Watch as talented pickle fanatics compete to down a quart of pickle juice the fastest to be named the Mayor of Picklesburgh.

Think you’ve got what it takes to come out on top in the Pickle Juice Drinking Contest?
This year’s competition, presented by the Pittsburgh Pickle Co. and hosted by YaJagoff!, is more brine-y than ever as contestants compete for honor, glory, and pickled pride.
2023 Schedule
Friday
1PM | 2:30PM | 4PM | 5:30PM | 7PM
Saturday
1PM | 2:30PM | 4PM | 5:30PM | 7PM
Sunday
2PM CHAMPIONSHIP
Registration
Successful Pickle Juice Drinking participants will be notified of their competition round, day, and time via email by July 19.
Limited additional drinking spots may become available during the festival – see Yajagoff tent, near Stanwix Stage.
Pickle juice drinking check-in will be at the Yajagoff tent, near Stanwix Stage.
Online registration DOES NOT guarantee participation.
Follow @downtownpitt on Instagram for updates related to the 2023 competition.
2022 Mayor of Picklesburgh
Congratulations to Jalen F., of Wisconsin, for winning the championship round in approximately 4 seconds after two days of preliminary heats.
Eligibility, Competition Times, and Walk-Up Entries
- All contestants will initially be selected through the pre-registration process.
- All contestants must be 18 years of age or older.
- All contestants must complete a waiver of liability and publicity release on-site the day of the contest.
- Interested contestants may complete only one registration form – duplicate entries will not be counted.
- There will be 10 preliminary rounds. Each round will have 10 contestants. The winners of each preliminary round will be invited to compete in the championship round on Sunday, July 23.
- Contestants will receive an email confirming their assigned round time and further details.
- Assigned competition slots are non-transferrable.
- Contestants must arrive to the assigned check-in area (included in their acceptance email) no later than 30 minutes prior to their assigned competition round or they forfeit their time slot.
- Any forfeited/open slots during the competition will be opened to an on-site raffle. Interested contestants who do not get pre-selected to compete may show up and sign up for this raffle for a chance to compete.
- The raffle for any open/forfeited slots will occur 15 minutes prior to each round. Interested contestants must be present during the raffle to be eligible for that round. Raffle drawings and assignments are final and up to the judges’ discretion.
- Contestants who lose their assigned or raffled round may enter the walk-up raffle to compete again, but they are not guaranteed any additional competition rounds.
- The Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership reserves the right to assign, reserve, remove, and change competition slots and times as seen fit.
Competition Rules
- All contestants will be provided with one jar of pickle juice (roughly one quart). The contestant who finishes the jar of pickle juice first will be declared the winner of that round.
- Any unsportsmanlike conduct is grounds for immediate disqualification and removal from the contest at the discretion of the contest judges.
- The winner will be determined by judges appointed by the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership. The judges’ decisions are final and absolute.
- Contestants who excessively spill or regurgitate the pickle juice will be disqualified, as the discretion of the judges.
- In the event of a tie in preliminary rounds, all winning contestants will advance to the final championship round on Sunday.
- In the event of a tie in the final round, we will have a drink-off amongst the tying contestants to determine a winner.
- The prize for the winner of the championship round on Sunday, July 23 will be $500 cash.
- All decisions by the judges are final and non-contestable.
- Rules, eligibility, times, and prizes are subject to change without notice at the discretion of the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership.