This summer’s weird & wacky Pennsylvania festivals

Whether you want to gather with fellow pickle, UFO, or Bigfoot enthusiasts, watch vintage cars race through the streets of Pittsburgh, or see some truly outsider art in Philadelphia, there’s a festival for you this summer in Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania is a state made up of passionate people. Sometimes we’re passionate about strange things, and that passion turns into sometimes weird — but always fun — festivals honoring, for example, pickles, Bigfoot, or the “The Blob.” We’ve made a list of some of our favorite Pennsylvania festivals this summer so that you can plan to visit some of these unusual community events.

Forest County Bigfoot Festival – Marienville

Dates: June 6-8

Cost: $10 for a Bigfoot “hunting” license

The Forest County Bigfoot Festival doesn’t just pay homage to Bigfoot with a community festival featuring speakers, games, and arts and crafts vendors—though it does have those things. It is also a hunt for Bigfoot throughout the Allegheny National Forest! Participants search for 10 Bigfoot silhouettes in the forest. (Don’t worry, there are clues to help you out.) If you’re the fastest at finding the Bigfoots, you can win a prize!

Pennsylvania Gourd Art Festival – Lebanon 

Dates: June 12-14

Cost: $3 for adults; Free for children 12 and under

At the Pennsylvania Gourd Art Festival, held each year in Lebanon County, you can learn about gourds and appreciate the skill required to participate in the long tradition of gourd artmaking. You can also browse the gourd art show and take some decorative gourd art home for yourself!

Pennsylvania Firefly Festival – Tionesta 

Dates: June 26-28

Cost: $100 per person for one night at a campsite

The Pennsylvania Firefly Festival is dedicated to the firefly—the state insect of Pennsylvania!—and the beautiful, sometimes synchronous displays of some firefly species. In 2025, the Firefly Festival will take place for campers at Kellettville Campground, which the festival has completely reserved. Over the course of three nightly shifts of the festival, organizers will host presentations, nature exhibits, live music, and guided firefly walks. You can currently sign up for a lottery for a chance to register for a campsite for a night. 

Bark Peelers’ Festival

Dates: July 5-6

Cost: $12 for adults and $5 for children 11 and under; discounts available for two-day passes 

The Bark Peelers’ Festival, held at the Pennsylvania Lumber Museum in Potter County, celebrates “woodhick” skills with demonstrations, competitions, and general family fun. A woodhick was someone who worked in the lumber industry in the late 1800s and early 1900s—they were skilled in using axes, saws, and other tools to work with lumber. As such, the festival holds contests that test participants’ skills in, for example, crosscut sawing, while also hosting demonstrations, like how a sawmill works. Festivities also include food, entertainment, and other games and contests. 

Blobfest – Phoenixville 

Dates: July 11-13

Cost: Street fair is free; prices vary for other events

Phoenixville is the home of the historic Colonial Theatre, where a famous scene in the 1958 cult classic “The Blob” was filmed. Because of this history, the town is now home to the annual Blobfest, which celebrates the film—especially the legendary scene in which moviegoers race out of the Colonial Theatre. (In fact, that scene is reenacted each year at Blobfest!) There is also a street fair with food and arts and crafts vendors, races, and lots of classic horror on screen at the Colonial—including, of course, “The Blob.”

Attendees of Phoenixville’s Blobfest reenact the classic movie theater run-out scene. (J. Fusco/Visit Philadelphia)

Picklesburgh – Pittsburgh 

Dates: July 11-13

Cost: Free

Hard to believe this year marks the 10th anniversary for Picklesburgh, which takes over downtown Pittsburgh each summer to celebrate the humble pickle. You can participate in pickle juice drinking contests, try all sorts of pickle-flavored food and drink (pickle-flavored beer, anyone?), or just wander the festival tents and take in the pickle-scented atmosphere. The popular festival is a big dill in Pittsburgh—you can expect thousands of people to join the festivities.

Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix – Pittsburgh

Dates: July 11-20

Cost: Varies by event; Schenley Park Race Weekend is $10 for adults and free for children 12 and under

The Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix is billed as being “for anyone who has a fondness for things that go ‘vroom.’” That about sums up this annual gathering that features a series of events, from galas to car shows. But the main event is the Grand Prix’s Schenley Park Race Weekend, when dozens of vintage cars—mostly European sportscars from the 50s and 60s—are raced through the streets of Pittsburgh’s Schenley Park. More than 100 drivers will aim to qualify for the race, which attracts thousands of spectators. You can also enjoy a vendor fair and a giant car show during the race weekend.

Drivers in the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix race around a curve in the city’s Schenley Park. (Ornoth/CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

Squatchfest – Kane 

Dates: July 12

Cost: Ticketed, prices TBA

Squatchfest is a unique music festival held at the Kane Family Drive-In Theater in McKean County. Besides showcasing great music from up-and-coming bands, the festival also has a Squatch calling contest, a late-night appearance from Sasquatch himself, a firework finale, and much more. 

Kecksburg UFO Festival – Kecksburg 

Dates: July 18-20

Cost: Free

Kecksburg, the site of an alleged UFO crash landing in 1965, holds its annual Kecksburg UFO Festival each summer for both UFO enthusiasts and those looking for family fun. The festival is hosted by the Kecksburg Volunteer Fire Department. Previous festivals have featured lectures on UFOs and unexplained phenomena alongside traditional festival fun like games, a parade, an arts and crafts fair, races, live music, and more.

