Pickle Fest 2026

Pickle Fest returns to Steamworks on Saturday 17 October, from 2pm to 10pm. It's Sheffield's own DIY celebration of all things preserved, fermented and pickled, run by Social Pickle, a collective fermentation project that works around access, health, care and waste. They partner with local farms and suppliers to extend the life of fruit and vegetables, and the whole festival is volunteer-run, driven by their mission to tackle food waste and acquaint more people with bellies full of microbes.

At the heart of the day is a community-judged pickle competition across nine categories: jam, vinegar, pickles, ferments, hot sauce, not-hot sauce, firm ferments, chutney, pastes and non-alcoholic drinks. Tasting and judging run from 16:30 to 19:00, with the champions announced at 21:00. There are also three workshops to drop into: Vegetable Lacto-Fermentation 101 with Matthew Parker (12:00-13:30), Welcome to the Pickling Bed with Rebecca Echevarria (14:00-15:00) and Miso with Wild Combination (15:30-16:30). Home-cooked vegan food is served from 15:00 to 20:00, market stalls run from 14:00 to 17:00, and live music takes over from 19:00 to 21:00. DIY screen printing is also on the go throughout the day.

Social Pickle has been doing this for a while now; in 2023 they held their biggest event to date, welcoming over 600 people to Sadacca's cultural community space in the Wicker. This 2026 edition is made possible with funding from the JG Graves Charitable Trust, Yorkshire Housing Association and Sheffield Town Trust.

It's a pay-what-you-can entry with suggested donations: £5 for those unwaged, £10 for those waged, and £15 or more if you can give more, and no one is turned away for lack of funds. You'll find it at Steamworks, Randall Street, Highfield, Sheffield, S2 4SJ, on Saturday 17 October from 2pm to 10pm.