The Big Dill headlines Philly's National Pickle Day celebrations

From a massive pickle festival and world record attempt to briny cocktails and chocolate, Philly goes all in.

Billed as the “World’s Largest Pickle Party”, The Big Dill is headed to Stateside Live! this Saturday.

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Love City Brewing's Pickle-tini and Pickle lager are shown.

Provided/Banter PR

The Big Dill festivities will include mechanical pickle rides this weekend.

Willie Howard

Posted Monday, November 9, 2026 4:34 pm

By Molly Given

Philly's pickle obsession is no longer a side dish — it's a full-blown event. With National Pickle Day around the corner, the city is going all in on the brine with pickle-themed parties, cocktails, beer and even chocolate.

The Big Dill

Billed as the “World’s Largest Pickle Party”, The Big Dill is headed to Stateside Live! this Saturday (Nov. 14) with the goal of making history as the largest gathering of people dressed as pickles on the globe.

The Philly stop will serve as both the finale of the 2026 “In My Pickle Era” national tour and the main event of National Pickle Week. The highlight? A Parade of the Pickles, with the first 1,200 ticket buyers receiving numbered pickle costumes and commemorative patches as organizers attempt to break the current record of 888 people dressed as fruits or vegetables.

Locals can also expect unlimited samplings of more than 100 varieties from 20 pickle brands, plus plenty of other vendors offering everything from pickle pizza and pierogies to pickle egg rolls, mac and cheese and milkshakes. Event-wise, guests can also check out the World Pickle Eating Championship, a Brine Chug Challenge, mechanical pickle rides, a pickle-blessing appearance by TikTok’s Pickle Priest, live music, and a pickle-fueled DJ dance party while there.

And for those who can imbibe, the briny occasion will also serve up pickle cocktails, pickle beer from Evil Genius Beer Company and a Jameson Pickle Back Station. Festivities will run from 1 to 9 p.m., with VIP and early-entry guests getting in at noon. Tickets (available online) run from $29 to $109 based on what you want out of your experience.

"Over the past couple of years, pickles went from the side of the plate to the top of pop culture, and Pennsylvania sits at the center of it all," says Kevin Baxter, co-founder of The Big Dill. "Between Picklesburgh in the western part of the state and The Big Dill in the east, no region anywhere celebrates the pickle like we do. When National Pickle Day lands on a Saturday in Philadelphia, our hometown, the state of Pennsylvania can truly call itself the pickle capital of the world."

"This isn't a festival where you walk around with a paper plate. It's a party. You can dance at a pickle rave, ride a mechanical pickle, get your pickle blessed by a priest and march in a parade of more than a thousand people dressed as pickles. Philly has always shown up for us, so we saved the biggest day of the year for the city that started it all."

1100 Pattison Ave., bigdill.com

Love City Brewing

This Saturday (Nov. 14), Love City Brewing is joining in on the pickle festivities with two one-day-only specials at both its Callowhill and Manayunk locations. The first, their Pickletini ($15), offers a vodka martini garnished with sweet gherkins and dill chips. Locals can additionally try their Pickle Lager ($6), a twist on the brewery’s classic lager made with a splash of pickle juice.

1023 Hamilton St. and 4324 Main St., lovecitybrewing.com

Bluebird Distilling & Dough House

For those who prefer their pickles with a little more spirit, Bluebird Distilling & Dough House has just the thing: their Dillusions of Grandeur cocktail ($14) is a pickle-tini made with Bluebird vodka, Salvaji Blanco Agave and house pickle brine. The brand recommends trying the cocktail alongside their Distiller Pizza ($25), topped with spicy soppressata, pickled serranos and hot honey.

100 Bridge St, Phoenixville, bluebirddistilling.com

Good Good Chocolates

A bit of a bonus on this list, this product is for adventurous eaters who are looking to add a little sweet to their salty taste.

The Queen Village chocolatier, founded by Lisa Schoenbeck, has teamed up with local makers and culinary creatives for “In Good Good Company,” a collection of 12 handmade bonbons celebrating the city’s small businesses. The standout for pickle fans? Preston’s Picks & Pineapple, a sweet-and-savory collaboration with Fishtown Pickle Project. Other flavors include creations inspired by Kalaya, Amà, Milk Jawn and Herman’s Coffee. Each $60 collection comes with a flavor guide and an illustrated Philly map.

“This has been so much fun not just to work with people we admire who do so much for our industry, but for myself — I hate spicy chocolate, and we somehow ended up with two beautiful spicy pieces of candy that I love,” says Schoenbeck. “I love pickles more than I love chocolate and I didn’t even think this would work, but it really does.”

746 S 4th St., goodgoodchocolates.com

MORE: Fishtown Pickle Project to open 6,200-square-foot pickle destination in Philly