For one weekend each fall, Jupiter's dog beach fills with golden retrievers. The Jupiter Golden Jubilee returns for its ninth year on Friday, Nov. 6, and Saturday, Nov. 7, with a costume parade along the water at Harbourside Place, a morning of goldens running in the surf, and a picnic supper and raffle at Ocean Cay Park. The weekend is free to attend, and it raises money for a long-running study of cancer and other diseases in golden retrievers.

Friday: the parade, in holiday costume

The weekend starts at 5 p.m. Friday at the amphitheater at Harbourside Place, where golden retrievers and their families gather for the second Golden Jubilee Parade. The parade was added last year, and the organizers are bringing it back with a holiday theme this time, so expect turkeys, Christmas outfits and full family themes alongside dogs in a single bandana. Costumes are optional and anyone can walk.

Judging starts at 6 p.m., with prizes in three categories: Best Match, Most Creative and Judges' Pick. There is no need to register for the parade. Harbourside lists the parade on its own calendar for 5 to 7 p.m., and the organizers suggest staying on afterward for dinner at one of the pet-friendly restaurants nearby.

Saturday morning: dozens of goldens in the surf

Saturday's gathering runs from 10 a.m. to noon at the Jupiter dog beach, at Marker 27. That stretch of sand is kept dog friendly by the nonprofit Friends of Jupiter Beach, and it is one of the few beaches left in Florida where dogs are welcome, according to the Jubilee organizers.

The morning opens with a Blessing of the Pups, group photos and an awards presentation. After that, the dogs get the beach: dozens of golden retrievers swimming, chasing and digging while their owners trade stories. The organizers bring snacks and water for the dogs and recommend packing a shade tent or umbrella and extra water. You do not need to bring a golden to come watch, and you do not need to be part of the health study to take part. Photographs are by The PAWtographers, who return to shoot the weekend again this year.

Saturday evening: a picnic supper and raffle

At 4:30 p.m., the group moves to Ocean Cay Park, a 12-acre Palm Beach County park in Jupiter, for a picnic supper with the dogs. Doris Italian Market caters, with heroes, wraps, chicken Caesar and vegetarian sandwiches, cold salads, chips, desserts and nonalcoholic drinks. Tickets are $30 a person, children under 6 eat free, and the dinner's proceeds go to the Golden Retriever Rescue of Mid-Florida.

A raffle follows the meal. Prizes come from a long list of supporters that includes the Brevard Zoo, Butterfly World, the Florida Aquarium, Chewy, Orvis, Tommy Bahama Jupiter and Southwest Airlines, and the organizers post a preview of donated items on the event site as they arrive. Raffle ticket sales close at 6 p.m., winners are drawn starting at 6:15 p.m., and you have to be there to win. You do not need a dinner ticket to play.

Sunday: a beach cleanup walk

For anyone still in town Sunday, the organizers lead a cleanup walk on the dog beach at 9 a.m., picking up after the weekend and anything else that does not belong on the sand. After that, the schedule points visitors back to Harbourside Place for its Sunday market, which is free and runs on the waterfront with produce, specialty foods, flowers, local art and more.

Where the money goes

Donations first cover the cost of the weekend. Whatever is left goes to the Golden Retriever Lifetime Study, run by the Morris Animal Foundation. The study follows more than 3,000 enrolled golden retrievers, collecting health, environmental and behavioral data each year with the help of their owners and veterinarians, to find the nutritional, environmental, lifestyle and genetic risk factors behind cancer and other diseases in dogs. The organizers describe it as the largest and most comprehensive study of its kind in the country.

Registration is free, with a suggested $15 donation that can be added when you sign up. Register for the beach gathering, the dinner or both through the event site, and sign up for dinner by 10 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 2, to hold a seat. Out-of-town guests will find pet-friendly lodging suggestions on the site as well.

What: Ninth Jupiter Golden Jubilee, a weekend for golden retrievers and their families
When: Friday, Nov. 6, parade at 5 p.m. (judging at 6 p.m.); Saturday, Nov. 7, beach gathering 10 a.m. to noon and picnic supper at 4:30 p.m.; Sunday, Nov. 8, cleanup walk at 9 a.m.
Where: Harbourside Place amphitheater (Friday); Jupiter dog beach at Marker 27 (Saturday morning); Ocean Cay Park (Saturday evening)
Cost: Free to attend, suggested $15 donation; picnic supper $30 a person, children under 6 free; dinner registration closes Nov. 2 at 10 p.m.
Register: jupitergoldenjubilee.com

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