Food + Drink

6 Ohio Food Festivals in September

Munch on popcorn, crunch on pickles and celebrate the strange native fruit known as the pawpaw at these events.

July/August 2024
BY Gracie Metz | Ohio Pawpaw Festival, Photo courtesy of Ohio University

Marion Popcorn Festival | Sept. 5–7
Pop over to downtown Marion for this event that brings in over 250,000 attendees each year for the largest festival in the world dedicated to popcorn. Enjoy the 50th anniversary of this tradition in 2024 with classic carnival rides, games and live entertainment from acts like Jackyl and Dillon Carmichael. Be sure to stick around for the popcorn parade featuring colorful floats and marching band music.

Ohio Pawpaw Festival | Sept. 13–15
Celebrate one of the largest native tree fruits in America as this annual festival returns to Lake Snowden on the campus of Hocking College in Albany. Visit different tents on-site for a number of activities, including yoga in the Holistic Wellness Tent and nature hikes and Nerf gun battles in the Kids’ Tent. Live music also features throughout the weekend, and festivities like the pawpaw-eating contest, pawpaw cook-off and best pawpaw contest round out the event.

Cleveland Pickle Fest | Sept. 21
Enjoy a day dedicated to this tangy, crispy, fermented favorite on Cleveland’s downtown Mall C near the Cleveland Convention Center. Live music from Billy Likes Soda and Centric Soul fills the festival grounds while festivities like a pickle-eating contest are part of the schedule. Be sure to sample pickle-flavored eats from desserts to beer, and upgrade your ticket and get access to the VIP tent, which comes with pickle merch and a free beer.

Preble County Pork Festival | Sept. 21–22
Born in 1970 out of the city’s annual Farm-City Day, the Preble County Pork Festival has become a staple of the Eaton community and beyond. Festivities begin on Saturday at the Preble County Fairgrounds, where a pancake, bacon and sausage breakfast is available until 10 a.m., while the parade rolls through in the afternoon. The rest of the weekend brings live music, food vendors, pig-themed special activities and more.

Defiance Rib Fest | Sept. 28
Taking over the streets of downtown Defiance for its 17th year, this festival brings the flavor with fresh barbecued eats and plenty of cold beer to go around. Headlining the live entertainment for the day is Garth Live! a tribute to country star Garth Brooks, as well as the 2024 Defiance battle of the bands winners. Attendees 21 and older can also grab a wristband at the gate and visit the beer vendors throughout town.

Germantown Pretzel Festival | Sept. 28–29
Enjoy two days of pretzel-perfect fun at the 44th annual Germantown Pretzel Festival at Veterans Memorial Park in Germantown. Festivities this year include the return of McGuffey Lane, the Athens, Ohio-born rock band, as well as a pretzel contest, the queen and princess crowning, and karaoke. The free festival also features classic carnival rides, food, craft vendors and more.