Under overcast skies, downtown Golden was shining gold Saturday afternoon.

The annual Goldens in Golden event took over the town (at least Washington Avenue from 10th to 13th street), bringing in thousands of visitors and their Golden Retrievers for a day of photo ops, local vendors, food and flappy fun.

The event, organized by Visit Golden, began in 2019 to attract visitors to the city during the winter months by inviting Golden Retrievers and their owners to gather under the city’s iconic Welcome to Golden Arch in honor of National Golden Retriever Day — which is celebrated on Feb. 3 each year.

A seemingly endless parade of dogs stretched down to Parfet Park, where vendors sold dog-related goods and workers handed out free cups of whipped cream to pups.

The event continues to garner national attention, with some people traveling from all over the country to cruise the Golden streets with their furry friends.

The crowd also keeps growing, with traffic and parking blocking all of downtown Golden.

“We just love it. It’s so fun. We like seeing all of the markets and the different people from everywhere that come out. There’re people from all towns and states,” J.J. Rounds said with her two retrievers after traveling from Summit County for her third year.

“This is one of the happiest days in Golden, Colorado… or maybe anywhere,” Robin Fleischmann of Visit Golden said in a press release. “We are delighted that so many Golden Retrievers and their people can bask in the Golden goodness all around. Any time of year, Golden is a vibrant, charming and friendly place to spend with your best friend.”

But despite the clever name, Goldens in Golden means more than just the play on words.

The Golden Retriever is the most popular dog breed in Colorado, according to the U.S. News & World Report. The retriever is followed by the Chihuahua, Goldendoodle, German Shepard and French Bulldog.

“They are the best dog,” Katie Knight said with her two Golden Retrievers — a father and son duo that happened accidentally.

She continued: “They’re goofy. They’re kind. They’re just so fun.”

“This is generalized. There are many great dogs that aren’t retrievers, but I think retrievers are super people-oriented and family-oriented,” Autumn Less said with her retriever. “There are other breeds that are so smart that they don’t want to listen to you anymore because they know better than you, but these guys are just big doofs. They just want to make you happy.”

“Give him a ball and he’s just the happiest dog on the planet,” Justin Less, Autumn’s husband, said.

There weren’t only retrievers at the event, though, with hundreds of other breeds galloping around.

For example, Betsy Stanley from Arvada came out with her family — and her French Bulldog — for their second-straight year.

Last year, her au pair from Mexico had arrived in the country right around the festival. So, the family took her out to show her around.

“We had such a wonderful time. It was really her first time being like, ‘OK, this is what people in the U.S. do,’” Stanley said. “It was quite an introduction for someone getting out in the U.S. We had to come out because it was her first anniversary of being in America.”

Richard Fair also traveled up from Colorado Springs with his two long-haired miniature Dachshunds.

He said: “Our daughter has a Golden, so we just come with them. It’s such a great event. We love it.”