The Juicy Highlights from The 2019 NC Pickle Festival

Last month, we celebrated the 33rd annual North Carolina Pickle Festival and what a day of fun it was! While rain and damp weather was forecasted throughout the weekend and we thought we might find ourselves in a pickle, the weather held out and festival attendees enjoyed pickles throughout the weekend!

Festival fun began Friday night when the live music kicked things off. The planned outdoor performance, the music simply moved inside to sponsor Ribeyes Steakhouse. Cuke Patch 5K Glow Runners lit up the night and didn’t let the rain slow them down. Instead, it added to the fun!

Crowds began meandering the streets of Downtown Mount Olive first thing Saturday morning for a day of pickle-filled fun. While the day’s primary focus was pickles, visitors had other entertainment as well. The Keith King BMX Bike Stunts wowed everyone, classic cars were admired in the Car Show, and Fresh Start Rescue provided children and adults the chance to encounter snakes and reptiles up close and personal. Our new sponsor, R & R Brewing, debuted the festival’s first-ever beer garden downtown and folks enjoyed hanging out, trying new brews, and listening to the great lineup of live music that performed throughout the day on the festival’s Main Stage.

The mascot race was washed out by the rain, but another race, the pickle eating contest, was held and deemed successful. We proclaimed three, yes three, pickle eating champions – Jake, Cody and Patricia! In just five minutes, these three champs ate six and a half whole Mt. Olive Kosher Dills.

While these three winners might have eaten the most pickles in the shortest amount of time, there was no shortage of pickle consumption among all festival goers this year at the 33rd Annual NC Pickle Festival. Mt. Olive Pickle Company gave away 158 cases of pickles or 832 jars to attendees, a pickle or two at the time. In fact, they gave away about 4,600 whole Kosher Dill and Hot-n-Spicy pickles alone. Now that is a BIG DILL!

The 2019 festival was one to remember, but if you missed it, go ahead and mark your calendar: the 2020 edition of the North Carolina Pickle Festival is set for April 24-25, 2020! Find out more information about the NC Pickle Festival here.