Picklesburgh is the BEST festival in Pittsburgh for a reason! Every year I look forward to getting…read morethe Bacon grilled cheese with maple apple bourbon jam and the Pickled Pizza. Of course I always try new things, but those are a must grab. Every year this festival grows bigger and better, so I can't wait to see what's in store for 2026! If you're traveling here specifically for Picklesburgh, make sure to look at the maps and figure out parking and your game plan ahead of time. Be sure to wear sunscreen, especially if it's on the bridges again- there was almost no shade and long lines! Stay hydrated and try as much as you can!

Picklesburgh is a pickle festival that for a decade has been held each summer in downtown…read morePittsburgh. Admission is free, and visitors may purchase from several dozen individual merchants that sell pickle-themed foods, beverages, and merchandise. For years, I have attended Picklesburgh off and on. This year, from July 11-13, the festival is located on two of the Sister Bridges--the Roberto Clemente/6th Street Bridge and the Andy Warhol 7th Street Bridge--as well as at PPG Plaza, Market Square, 6th Street, Ft. Duquesne Blvd., Allegheny Landing, and Isabella Street. I attended Picklesburgh on Saturday, and as expected the crowds were large. Some vendor workers worked very slowly and caused slow-moving lines, while other vendor workers worked more efficiently. I enjoyed viewing the 35-foot Heinz pickle-shaped balloon over Roberto Clemente Bridge. I ate the following foods and drinks: pickle gelato from Millie's Ice Creams; pickle-flavored popcorn, pickle-ade, and pickle Hawaiian ice from Ekernally Yours; and pickle-potato pierogies from Gosia's Pierogies. These pickle-flavored foods were not my all-time favorites, but I enjoyed eating them. Other Picklesburgh events include shopping, the Dill-cathalon (pickle-juice drinking, bobbing for pickles, and pickle eating), riding a mechanical pickle, and live music, but I skipped them.

Nice festival in Houston Pa! Lots of vendors, food trucks , entertainment, and a few alcohol…read morechoices!

A apple fest with no apple cider doughnuts is pretty disappointing. Also wasn't a big fan of swopes…read morefarm apple cider. It was smaller than I had expected

My first visit to this annual event…read more Pros: Loved the multiple stages in close proximity to one another so that you could go from stage to stage for the next show lining up Loved that there were food trucks available near the stages Loved the music Loved easy access -- parked in 1st ave garage and took the "T" from there to Wood Street for free. Garage parking was a flat 5.00 fee. Easy to get in and out and plenty of parking available. Also, restrooms available in the garage. Cons: I didn't stay as long as I would have liked because maneuvering from one stage to the next was claustrophobic and dangerous because the sidewalks were nearly impassible. There were people's chairs on them plus venues had their tables and chairs on them, as well. Two way foot traffic was nearly impossible. So, I cried "Uncle" and we ended up at the Harris Theater to watch a wonderful foreign film.

What's better than a weekend full of upcoming and legendary Jazz musicians??? A FREE weekend full…read moreof upcoming and legendary Jazz musicians!!! Every June (or early July) for the last four years, Pittsburgh Jazz Live Fest has descended upon the 'Burgh. And, this year was the best so far! I was only able to make the second day this year. And, it was an awesome experience! My day began with a tribute to Dorothy Ashby concert, "Afro Harping", by the talented jazz harpist Brandee Younger. Moving on to a performance by the Messenger Legacy. Followed by an AMAZING concert by Gregory Porter. And, the last performance that I was able to catch was The Joe Locke Group - which was my favorite show of the day. Along with the awesome jazz performances came some pretty awesome food trucks and vendors! TGIFridays was there giving out free "samples" all day - like huge burger sliders and thirst quenching fruity drinks. Basically, if you hung around their truck, you could gorge yourself on free food all day. There were some really great area small businesses too, like Franktuary and BRGR, as well as the lesser known tea/popsicle vendors Healcrest Farms. That, and all of the regular area bars and restaurants like Seviche and Nine on Nine, etc, were hoppin'! I wish I would have been able to make Friday and Sunday, for events like the Jazz Bar Crawl (Friday) and a performance by multiple grammy award winner Dianne Reeves (Sunday)! Thankfully, there's always next year!

