Pittsburgh’s Favorite Pickle Fest Starts Early With ‘Taste of Picklesburgh’
Local Pittsburgh restaurants and retailers are getting a head start on promoting pickle-themed products.
PHOTO COURTESY DOWNTOWN PITTSBURGH PARTNERSHIP
Why wait for the official Picklesburgh festival to start when you can begin sampling pickle treats as soon as Thursday, July 11? Alongside the festival expansion into four days — from July 18-21 — Downtown businesses are showing their support by participating in a Taste of Picklesburgh.
The Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership is partnering with 26 retailers and restaurants, which will feature a variety of pickle dishes and beverages from pickle paninis to pickle-tinis.
A Taste of Picklesburgh is adding boutiques for the first time to their line-up. You can check out pickle fashion, soaps, and accessories from Steel City, The Refillery Downtown, and more. Whenever you buy a pickle-themed item from the Taste of Picklesburgh locations, you will receive a free Heinz Pickle Pin while supplies last.
Picklesburgh, voted second on the 10 best specialty food festivals by USA Today’s Readers’ Choice Awards list, added Thursday to its festival weekend this year to kick off July 18. It will be held on the Boulevard of the Allies, Downtown.
The festival will also feature the best in competitive pickle challenges with the new Olympickle Games. The preliminary rounds will take place July 19 to 20 with the championships being held on the last day, July 21. The winners will receive a pickle trophy and $500.
The Pickle Juice Drinking contest will test who can drink a quart of pickle juice the fastest and win the title of Duke of Drinking. The Pickle Eating round will have competitors see who can eat the most pickles by weight in 5 minutes and become the Earl of Eating. Finally, Bobbing for Pickles will have contestants retrieving pickles with only their mouths. Whoever gets the most by weight in 90 seconds will be dubbed the Baron of Bobbing.
Picklesburgh will still feature a variety of vendors, live music, and activities for the entire family. Look out for the Taste of Picklesburgh locations starting this Thursday.
Jilian Musser’s reporting is supported by the Pittsburgh Media Partnership.
