Pizza City Fest Announces 2026 Chicago Dates & Ticket Sales

Pizza City Fest: Chicago (PCF) will gather pizza makers in Chicagoland for a two-day event in River North Saturday, August 15 from 3pm to 7pm and Sunday, August 16 from 2pm to 6pm. The 4th edition of Pizza City Fest: Chicago, will take place in the open-air lot, at 430 N. Rush Street, featuring 14 different pizzerias each day, with all pies baked live in professional pizza ovens, as well as educational seminars, demos, a pizza box folding contest, and much more. Tickets are on-sale now at www.pizzacityfest.com.

Curated by Steve Dolinsky, Chicago’s original “Food Guy” and author of “Pizza City USA”, “The Ultimate Chicago Pizza Guide” and the producer/host of the “Pizza City” podcast and founder of Pizza City Tours, the event asks all of the participating pizzerias to bake the pies fresh, to-order. Using commercial electric Marra Forni ovens, pizza lovers will be able to enjoy unlimited samples of deep-pan, deep-dish, tavern, stuffed, Roman, Neapolitan and Detroit style pizzas, to name a few.

“I’m thrilled to be working with so many great pizza makers for the fourth year here in our hometown, as well as our event producer, Duff Entertainment, for the second year-in-a-row,” said Dolinsky, who recently presided over the 4th annual Pizza City Fest L.A. with a sellout crowd of more than four thousand guests over two days. “The pizza scene keeps evolving here, and we want to show the rest of the country that there’s more to Chicago than just stuffed or deep-dish.”

Tickets are on-sale now and are available for purchase on the Pizza City Fest website. General admission tickets ($59.50) include unlimited pizza from 14 pizza makers each day, as well as gelato; drinks are available for purchase. VIP tickets ($149) allow for one-hour early entrance each day, unlimited food and drinks, plus access to a private VIP lounge area with some special treats. A portion of all tickets sold will benefit Pilot Light - a local nonprofit that has supported CPS students with food education that is part of teachers’ classrooms and fosters informed food choices, since 2010.

Featured pizzerias on Saturday include: The Beer Temple (Avondale), Uncle Jerry’s Deep Dish (Cary, IL), Pizza Di Farfalla (New Lenox, IL), Triano’s (Garfield Ridge, IL) and Elmwood Park’s Vero Gelato. Sunday highlights include: Sharpie’s (Lincoln Park), Napolita (Wilmette, IL), George’s Deep Dish (Edgewater) and Pizza Dada (The Loop) with gelato by West Town’s Paulo Gelato.

On Saturday, panel discussions like “The Dough Whisperers,” feature Dan Richer (Razza, Jersey City; author of “The Joy of Pizza” and recently named #3 pizza in the U.S. by the 50Top Pizza organization), Rich Labriola (Labriola Ristorante) and Robert Garvey (Robert’s Pizza & Dough Co., named #8 in the U.S. by 50Top Pizza). Local pizza teacher Leo Spizzirri will also lead a class called, “The Pizza Principle: A Home Baker’s Masterclass.” On Sunday, a live demo entitled, “Will This Pan Out? Making Chicago Deep Dish, Deep Pan or Detroit Style at Home,” will be led by Derrick Tung of Paulie Gee’s Logan Square and Brian Tondryk of Bartoli’s. Then “All in the Family: Staying Relevant for the Next Generation of Pizza Makers,” features a discussion with Tony Calderone (Palermo’s 95th), Kara Fitzgerald (Louisa’s Pizza & Pasta) and Dave Howey (Nancy’s) moderated by former Chicago Tribune Food Critic Nick Kindelsperger.

For more information about Pizza City Fest Chicago, a complete line-up of participating pizzerias, panel discussion and demos schedules, as well as to purchase tickets, please visit: pizzacityfest.com.