Like many of the other recent reviewers have said, the event moved a couple years ago from Point…read moreState Park to the Cultural District. While the change affords more shops and accessibility in some ways, it feels more compact and like a shell of its former self when it was in an expansive green space that didn't have traffic running through the middle of it. The arts and artists are as great as ever and it's super fun to walk amongst all of the other patrons, but like it said, it's kind of small and can be completely viewed in about an hour or less.

Certainly a slimmed down version from years past. Some nice artwork found here and there - I bought…read more4 prints my son liked and wanted for his room. Food vendors were, as always, hit or miss. Good gyros at one spot, ridiculously overpriced and crusty old corn dogs (7 bucks? Really???) at another. It's still worth a walk about.

I last reviewed the Pittsburgh Renaissance Festival twelve years ago (!!!), when I was still a…read moreregular and went every year. Now though? Well...now I'm not a regular and I don't go every year. I actually took a long break and skipped attending the Fair for many years. I reached a point where I couldn't justify paying the entrance fee to hear the same jokes as the year prior, or to spend more money shopping for trinkets I didn't need. So once one of their regular performers retired, I took it as a sign and I stepped away. That was until that regular came out of retirement - that was enough reason for me to come back; so I figure now is as good a time as any to update my review of the Ren Fair overall. On a positive note: there are now multiple new performers at this Ren Fair. I was very happy to spend a full day walking around hearing new music, watching new acts, and so forth. (I especially appreciated the new additions after walking by a returning comedy act and hearing the exact same jokes that I remembered from "BC"...you know, "Before COVID"...) Something else has changed in the years since I last visited the Fair. There's a relatively new app on the block now called TikTok - you might have heard of it. Well let me tell you, nerds like me love it. And we post about the shenanigans we get into, such as going to the local Ren Fair. Well videos of the Pittsburgh Renaissance Festival took off this year, and they definitely got the attention of some new attendees. So for the first time that I can remember, when I drove out this year, traffic to get into the Fair was backed up not just onto the road...but onto I-70 itself. (I'll interrupt my own story time now to admit there might have been other factors too...but I vividly remember seeing NUMEROUS TikTok videos about the Ren Fair, way more than usual. Make of this anecdote what you will.) The additional foot traffic was good for the Fair I'm sure, but there's really not that much this Fair can do in the way of expanding to accommodate said foot traffic. The crowds being what they were, I didn't even attempt to watch the jousts. I also made sure I planned my day and got to other shows super early so I could find a seat for them. Final thoughts: it was good to see some updates to the Fair lineup this year. But generally speaking, my visit felt like 'same Ren Fair, different year'...yet was simultaneously the busiest weekend I can remember. Go figure. I'm most likely to come back to this Ren Fair if: 1) My favorite performer continues to come back. 2) My friends want to go. Otherwise, I'm probably skipping. It's not that the Pittsburgh Renaissance Festival itself is bad; it's that after being a regular for literal decades, I'm OK with no longer being an annual patron. (And my wallet is OK with that decision, too!)

Great time for the entire family! Spacious grounds with lots of activities including food & drink,…read moreartisan shops, live shows, live bands, games, rides and lots of sights to see. Located in West Newton just outside of Pittsburgh is a 16th century medieval amusement park open for 6 weekends from late Aug through late Sept. most every vendor only accepts cash so take a lot with you cause it's not a cheap outing. ATM's are located near the front gate just in case. We visited many vendors with a wide array of products but one that stood out was Adventure Armory owned by Laurel. Great sword and shield woodworks. They sell painted and bare wood armory pieces. Very cool! She was very cool and great with the kids. A must stop for kids of all ages! All and all a fun day in a magical world whether you go in costume or plain clothes it's definitely worth the drive to experience times of past. The BIG Show had to be the Jousting at the outdoor arena. Very cool!! Highly recommended! Looking forward to visiting again next year!

This festival is and annual event that takes place on Labor day weekend, Thursday - Sunday. It is…read morevery well attended every year. The church runs this event incredibly well. Wonderful food, live music, folk dancing & artisans selling their wares. The Gyro tent outside has many great options & inside the churches event center are many of the Greek classic dinner options. ( you may have to wait a bit to get inside. Long lines) We dined outside, the food was good, the beer was cold and our sweet treats were yummy.

Great as always. Went with their new "Yinzer Gyro" which is the same as a regular gyro, but with…read morethe addition of French fries and feta. Honestly was amazing. Hit the spot. Would 100% recommend. Also had to snag a very large helping of the Kataifi from the pastry line. Easily one of the best (cookies???) I've ever eaten in my life. Overall, 10/10. Love this festival, I look forward to it every year.

