About the
Starkville Derby

Founded in 2023, the Starkville Derby was created as a festival for residents, students, and guests of Starkville that would give back by supporting a local charity and giving a boost to hospitality businesses in town during a down baseball season.

The creators wanted an event that would be like nothing the town had ever seen, and being the dachshund fans they were, asked themselves, “What if we shut down the street and raced weenie dogs?”

What came next was something out of a movie: a 100 foot roll of premium pet turf provided by Bluff City Turf Co., hundreds of weenie dogs from across the country, tens of thousands of attendees, thousands watching livestreams of the races online worldwide, and millions of social media impressions. Best of all, thousands upon thousands raised for the Oktibbeha County Humane Society and its animals.

Now the Starkville Derby is the world’s largest wiener dog race with over 250 racers coming from places like Seattle and New York, over 110 food and art vendors, and a tail-waggin’ good time in the heart of SEC Country! It has also been honored with awards from the Mississippi Main Street Association, Mississippi Tourism Association, and Southeast Tourism Society.