Hang on tight for Picklesburgh's dill-icious new mechanical challenge

Each year, Picklesburgh fanfare grows. Western Pennsylvanians commit to downing pickle beer, puckering up for pickle ice cream, or bobbing for pickles.

A new challenge has arrived for the Picklesburgh fan base — riding a mechanical pickle.

Pickle Riding is ringing in the 10th anniversary of the festival. For $12 and a bit of pride, anyone can ride the jerking, bucking, mechanical pickle on Fourth Avenue by PPG Place — cowboy boots not included.

This TribLive reporter gave the world’s first, bull-style mechanical pickle a try. It seemed docile upon first glance, but the slippery, green surface heats up quickly and with a mere black rope jutting out of the plastic dill — it’s harder than it looks to hang on.

For those (18 and older) who dare, tickets can be purchased onsite and no reservations are needed. Riders need to sign a waiver when purchasing a ticket. The mechanical pickle operates during festival hours.

Getting the inside scoop on Picklesburgh’s mechanical pickle ride reporting with @TribLIVE

Love my job! pic.twitter.com/cnh56LQIbH

— anna mares (@annagracemares) July 10, 2025

Bella Tirone, 22, and her friend, Kacy Christensen, 19, are working summer jobs at PPG Plaza and are considering taking a half-day off work on Friday to fully enjoy the festivities.

“I’ll ride a pickle,” Tirone said. “You don’t have to ask me twice.”

Christensen is daunted by Pickle Riding.

“It goes kind of fast,” she said. “It looks scary.”

But both women, Pittsburgh-born and raised, are proud of Picklesburgh.

It’s (one of) Pittsburgh’s favorite events of the year — Picklesburgh ????

Check out these views from the festival, and stay tuned for more sights and sounds @TribLIVE pic.twitter.com/koAZ6ZWraD

— Megan Swift (@mgswift7) July 11, 2025

Christensen goes to school in Washington, D.C., and needs to explain the significance of Picklesburgh to her friends who don’t quite get the crowd appeal.

“It’s an experience nobody understands until they’re here,” she said.

What else is new at Picklesburgh this year?

This year’s festival footprint will be the biggest one yet, spanning two of the Sister Bridges, PPG Plaza, Market Square, Sixth Street, Ft. Duquesne Boulevard, Allegheny Landing and Isabella Street. From Friday through Sunday, Downtown Pittsburgh will be brimming with 57 vendors, 23 Taste of Picklesburgh merchants, exclusive culinary offerings, crowd-rousing Dill-Cathlon contests, the aforementioned mechanical pickle, live music, KidsPlay activities, and the return of the 35-foot-long signature Heinz pickle balloon flying high above the Roberto Clemente Bridge.

“Yes, Picklesburgh is weird,” Jeremy Waldrup, president and CEO of Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership, said at July 10 Picklesburgh press conference. “But it’s working.” The PDP founded Picklesburgh and remains the producer.

Pickles pack crowds. In 2024 alone, more than 250,000 attendees joined in the celebration and Downtown hotel occupancy rose by 27%, according to VisitPittsburgh, with 90% of rooms filled throughout the festival weekend.

Picklesburgh 2024 brought in an estimated $23.2 million in direct spending to Pittsburgh, according to VisitPittsburgh.

There was also a 1,000% increase in attendance since the inaugural event.

Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey said he’s proud of Picklesburgh.

“There aren’t many times you can enjoy 50 different activities dealing with pickles,” he said. “Think of all the people who have left with memories of doing something with a pickle.”

No longer just a quirky hometown festival

Since its launch in 2015, Picklesburgh has become one of the largest festivals in Western Pennsylvania and is nationally known. Named the winner of USA Today’s Readers’ Choice Award for “Best Specialty Food Festival” four times, along with numerous other local accolades, Picklesburgh continues to break records for attendance year after year.

There are culinary creations from Burgatory, DiAnoia’s Eatery, Mancini’s, Millie’s Ice Cream, and Yuzu and others, plus exclusive festival foods made just for Picklesburgh, such as:

• IC Pickle: Iron City Beer’s pickle-flavored IC Light beer, developed with Pittsburgh Pickle Company, offers a dill-ightfully cool cucumber taste.

• Turner’s Pickled Iced Tea: A limited-edition pickle-flavored iced tea joins Turner’s classic summer refreshments.

• Jenny Lee’s Gherkin Grilled Cheese: A signature sandwich featuring their famous Garlic & Herb bread, Swiss cheese, and pickles from Flippin’ Pickles

• Mancini’s PGH Roll 2.0: A festival favorite, the upgraded PGH Roll packs a flavorful punch with Silver Star cheesy bratwurst and pickled cabbage in an Iron City Beer roll.