
Are you a small business, an artist, or local expert interested in participating? Contact: fermentpittsburgh@gmail.com
If you would like to volunteer contact: helppittsburghstink@gmail.com
Local, Small Business Fermentation Artisans featuring fermented foods and hand-made goods.
Workshops: See Schedule
Make-Your Own Activities and demos: Free hands-on activity stations for people of all ages to learn and explore how different fermented foods are made. Leave each table with a sample and care instructions to take home and watch transform. The 2020 Festival Activities include: Sauerkraut, Kimchi, Masato (a chew and spit beer made from cassava root), Koji- Cured Beet Charcuterie, Wild Fermented Soda, and Mold Terrarium.
Fermented Food Contest/ Culture Swap: Do you have the best kimchi is Pittsburgh? Or is sourdough bread your butter? Bring enough to sample and share by Noon on Sunday. Have extra cultures? Bring some to share! Contest voting and sampling all day with awards at 3:30pm. More information.
Fementer Olympics: Three events to challenge who is the Fermenter Champion of Pittsburgh! Winner gets a complete Cultures Kit. Learn more.
Family Fun: complete a Fermented Bingo card to be entered in a drawing for prizes! Peruse books or do some coloring in the “Ferment Library Pop-up” by the Carnegie Library. Craft your own “microorganism”- sponsored by The Center for Creative Reuse.
Fermented Art Show: Featuring work from local artists inspired by fermentation. Open participation in Grow Pittsburgh’s Winter Plant Show- bring your wildest, most interesting dried and dead plant materials from your garden, or craft them into your own design. See flyer below.
Awards: Fermenter Olympics, Fermented Food Contest, Mold Pageant.
Growing & Fermenting with the Seasons: With support from Grow Pittsburgh, join local farmers to get the most out of our growing seasons! Expert growers will be on hand to help you make a garden plan, present plant varieties best for our region, and help with seasonal sourcing. Share your favorite seasonal recipes on our “Fermenting with the Seasons” timeline.
Performances: Watch Food and fermented acts, plays, songs, and comedy throughout the day. General festival attendees are encouraged to dress as their favorite food!

Ferment Pittsburgh is a project created to influence the growth of fermentation culture in Western Pennsylvania. We offer classes, put on the annual Pittsburgh Fermentation Festival, and conduct programming to promote health through natural living. Please contact us with any questions regarding fermentation and culturing, whether you need advice or are just looking for some starters.