The ‘world’s largest pickle party’ is coming to Philly this summer.
Originally published by PhillyVoice on April 02, 2024
Written by Chirs Compendio
AARON RAYSOR/THE BIG DILL
The Big Dill festival is touring this year, with stops in Philadelphia, Baltimore and Dallas. The picture above is from a previous festival in Baltimore
Being in a pickle will take on a whole new meaning this summer in Philly.
The Big Dill, which claims to be the “world’s largest pickle party,” is coming to Philly on June 15 at Xfinity Live! Early bird tickets will go on sale Wednesday.
“The Big Dill is no ordinary event; it’s a movement,” said Kevin Baxter, the event’s founder. The festival, which began in 2019, has “become a global sensation, with fans traveling from all over the world to participate in this event,” according to Baxter.
Participants with a penchant for pickle products can partake in food and drink tastings from several vendors. Among the festival’s offerings will be pickle pizza, pickle grilled cheese and even pickle ice cream, with drinks including pickle margaritas, pickle bloody marys and pickleback shots — which are whiskey shots with pickle juice chasers.
Among the activities are pickle eating contests, mechanical pickle riding at PBR Philly and a pickle rave hosted by Xfinity Live! Director of Entertainment Jay Roy. Musicians, DJs, mummers and mascots will perform throughout the day.
Attendees can also go rock climbing and axe throwing — naturally, there are opportunities to play pickleball, too. Family-friendly activities like face painting and a dedicated kids zone will be present as well.
This year, the Big Dill is touring through three cities. In addition to Philly, the festival will also be in Baltimore on Sept. 21 and Dallas at a later date.
While this event claims to be the “world’s largest pickle party,” there have been a few other noteworthy pickle festivals in Pennsylvania alone. Philly once hosted a Pickledelphia festival in 2018, and Pittsburgh has famously held Picklesburgh almost every year since 2015.
In 2022, the Big Dill had to get even bigger, as high demand led the festival to add a second day to its Baltimore event that year. For now, the Philly event will take place over one day, with tickets starting at $24.99 and VIP tickets going up to $109.99, with perks including a private brunch party, access to a “Pickle Plaza” and an “Ultimate Pickle Swag Bag.”
Should you make it to the party, be sure to relish the moment.
