The 2024 SLO Pickle Festival

This is a cross-published piece with Mustang News, more information can be found here.

Pickle enthusiasts gathered for the first-ever San Luis Obispo Pickle Festival earlier this month at Laguna Lake Park. The event featured local vendors and live music. An assortment of pickle-infused food and drink was also available for festival-goers, like Ethan Siapush, to try.

“So far, I’ve had a pickle-flavored cupcake and pickled shrimp,” Siapush said. “The cupcake’s winning so far.”

The festival also included live pickling demonstrations and a pickle-eating contest. Some event-goers competed to see who could finish a bowl of pickles the fastest. Mori Scheer won first place. 

Scheer attended Pickle Fest with two of her pickle-loving friends.

“My girls are just like me, they love dill pickles,” Sheer said.

For Scheer, pickles are more than just a condiment.

“Childhood memories, I would save my money and I would go to the Esplanade and I would buy the big pickles at Hickory Farms, it was like my treat, and so, I’ve loved them ever since,” she said.

The festival was a fundraiser hosted by Meals that Connect, a local non-profit senior nutrition program. 

The program provides over 1,000 free meals to seniors in San Luis Obispo every day, according to event organizer Elizabeth Denny.

 “We had a great turnout. We had a sold out event, especially for our first year, it was incredible,” Denny said. “It’ll provide many, many meals for our seniors in need. So we’re so thankful for everybody that came out and was able to support this event in one way or another.” 

Denny says that they are already planning next year’s pickle festival.