For 28 years, Pierogi Fest has delighted attendees with old favorite s and lots of new changes, and this year’s festival will once again exceed attendee expectations. Once again, the festival will serve up massive amounts of food, with more than 80 food booths…one of the largest food festivals in the Midwest! The dates for 2026 are July 24, 25 and 26th, 2026. (Wacky Parade is on Friday.)
Watch Our Hilarious and Crazy Pierogi Fest Parade Video!
Learn about the Characters: There’s new characters this year!! Due to the opening of the Mascot Hall of Fame, you never know which character will show up! You can also look for in the crowds for Mr. Pierogi himself, The Buscias, the Pieroguettes, Miss Paczki, and Halupki Guy Get your photo taken with them!
A new Tweens and Teen area has been added with attractions like a 50’ long Bungee Run, a Human Foosball Game, Wrecking Ball and Ball Blaster so there will be plenty of fun. The area will be located in the parking lot next to the Whiting Baptist Church and staffed by members of the National Honor Society chapters from Whiting, Clark and Bishop Noll High Schools.
A new children’s area is being located on 119th Street from White Oak to Schrage Avenue. A festival favorite, the Bumpy Buckets ride, is getting a new route and boarding station, and the games, rides and inflatables are being relocated to the new area as well.
The World-Famous Beer Garden will expand to accommodate thirsty attendees. In addition, a new family beer garden area will operate during the entire festival and be more accessible for the convenience of families, located next to the children’s area so that parents and children are not separated by several blocks like in the past.
The new Wine Garden will be located at Central Avenue, and will feature live music. This area will quickly become a crowd-pleaser.
A new, expanded Arts & Crafts Area is being located to the area between Temple Court and Clark Streets, with a new performance stage planned for in front of the Whiting YMCA (Community Center).
And don’t forget to stop in the Chamber of Commerce Bizarre Souvenir Bazaar for some of the best and zaniest memorabilia you will find. Although more than 300,000 people attend the festival each year, there are more than 300,000,000 citizens of the United States, so stop in and buy your friends that can’t attend something so they too can enjoy the wackiest festival on the planet according to TripAdvisor.com.
About 125 food vendors will be on hand, including Ace Catering, Babushka’s Polish Foods, Beggars Pizza, Ben’s Soft Pretzels, Big Frank’s Sausage, California Donuts, Center Lounge, Chic Crepes, Dairy Belle, Dan’s Pierogi’s, Dumpling House, Gosia’s Pierogis, Granny Franer’s Homemade Noodles, Greek Delights, Ideal Bakery, Kasia’s Deli Chicago, Marek’s Authentic Polish Food, MJ Polish Deli, Pierogi Rig Puerco Loco & Caribean Style Pina Colada, Romano’s, Skyline Snowie, Tata’s Pierogis, The Original Strudel and Whihala Ice Cream Whiting.
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If You Are Visiting Northwest Indiana you might be interested in our Sunday Brunch, Local Farmer’s Markets, Summer Festivals, Fall Festivals, July 4th Weekend, Memorial Day Weekend, Labor day Weekend, local Steakhouses, and local Dining.
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Susie Young Baxter, CEO, has published PanoramaNOW Magazine for 31 years. Her hobbies are Camping, Boating, Hiking, Nature, Gardening and Outdoor Activities. She is an Artist, Graphic Designer, an Avid Seamstress, Dabbles in Homemade Crafts and Landscaping. Since her Father was a Health Teacher, she also likes homeopathic Health Solutions. Since blogging started over 10 years ago, PanoramaNow has been added to Newsbreak – a national news affiliate.
