LAS VEGAS, Nevada, April 28, 2026 — Las Vegas Mayor Shelley Berkley presented magician Mat Franco with the Key to the City and proclaimed April 26, 2026, “Mat Franco Day” in Las Vegas during The Animal Foundation’s 23rd annual Best in Show fundraiser Sunday at Thomas & Mack Center — capping a remarkable week for the Strip’s long-running magic headliner.
Franco, who brought his own dog Gecko along for the occasion, served as a celebrity judge alongside Mayor Berkley and meteorologist Chloe Koast for the event, which featured more than 20 adoptable shelter dogs competing for the title of Top Dog. Gecko, a 10-year-old dog Franco and his wife, Tianna, adopted in July 2022 after fostering him through The Animal Foundation, was very much at home.
Molly, a three-year-old English Bulldog built like a bowling ball and charming everyone with her perfect personality, won the Blue Ribbon for Best in Show — but it was winners all around as every dog in the show found a new home and critical funds were raised for The Animal Foundation’s lifesaving mission.
The Key to the City ceremony was a surprise. When asked why Franco was chosen for the honor, Mayor Berkley told Conjurly: “Mat has long been an amazing community partner when it comes to caring for the city’s animals. He is a great advocate for our four-legged friends, not to mention he has been a popular performer in the city for many years.”
The honor reflected a shared commitment. Berkley has made animal welfare a cornerstone of her tenure, spearheading a Las Vegas City Council ordinance approved in November 2025 that bans the retail sale of dogs, cats, and other pets in pet stores, effective 2028, as part of a broader effort to reduce shelter overcrowding and shut down inhumane commercial breeding operations.
Franco has hosted annual supply drives for The Animal Foundation and donated $20,000 in winnings from Who Wants to Be a Millionaire to the Nevada Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
“I’m incredibly grateful and honestly a bit speechless,” Franco said in a statement. “Las Vegas has been my home for the past 10 years, and to be recognized in this way, especially at an event that supports such an important cause, means the world to me. This city has given me so much, and I’m proud to give back however I can.”
The proclamation came five days after Franco was inducted into UNLV’s College of Fine Arts Hall of Fame at a gala at Wynn Las Vegas — a ceremony that placed him alongside past honorees including Penn & Teller, Liberace, and Wayne Newton — and weeks after he signed a five-year extension with Caesars Entertainment to remain at The LINQ through 2030.
On Facebook, Franco commented in his signature style: “Second time the city’s given me a day… at this rate I’ll have a full week soon.”
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