Picklesburgh relishes another first-place win! USA Today has announced that Picklesburgh retained top honors in its recent readers’ choice “Best Specialty Food Festival in America” contest. Pittsburghers played a significant role by voting daily to ensure that this one-of-a-kind homegrown event won the top spot against a strong showing from Chicago, Houston, Miami, and several other cities.
“We are ecstatic that Pittsburghers continue to champion the Picklesburgh event. The support for it has been unprecedented, and this second win shows how passionate the city is about this event staying on top. The popularity of Picklesburgh continues to grow alongside the unique culinary concoctions created, pickle juice chugged competitively, and most of all, a fiercely loyal following that’s developed for this uniquely Pittsburgh experience.”
Jeremy Waldrup, President and CEO, Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership
Produced by the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership (PDP), and presented by Heinz, Picklesburgh is a free, three-day, culinary celebration that goes beyond the dill pickle to include international dishes and handcrafted foods from local chefs that feature house-cured pickled vegetables; informative how-to demonstrations which highlight the farm-to-table movement and the rising popularity of DIY canning; fun pickle themed merchandise, live music, a “Li’l Gherkins” area with free kids’ activities, and even a competitive pickle juice drinking contest.
The festival will be returning in mid-July, with dates and fresh new ‘pickle-centric’ experiences and events to be announced in the coming weeks. The PDP has also been working closely with the city and county on reinventing the festival footprint to better accommodate the growing crowds it attracts.
The festival, which launched in 2015, has continually drawn national and international attention with coverage that has included the Today Show, Good Morning America, Fox News, Washington Post, Boston Globe, Travel+Leisure, Thrillist, and dozens of local TV stations across the country. It has also been recognized as a ‘Signature Event’ of the Commonwealth by the Pennsylvania Tourism Office and is recognized globally as one of the most interesting food festivals around the world.
Stay connected to regular updates, news, and information about all things Picklesburgh at Picklesburgh.com. Sponsorship opportunities are still available, and inquiries can be directed here. Pickle product producers and culinarily-creative restaurants are encouraged to apply as vendors with applications available soon.
Please note: The Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership is closely monitoring the COVID-19 situation and working with our partners at the City of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County as the health and safety of our community is our top priority.
We are currently maintaining all plans to move forward with Picklesburgh and our other Downtown events and activations while implementing appropriate safety measures and contingency plans in anticipation of future guidance from health professionals.
