Do you love all things pickled? No, no, this isn’t an attempt to tickle your funny bone but to give you a reminder that Pittsburgh’s annual, free-to-attend festival is nearly upon us. The destination for all things pickled, Pittsburgh’s festival dedicated to the tangy cucumber returns from 21-23 July 2023.
According to Yelp, the humble pickle has emerged as one of 2023’s top food trends with TikTokers leading the charge. #Pickles has clocked up more than 3.8 billion views to date and sees users participating in a viral pickle eating challenge. In the US, Americans consume over 26-billion pickles a year, which equals nine pounds of pickles per person.
Every year, Pittsburgh transforms into the pickle capital of the world to celebrate its annual Picklesburgh Festival. Free to attend, the event will take place from 21-23 July on the Roberto Clemente Bridge – one of three iconic golden suspension bridges connecting downtown to the North Shore. Offering many attractions for pickle enthusiasts to experience, over 100 vendors take part, tempting visitors with pickle cocktails, pickle beer and even pickle-flavoured ice cream, in addition to pickle juice drinking contests, live music, cooking demonstrations, workshops and demonstrations, and pickle-themed merchandise.
Established in 2015, Picklesburgh has been voted Best Speciality Food Festival in America by USA Today for the third consecutive year and was created by the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership (PDP) to pay homage to the cherished ingredient. Dating back to the early 1800s, pickles have played a significant role in Pittsburgh’s history as German immigrants brought their pickle-making traditions to the city. The festival is a way to celebrate this cultural heritage and bring the local community together. Home to Henry John Heinz and the Heinz empire, in 1893 Heinz gave away pickle pins to promote visitation to his exhibit at the World’s Columbian Exposition and the original pickle charm and a collection of pickle charms and pins through the years are on display at the Heinz History Centre’s Heinz exhibit – the largest history museum in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
So if you’ve plans to visit Pittsburgh this May, you know what you shouldn’t miss out on.