CANTON − Pickle Fest will return to downtown Canton on June 21 with more vendors, more entertainment and more dill-lightful food.
Matt Burton, who heads the event, said last summer’s inaugural Canton Pickle Fest went so well that he had no choice but to bring back the free event from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Centennial Plaza in downtown Canton. More than 8,000 people attended last year’s celebration.
“It was wild,” he said. “It was awesome.”
This year’s pickle palooza is expected to be bigger and better, said Burton, who coordinates and presents Pickle Fest with the help of Sarah Fankhauser.
“We’re very excited,” Burton said earlier this week. “We’re busy bees getting ready, and we’re all smiles.”
Pickle festivals take place both inside and outside Ohio, including in Akron, Cleveland, Dayton and Pittsburgh, Burton said.
“Pickle fests are blowing up and they keep getting more popular,” he said. “It’s kind of a cultural thing going on with pickles, and that’s pretty cool.”
Canton Pickle Fest will sponsor an off-site pickleball tournament from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the north pickleball courts at Stadium Park. Participants must have registered in advance; registration ended June 17.
An off-site “Iron Pickle” 5K walk and run will start at McKinley High School − check-in starts at 7:30 a.m., and the race begins at 9 a.m. For more information, go to https://www.cantonpicklefest.com.
Free tickets for Canton Pickle Fest are available online via https://www.cantonpicklefest.com to help event organizers with planning, but they are not required.
How many vendors are expected?
Last year’s event saw around 70 vendors. This year will have around 100, Burton said. And that doesn’t include 30 food trucks.
Along with more than a dozen picklemakers from Ohio and beyond, other vendors will include arts and crafts and community organizations. Unique items will include Burton’s glass-blown pickles, as well as crotchet “pickle pals.” Apparel also will be sold.
Pickle purveyors will include Tommy Pickles of New York, The Crazy Cucumber of Ohio and The Mad Pickle Co. of New York. Also appearing will be “That Pickle Guy,” a social media pickle aficionado.
Pickles will be judged in multiple categories, including best classic pickle, best crunch, most unique flavor, and best pickle-inspired food.
Pickle flavors will not be garden variety, Burton promised.
“If you’re only familiar with Vlasic pickles, there’s a whole world for you to experience at the Canton Pickle Fest,” he said.
Although admission is free, attendees can purchase an MVP Pickle Judging Passport for $20, which allows you to judge the best pickles, and also includes discounts at vendor booths and an MVP badge. Passes can be purchased online via the Pickle Fest Facebook page, or at the event at the booth behind the Centennial Plaza stage near Court Avenue and Third Street.
Pickle Dr Pepper and pickle pierogis are on the menu
Last year’s event saw a plethora of pickle-centric food items and beverages.
Pickle pizza will be back. New additions include pickle-flavored Dr Pepper and pickle pierogies, plus other oddities. That includes what’s being dubbed as, “The Elvis” − ice cream, peanut butter and bananas with a pickle on top. Pickle-enhanced appetizers include nachos.
Still craving more? What about pickle-flavored cotton candy and pickle fudge.
What’s new at Canton Pickle Fest?
Pie-eating contests are one thing. But what about a pickle juice drinking contest?
That’s right. Pickle Fest will see who can guzzle the green juice with the most gusto.
Another contest will determine who can hold out a beer stein, filed with a liter of pickle brine, the longest. Akron Pickle Co. is presenting the beer stein challenge. Pickle Fest organizers describe the event as “weirdly intense.”
Entertainment will feature a ’90s dance party.
A Canton Pickle Fest bar will serve pickle margaritas, pickle beer and pickle lemonade. Attractions also include the Cool Cucumber Lounge.
A sensory booth, designed following Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities guidelines, “will provide a calm space for anyone needing a sensory break,” a news release said.
Why have a pickle party?
Food festivals are not new. Pizza, burger, ice cream and ribs events are among the more common ones.
“Pickles are one of the oldest foods on the planet,” Burton said. “And it’s something that can bring us together as people. Nearly every culture in the world has pickles.”
What about next year? Can passionate pickle fans expect a third Canton Pickle Fest in 2026?
“I think we’ll be back,” Burton said. “That’s the plan.”
Reach Ed at [email protected] and follow on X @ebalintREP and TikTok @edwardbalint
If you go
What: Canton Pickle Fest
Where: Centennial Plaza in downtown Canton, 330 Court Ave. NW along Market Avenue N
When: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 21
What: Pickle-themed foods and contests. Food trucks. Pickle vendors, as well as arts and craft vendors.
Admission: Free
More information: Go to the Pickle Fest Facebook page or website at https://www.cantonpicklefest.com.
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