Dress up your dog and head to Dockyard on Sunday for Bermy Barkus, a Mardi Gras-inspired parade.

Entry is free, there will be treats and giveaways for humans and their pets; at the end of it all a king or queen will be crowned.

It’s the brainchild of Lauren Anders Brown.

She was visiting New Orleans for Mardi Gras with her dog Paddington, about a decade ago when she learnt about Barkus.

Since 1993 the dog parade has been a staple in the weeks-long celebration of music, art, food and drink in Louisiana.

A king and queen of Barkus are chosen each year. The dogs hold the title until the next parade but are for ever listed as members of the Royal Court of Barkus.

“I just thought it was so cool,” said Ms Brown.

Time passed and Barkus went out of her mind until she moved to Bermuda and threw a party to celebrate her Cavalier King Spaniel’s birthday.

“I'd never done that before, I must admit, but it was a huge hit with the humans and the dogs had a blast. There were 13 small dogs that attended and were running around.”

It was February, the same month that Mardi Gras celebrations take place around the world.

Guests at Paddington’s party loved that it gave them something to do in Bermuda at a time when typically there’s not a lot going on.

“People got excited,” Ms Brown laughed. “I'll never forget someone who attended trying to explain it to a family member and they just looked at them like they had three heads.

“I think it definitely set a little bit of a ripple effect as far as being able to celebrate the ones you love, whether they have two legs or four, and bringing people together.”

Paddington died last March at the age of 12.

As his birthday approached, Ms Brown decided to host a different kind of celebration.

“I thought, what if I did something like Barkus, something similar to New Orleans and got people and their dogs together?”

She sat on it for a while and then in December started to plan it all out realising it would require a bigger effort than the Yappy Hours she had been hosting for dogs and their owners to promote PadsPass, a digital health passport she’s building to help humans and their pets travel together more easily.

“Obviously having a dog parade is a bit more than just a dog meetup,” she said.

Once the necessary permits and other logistics were considered, she settled on the Victualling Yard in Dockyard. That it had space for a parade and offered two pet-friendly restaurants was a huge draw.

“I was trying really hard not to be biased towards it considering I live out west but it just made the most sense of all the different options,” Ms Brown said.

What helped was that Wedco had “a very clear website” which laid everything out.

She also liked that the application questioned how proposed events might benefit the Dockyard community.

“I've been hosting my Yappy Hours and trying to bring them around to different parts of the island and I was actually trying to look at different parts of the island, other than west, because I had just hosted one in Somerset in December, but those were becoming just a bit more complicated and complex.

“So, I went to the Wedco website and was able to look at their in-kind sponsorship. They like to focus on how you can include Dockyard in your event, not just how it can benefit from it.”

The dogs will be judged by Graham Foster, an artist and sculptor whose mural, The Hall of History, sits in the Commissioner’s House in the Bermuda Natural Museum at Dockyard.

All dogs are welcome. Poop bags and treats will be on hand; the first few participants that show up will receive dog-friendly Mardi Gras beads.

Costumes are not essential but for dogs that will dress up, Ms Brown suggests giving them a test-run in the clothing before Sunday to make sure they are comfortable.

Pet owners shouldn’t be concerned about grooming their dogs to show standard.

“This is not a show dog event,” Ms Brown said. “They're not going to be judged on how they walk or if they walk in the line. It'd be great to have a parade where they [did] but we know that the odds of that are quite unrealistic.

“I am aware that not all dogs can socialise with other dogs, but it doesn't mean that they can't be crowned king or queen.

“So if your pup wants to participate remotely, dress it up, take a photo [so it can be considered] for king or queen because we really want it to be an inclusive event.”

• Join Bermy Barkus in the Victualling Yard at Dockyard on Sunday from 1pm until 3pm. The parade and judging will be between 1.30pm and 2.30pm to accommodate anyone making the trip from Hamilton by ferry. Photographs will be taken by Fiander Foto. Dog-friendly beads are available at Boats n Barks. For more information follow PadsPass on Facebook orInstagram