Registration open for Picklesburgh 2026 'Dill-Cathlon' competitions

• Pittsburgh's Picklesburgh festival will feature three main competitions in mid-July.
• Contests include pickle juice drinking, pickle eating and pickle bobbing.
• Participants must be 18 or older and must pre-register on the festival's website.

If friendly competition is your jam, you'll relish the contests at this year's Picklesburgh festival in Pittsburgh.

Picklesburgh, voted a USA TODAY 10 Best Specialty Food Festival in 2026, is scheduled to celebrate its 11th anniversary in mid-July and will expand to new locations in Downtown Pittsburgh. The Steel City's pickle-themed festival is set to feature three competitions with multiple rounds.

Here's how to enter the contests.

Where is registration for Picklesburgh 2026 contests?

Registration for Picklesburgh's "Dill-Cathlon" games opened at 10 a.m. on Monday, June 22 on the festival's website. Participants must register online ahead of the competitions.

What contests will Picklesburgh 2026 feature?

Picklesburgh's "Dill-Cathlon" games will include three contests with multiple rounds.

The pickle juice drinking contest will challenge participants to see who can chug a quart of Pittsburgh Pickle Company's Picklexir the fastest, with the winners set to compete to be crowned the Duke of Drinking.

Contestants in the pickle eating contest will have four minutes to eat as many pickles as possible, with the winners to then go on to compete to be named the Earl of Eating.

The pickle bobbing contest will test contestants on how skilled they are at retrieving pickles using only their mouths in the span of 90 seconds. Those with the most pickles by weight will face off for the title of Baron of Bobbing.

Who can compete in Picklesburgh contests?

Picklesburgh Dill-Cathlon participants must be 18 or older to compete. Contestants are selected through the pre-registration process ahead of the event, though unregistered adults may still be able to participate if there are any forfeited or open slots on the day of the contests. Full contest rules are available on the festival's website.

When is Picklesburgh 2026?

Picklesburgh will kick off on Thursday, July 16 and wrap up on Sunday, July 19. Watch for the full schedule of events to be released on Picklesburgh's website.

Where is Picklesburgh 2026?

Picklesburgh will span across areas of Downtown and Pittsburgh's North Shore, with new locations at Market Square and Arts Landing. Here's where the festival will take place:

• PPG Plaza
• Market Square
• Heinz Hall Courtyard and 6th Street
• Fort Duquesne Boulevard
• Arts Landing
• Roberto Clemente Bridge
• Andy Warhol Bridge
• Allegheny Landing

Finch Walker is the Pittsburgh Connect Reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Contact Walker at [email protected]. Instagram: @finchwalker_. X: @_finchwalker.