Location, Location, Location – Is Westminster’s Love Affair With The Garden Over?

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134 – April, 2023

By Amy Fernandez

Westminster is confusing; that’s inseparable from the experience. However, there have always been a few predictable aspects of the ordeal. Until recently, regardless of new and complicated entry requirements, bizarre benching changes or the inevitable nightmares getting there, we could depend on a couple of things for sure. Midtown, February and Madison Square Garden.

They’ve struggled against it but even Westminster is not immune to change. We got the first hints of that during those unbearable three years of Garden renovation. There wasn’t much relief when it was finished because luxury came at the price of space. The show conditions that previously were not great became even worse. That led to several years of splitting the show between two midtown venues, which was better in some ways, worse in others.

Symbolically at least, the advent of Covid offered a clean slate. It forced many longstanding events to rethink their comfort zone. And yeah, it’s kinda hard to consider Madison Square Garden a comfort zone. But the club took the opportunity to ditch traditions that many of us had come to regard as untouchable.

Westminster 2021 burned the rule book. Held under some Covid restrictions, the club dispensed with benching and spectators. My informal poll confirmed that most judges and exhibitors loved the early summer dates, the picturesque outdoor location and mainly, not dealing with midtown NYC. It’s easy to forget that this city can seem intimidating if you don’t live here.

Click here to read the complete article
134 – April, 2023

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Posted by AnthonyA on Apr 12 2023. Filed under Current Articles, Featured. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.