Crufts, organised by The Royal Kennel Club, is widely recognised as the largest dog show in the world. Each year it attracts over 150,000 in person visitors, alongside a substantial global online audience of approximately 4 million unique web visitors accessing schedules, results, and event updates in real time.
From Thursday 5th March 2026 to Sunday 8th March 2026, more than 18,000 dogs across 200 pedigree breeds competed for prizes, with owners competing to win the grand prize of Best in Show which attracts a live TV audience exceeding 4.5 million on UK TV network Channel 4.
Crufts, the world's largest international dog show, attracted over 4 million unique web visitors over four days during its 2026 annual event.
As part of our retained support agreement, Cold Banana was entrusted to provide 24/7 out-of-hours support for Crufts’ Umbraco website during this critical period.
During the live event audiences rely on the Crufts website for schedules, results, and live updates. Traffic surges dramatically during key moments such as group judging and the announcement of Best in Show, the most prestigious and awaited moment in the Crufts calendar.
To ensure flawless performance throughout the show period, Cold Banana delivered continuous Umbraco website support and performance monitoring during the live event window.
Major live events always place intense pressure on digital infrastructure. For Crufts this was no different. This meant millions of page views arriving in concentrated bursts across the Crufts website in a short period of time.
The challenge was ensuring the Umbraco powered Crufts website could handle these traffic spikes while maintaining speed, reliability and accessibility for users across the globe.
Even a brief interruption could impact audience experience and the reputation of a globally recognised event.
Crufts therefore required an experienced Umbraco agency capable of delivering proactive monitoring, rapid response support and platform stability during the most critical moments of the show.
Delivering true round the clock support requires the right people available at the right time.
Cold Banana’s international agency team structure allowed us to provide continuous support throughout the Crufts event window without interruption; with web development and web support teams operating from our offices in Bournemouth and Dubai.
This approach allowed our team to provide ongoing Umbraco support and maintain constant performance monitoring of the Umbraco CMS platform during the entire four day event. Any unusual traffic behaviour, infrastructure strain or performance changes was identified and addressed immediately.
By coordinating closely across both locations, Cold Banana ensured there was always an experienced developer actively safeguarding the platform. This global collaboration provided Crufts with true 24 hour coverage, rapid response capability, and complete confidence that the website would remain stable during the event’s busiest moments.
Across the four day event window the Crufts website delivered exceptional digital performance under significant global demand.
Even during the most anticipated moments such as group judging and the announcement of Best in Show, the website remained fast, stable and accessible for audiences across the world.
Cold Banana’s proactive monitoring and continuous support ensured that potential performance issues were identified early and resolved before they could impact users. This enabled the platform to absorb substantial traffic surges while maintaining a smooth and reliable browsing experience.
For The Kennel Club and the wider Crufts digital team, this reliability protected the integrity of one of the world’s most prestigious live events. Our efforts safeguarded Crufts' reputation while ensuring uninterrupted access for their global audience.
The success of the 2026 event demonstrates the importance of resilient infrastructure and expert technical support when managing high traffic digital platforms built on Umbraco CMS.
Cold Banana is a specialist .NET tech agency and certified Umbraco Gold Partner agency delivering enterprise level digital platforms for ambitious organisations.
Founded in 2015, the agency operates internationally with offices in Bournemouth and Dubai. Cold Banana specialises in complex Umbraco website builds, platform migrations and performance focused optimisation strategies.
Our development team works with enterprise organisations that require scalable digital infrastructure, robust web support and long term growth through modern web technologies.
If your organisation relies on digital performance during high traffic moments, expert technical support is essential.
Cold Banana provides ongoing Umbraco support, web optimisation and scalable web development solutions designed to keep your platform performing at its best.
Speak to our team today to discover how proactive web support can strengthen your digital presence to ensure a seamless user experience for every customer during even the busiest of times!
