This weekend, Pittsburgh is coming together to celebrate the city’s unofficial mascot – the pierogi!
The Pittsburgh Pierogi Festival is returning to Kennywood Park on Sunday, September 23, from 1:00 P.M. – 6:00 P.M.
The event is going to be an all-out pierogi extravaganza, with everything from Pierogi Eggrolls and Sweet Cheese Pierogi Sundaes, to pierogi chalk drawings and a Pop-Up Pierogi Marketplace.
Guests will be able to wander Kennywood Park and enjoy rides like The Jackrabbit, Racer, Thunderbolt, The Turtle, Noah’s Ark, and the Carousel while eating all of the pierogies and pierogi creations you could ever imagine.
To ensure you get to taste it all, we’ve rounded up everything you don’t want to miss at this year’s festival.
If you visit the festival this weekend, we want to see your pictures! Be sure to tag @goodfoodpgh and #goodfoodpgh in all of your pierogi pics.
Everything You Need to Eat at the Pierogi Festival:
At this year’s festival there will be over two dozen pierogi vendors, including S&D Polish Deli, The Pittsburgh Pierogi Truck, Grandma Cyl’s, and Dorothy 6, all offering a traditional taste of Pittsburgh’s most-famous dumpling.
The pierogi vendors will also be serving unique pierogi creations like Grandma Cyl’s Pieroli, a pierogi almost the size of a stromboli filled steak and provolone, and Dorothy 6’s beer pierogi.
Local vegan eatery Onion Maiden with be serving handmade kimchi pierogies and pickled jalapeño pierogies.
Michele’s Mobile Meals will be serving up their famous “Pittsburgh in a Cup,” which showcases famous Pittsburgh food (like pierogies!) inside of a stadium cup that customers get to keep.
Guests will also be able to munch on Pierogi Eggrolls from Le’s Oriental Cuisine.
PGH Halal’s will be serving their super-popular Lamb Pierogies, Chicken Kabob Pierogies, and Falafel Pierogies.
Look out for the Rogicone from South Side BBQ. This tantalizing treat features a waffle cone filled with creamy pepperjack mac’n cheese, North Carolina slaw, and topped with 2 succulent pierogi.
Las Chicas will be returning with last year’s sensation, the Chica Pierogis – a deep fried pierogi topped with fresh chunky salsa, sour cream, and avocado cilantro sauce.
The PGH Pizza Truck will be serving a special pierogi pizza for the festival.
From-scratch Polish comfort food truck Babcia’s Lunchbox will be serving the Thanksgiving-themed Gobblerogi, as well as their famous potato & cheese pierogies, potato & sauerkraut pierogies, Buffalo pierogies, and more.
Local churches such as Holy Ghost Byzantine Church in McKees Rocks and St. Mary’s Orthodox Church in the Southside will be involved in this year’s festival.
The 2017 People’s Choice Award winner, Pittsburgh Smokehouse, will return with their Smokey ‘Rogi, as well as their newest offering, Smoked Bacon Haluski topped with a Pierogi served with optional Pittsburgh Smokehouse brisket.
Need to cool down? Millie’s Homemade Ice Cream is serving flavors crafted specifically to compliment pierogies. The Sugar & Spice Truck will be scooping their Sweet Cheese Pierogi Sundae with two sweet cheese pierogi, vanilla ice cream, homemade cinnamon apple compote, and a caramel drizzle.
For even more frozen treats, Stickler’s Ice Pops will be serving refreshing sweet potato popsicles.
More dessert options come from Happy Camper Cakes. They will be selling unique cakes like the Crafty Sauerkraut Saul, featuring a sauerkraut chocolate cake with craft brew stout ganache, chocolate frost, and chocolate chip sauerkraut truffle, as well as the Pow Pow Lekvar, featuring a cinnamon cake topped with plum bourbon jam, brown sugar Swiss buttercream, and plum shaped pastry topper.
In addition to tons of delicious food offerings, the Festival is showcasing the art of pierogi-making with the first ever Pierogi Pinching Contest, featuring over 40 entrants hailing from Pittsburgh, and places as far as Washington, DC and Sarasota, FL. Applicants ages range from 8-70. Contestants will test their skills to see how many pierogi they can assemble in 60 seconds. The winner will be crowned the official King or Queen of this year’s Festival and win a grand prize of a lifetime pass to the Pittsburgh Pierogi Festival, a $500 cash prize, and more.
The festival will also feature live musical entertainment by local DJ Pandemic, authentic Eastern European band, Četiri Jedan Dva Bend (“412 Bend”), and the Polka stylings of Mon Valley Push and Unnecessary Polka.
Activities include the incredibly-popular “Paint Your Own Pierogi” with Paint Monkey, as well as impressive pierogi-inspired chalk drawings by The Chalking Dad, including a pair of “Pierogi Wings” for memorable guest photo opps. Guests will also be able to meet “Pittsburgh-famous” characters like Pittsburgh Dad, the Racing Pierogies, and the hosts of the YaJagoff Podcast.
The will also be a Pop-Up Pierogi Marketplace including local and traveling vendors selling pierogi and Pittsburgh-inspired good. Vendors include: Commonwealth Press and their famous Pierogi Pillow, Tillie’s Clay Treats pierogi jewelry, Regent Park Naturals pierogi-on-a-rope soaps, and black and gold Pittsburgh ceramics from Pittsburgh Pottery.
Guests will also enjoy free activities like face painting, balloon art by Airheads Balloon Art, and a festive Pittsburgh-style photo booth.
Tickets can be purchased online and day-of at the festival. Ticket sales close at noon on September 23, 2018. Discounts on General Admission tickets are available for Seniors, Veterans/ Military, and Groups of 10 or more people. For more info regarding these discounts, email: [email protected].
Adult tickets are: $24 in advance, $28 at the door
Children 3-12: $12 in advance and at the door
Children 2 and under are free
Parking is free in the Kennywood lots.
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