 Location: McDade Park, south side of Dumas, Moore County, TX 79029
Hours: Wednesday through Friday: Midway and booths open at 6 p.m. Saturday: Midway and booths open at noon (after parade) through 11 p.m.
Admission: Free Rides: $25 wristband nightly BBQ Tickets: $12 in advance / $13 day of barbecue Vehicle Raffle Tickets: $5 per chance
Dumas/Moore County Chamber of Commerce: dumaschamber.com
Website: dumasnoonlions.com
Facebook: Dumas Noon Lions Club
