Picklesburgh to return in late August

This is not a drill.

Actually, it’s a dill. And a lot of them.

Picklesburgh, the iconic pickle festival held every summer on one of Pittsburgh’s three sister bridges, will return in full fermented form from Aug. 20-22 on the Andy Warhol Bridge. USA Today has rated the multi-day event as the nation’s best specialty food festival for the past two years in a row.

The Allegheny Council granted the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership, the local nonprofit which runs the festival, a permit last week to hold the festival after it took a year off due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The event includes many dill-ectable delights beyond regular pickles, including cooking demonstrations, pickle drinks, pickle ice cream and more.

Jeremy Waldrup, the partnership’s president and CEO, said in a release that Picklesburgh attracts thousands of visitors from near and far as a “signature” event for the City and state.

“After a very challenging 2020, that even saw the Heinz pickle balloon burst over the holidays, we could not be more happy to dill-iver this great news, reinflate the beloved balloon, and welcome everyone back to ‘brine and dine’ with us again this August!” Waldrup said.