Picklesburgh 2024 kicks off Thursday
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - It's always a great day to be a Pittsburgher, but if you love pickles, it's an even better day. Thursday kicks off the 2024 edition of Picklesburgh and there's more to offer this year than ever before.
This year, Picklesburgh is opening early, giving fans of pickles an extra day to celebrate all things pickles.
In 2023, more than 200,000 people attended the festival and on the Saturday of last year, more people attended on that day alone than the entirety of 2022.
Picklesburgh also expanded its footprint last year, moving from the sister bridges to the Boulevard of the Allies.
Of course, you can expect plenty of activities and pickle-themed foods. That includes the famous pickle juice drinking contest. This year, the festival will feature the "Olympickle Games" which includes the pickle juice drinking contest as well as a pickle eating contest and bobbing for pickles competition.
The festival kicked off at noon and goes on until 10 p.m. The same goes for Friday and Saturday, and then on Sunday, it goes from noon until 6 p.m.
On Friday, you'll also be able to meet some of the KDKA-TV News Team.
Get all the details on Picklesburgh 2024 on their website at this link.
Chile tries all Picklesburgh has to offer
I guess I can let the cat of the bag: I am not a native Pittsburgher, I'm from the other side of the state so this is my first Picklesburgh experience, so what better way to acquaint myself with the city than this nationally-recognized festival?
First, I tried out the pickle lemonade and a pickle martini. The lemonade was good, but the martini stood no chance. Delicious!
I walked through a sea of setups seeing pickle egg rolls, pickle cotton candy from Grandpa Joe's, pickle chocolate fudge from Chocolate Moonshine, and of course, dill pickle ice cream from Millie's.
Whatever "pickles" your fancy, there's a chance you can find it this weekend along the Boulevard of the Allies.
As I made my way through the festival, I spoke with Dina Colada - yes, that is her actual name - as she prepared for the event she loves so much.
"I love the people and the environment, so I just want to support the pickle lovers," she said. "We've been mentally preparing, stocking up, and making our lists."
In conclusion, let's "raise the jolly pickle" and have a dill-lightful weekend!