This festival rocks! Love the food and music. Allegheny Center Alliance Church sponsored the stage…read moreand had the food vendors for the Northside Stage 1. Urban Impact also had several kids performances on the stage. Very family friendly and a great production! The food was also great! Had ribs and all the fixings. Worth stopping by every year.

I love the Deutschtown Music Festival and it just keeps getting bigger every year. So many vendors…read morewith local foods and drinks and of course the performers. Local musicians performing on street stages and all over the area inside venues from neighborhood bars to stores, the Elks, The Priory and more. This is truly a festival that reflects the culture, art and music that Pittsburgh has to offer.

Great festival to check out along Walnut St in Shadyside on a hot Sunday summer! :) This past…read moreweekend, I went out of a whim to grab a quick bite but came across a crowd attending Shadyside Art Festival by accident. A variety of vendors were all set up in their tents showcasing their pieces of arts from painting and sculture to jewelries like ring and necklaces as well as some food vendors offering finger/snack food such cheese arepa, lemonade or chicken kebab along Walnut street. Overall, the crowd seems to be happy checking all the different vendors out. There must have been at least around 50-75 vendors there and was a nice, pleasant surprise to just walk around and seeing what all the vendors had to offer. Wouldn't mind coming across this festival again if I'm in the area.

I just arrived in Pittsburgh, unexpectedly, fleeing Hurricane Irene. I checked into my hotel, and I…read moredecided to hit up a drop-in yoga class in Shadyside. When I arrived on Walnut Street, much to my delight, I found myself in the middle of "Shadyside...The Art Festival." The street was filled with tents featuring local artists, the sidewalks were lined with fresh lemonade stands and barbeque carts, and there were cool people everywhere. The best way to spend an evening.

Ah, the Pittsburgh Irish Festival. The Irish Festival is an extremely popular event - this year in…read moreparticular it was swamped. I admit, it's a beloved tradition, but it can also be a bit of an underwhelming tradition some years. I personally know what I'm getting into every year, but I can see where first-timers would get frustrated. But still, there really is plenty to appreciate here, especially if you have a family. I love walking around with my mother every year and always look forward to the following: *Exploring the enormous Irish marketplace. *Saying hello to a friend who brings their gypsy caravan to the event as a nice cultural addition. *Trying the beers and ciders - expensive, yes, but also very, very good and worth it! *Seeing the animals that are brought out - an array of Irish dogs and ponies is not uncommon here, although it varies on the day, weather, etc. *Listening in on several workshops; there are always really wonderful musicians and storytellers here; they're wonderful additions to everything else. *Stopping in at the vendor booths along the paths; the Welsh cookie stand is one of my favorites! BUT, I do admit, the festival is not without flaws: -Food here is expensive and a lot of it reminds me more of American pub food than Irish food, although I admittedly can't comment on just how authentic the food actually is. -The marketplace, despite being an amazing place to shop, is, well, pretty Americanized. For every jeweler or wood crafter that makes their items by hand, there's two stands selling "Kiss Me, I'm Irish" shirts and other things along those lines. It's kind of sad to see so many awful commercialized items mixed in amongst the handmade ones. -Last but not least, yes: parking is a NIGHTMARE. Be prepared to deal with it. I'm sorry. It can't be helped. Well, flaws or not, I'll keep coming back, and I do recommend that everyone visit at least one time! After all, if enough people attend maybe the festival will move to a bigger location with better parking - right?

In general, this festival is disorganized and extremely overpriced. Full priced tickets are $16,…read moreand parking is an additional $6 on top of that--and that's before you even enter! Once you're inside, expect to pay steep prices for food that's really not that uniquely Irish, as well as drinks--both alcoholic and non. In order to get drinks, you have to stand in line to get tickets, and then stand in another line to use them! This process should be streamlined so that you can buy and use tickets without having to stand in two lines. The highlights of this festival are the Irish music and dancing and the handcrafted merchandise. If you're really into those, then it might be worthwhile to go (although even then, I'm not sure, given the price of admission). Otherwise, I'd give this festival a pass and head over to the Ren Fest, which charges about the same for admission, doesn't charge for parking, and has more reasonably priced food/drinks--not to mention more fun activities and varied entertainment.