Salty and sweet pair perfectly at Reading Terminal Market’s annual Scrapple & Apple Festival.
Set for Saturday, Oct. 17 this year, the pay-as-you-go celebration will showcase the two fall flavors through an eclectic lineup of bites, desserts and drinks from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The food lineup is where things get especially creative.
Visitors can dig into scrapple fries with homemade apple butter from Down Home Diner, crispy scrapple and caramelized apple penovani from Saami Somi, or scrapple-and-apple fried lumpia from Tambayan.
The Famous 4th St. Cookie Company is getting in on the fun with a scrapple apple cookie and an apple “Scrapplewich,” while Pennsylvania General Store will serve a chocolate-dipped cookie topped with scrapple.
On the sweeter side, apple offerings include Sweet Nina’s apple crisp banana pudding, El Merkury’s apple pie churro sundae, Molly Malloy’s caramel apple Pop-Tarts and a spiced apple dream smoothie from Kamal’s Middle Eastern Specialties. Pennsylvania Libations will also offer Manoff Cidery apple ciders.
At the festival, guests can additionally join in on an apple sampling with Lancaster Produce Company and Chef Tim Lopez, a local Culinary Arts teacher. The tasting will feature everything from familiar favorites to more unusual apple varieties, offering “a chance to compare the flavors beyond the grocery-store staples.”
The festival’s scrapple obsession, however, extends beyond the festival date. On Thursday, Oct. 15, a dozen contestants will have 90 minutes and six pounds of scrapple each to create a Reading Terminal Market-themed sculpture in the Scrapple Sculpting Contest. A panel of judges will select a “judge’s vote” winner, while the sculptures will remain on display during Saturday’s festival so attendees can choose their own “popular vote” favorite.
The weekend will also introduce a new piece of Scrapple & Apple merchandise. Market Merch is collaborating with the 2025 sculpting contest champion and tattoo artist Patrick Moser on a collection of festival-themed sweatshirts, T-shirts, pins and magnets featuring his designs. The merchandise is available at the Market Merch store and online and, of course, will be available at the official celebration.
“Our Scrapple & Apple Festival has quickly become a beloved event that celebrates the unique culture of Philadelphia,” says Annie Allman, CEO and General Manager of Reading Terminal Market in a statement. “We couldn’t be happier to bring back the festival as well as our Scrapple Sculpting Contest for another year of fall fun.”
For more information on this year’s Scrapple and Apple Festival at Reading Terminal Market (1136 Arch St.), visit readingterminalmarket.org
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The festival takes place Saturday, Oct. 17, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Reading Terminal Market.
The festival is pay-as-you-go, so visitors can purchase food and drinks from participating vendors throughout the event.
The menu includes creative scrapple-and-apple combinations, including scrapple fries with apple butter, scrapple and apple fried lumpia, apple pie churro sundaes, caramel apple Pop-Tarts and more.
The sculpting contest takes place Thursday, Oct. 15. Contestants will have 90 minutes and six pounds of scrapple to create Reading Terminal Market-themed sculptures, which will remain on display during the Oct. 17 festival.