Gettysburg National 19th Century Base Ball Festival

Dates: July 19-20

Cost: Free

The Gettysburg National 19th Century Base Ball Festival is a gathering of more than two dozen vintage “base ball” (the original spelling of “baseball”) teams from across the country. Essentially, these teams place the sport like it was first played in the 19th century—they follow old-time rules, but also wear vintage-style uniforms and use the same equipment that was used (or not used) in 1864! For instance, ball players don’t wear gloves, and they use only one ball throughout the entire game! Besides the games, you can enjoy ballpark food (hamburgers and hot dogs) at the festival.

A player hits a line drive during the Gettysburg National 19th Century Base Ball Festival. (TJJohn12/CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

Elk Expo – Benezette 

Dates: July 26-27

Cost: Free, $5 for shuttle from parking lot

The annual Elk Expo takes place just before the height of the annual elk rut—the best time to view elk in the Pennsylvania Wilds. At the festival, held at the Elk Country Visitor Center, you can learn about the elk of Pennsylvania (and how best to view them); participate in an elk calling contest; and enjoy food, live entertainment, and a vendor fair.

Elk graze in Benezette, home of the Elk Country Visitor Center and its annual Elk Expo. (Joe Coyle/CC BY-NC 2.0)

Rain Day Festival – Waynesburg 

Date: July 29

Cost: Free

As Greene County’s Rain Day Festival celebrates rain, it is the rare festival that is best enjoyed when it’s raining. Always held on July 29, festivalgoers always hope for rain. Out of 151 years of the festival, it’s rained 118 times! Not a bad record. The hopefully rainy day features vendors, live music, an umbrella contest, food trucks, kids’ activities, and more. 

Squonkapalooza – Johnstown

Dates: Aug. 2

Cost: Free

Have you ever seen the Squonk? Better question: do you even know what the Squonk is? The Squonk is Pennsylvania’s own cryptid! It was first described in 1910’s “Fearsome Creatures of the Lumberwoods,” and is believed to have inspired this Genesis song of the same name. According to the book, the Squonk lives in the hemlock forests of northern Pennsylvania and is always crying because it thinks it looks hideous. (You’re beautiful on the inside, Squonk!) Squonkapalooza celebrates the Squonk and other stories from Pennsylvanian and Appalachian folklore. The Johnstown festival, which got its start in 2023, will have live entertainment, speakers, a vendor fair, opportunities to get photos with the Squonk itself, and more.

Philadelphia Fringe Festival – Philadelphia 

Dates: Sept. 4-28

Cost: Varies by performance; some are free, some are ticketed

A fringe festival is a celebration of the unique, and that’s certainly true of the Philadelphia Fringe Festival, held each September. The Fringe Festival highlights independent performing artists in the city and allows space for creative thinking and imaginative, uncensored productions. The festival hosts more than 1,000 performances across the city! And alongside Fringe, Cannonball Festival pushes boundaries even further, showcasing experimental performances and activist art.

Kennett Square Mushroom Festival – Kennett Square

Dates: Sept. 6-7

Cost: $5

Did you know that Kennett Square is considered the mushroom capital of the world? About half of all mushrooms grown in the U.S. come from the Chester County town. The community celebrates its mushroom history each year with the Kennett Square Mushroom Festival, an event filled with all sorts of shroomy foods as well as games, entertainment, and a vendor fair. During the festival, tens of thousands of people descend on Kennett Square to purchase fungi-themed souvenirs, watch cooking demonstrations, and perhaps participate in a mushroom eating contest.

A volunteer at the Kennett Square Mushroom Festival shows onlookers how white button mushrooms are cultivated. (Visit Philadelphia)

Pennsylvania Endless Mountains Fiber Festival – New Milford

Dates: Sept. 6-7

Cost: $4 for adults and free for children 11 and under; discounts available for two-day passes

The biggest fiber festival in the state is the Pennsylvania Endless Mountains Fiber Festival, held each year in Susquehanna County’s New Milford. The festival is dedicated to fiber arts (like knitting and crochet) and the animals that produce fiber (like goats and sheep). Visitors can see demonstrations of work like sheep herding, buy specialty fiber at the festival’s vendor market, and even participate in classes to learn how to do fiber arts. 

Ligonier Highland Games – Ligonier 

Date: Sept. 13

Cost: $20 for adults, $18 for seniors, $5 for teenagers, and free for children 12 and under 

Held at Ligonier’s Idlewild Park in the Laurel Highlands, the Ligonier Highland Games are a recreation of Scottish Highland games, which are traditional tests of strength and sport like the hammer throw and the stone put. The Ligonier festival also features traditional Scottish dancing, live music (including bagpipes), and lots of kilts. 

Bagpipe players march during the Ligonier Highland Games. (melissajmelissa/CC BY-SA 2.0)

Peanut Butter Festival – New Bethlehem

Dates: Sept. 19-21

Cost: Free

Clarion County’s Peanut Butter Festival is a community festival dedicated to the delicious, creamy—but sometimes crunchy!—nut spread. Besides lots of peanutty food and fun, the festival also promises local food sellers, a 5K race, contests, a parade, and an arts and craft fair. You will also likely see a lot of people dressed up as peanuts.

EQT Washington and Greene Counties’ Covered Bridge Festival – Washington and Green Counties

Dates: Sept. 20-21

Cost: Free

Held in southwestern Pennsylvania, the EQT Washington and Greene Counties’ Covered Bridge Festival celebrates the countryside and communities of these two rural counties at important historical sites: a handful of the county’s covered bridges! Each year, several covered bridges serve as festival locations, each offering different activities, food, entertainment, and vendors. Enjoying the scenery around the covered bridges while taking part in the Covered Bridge Festival is the perfect start to the fall season.