Summer may be ending and back-to-school season is upon us, but the region’s food festival season hasn’t wrapped just yet. Labor Day weekend brings the return of Pittsburgh’s soul food festival, a Greek feast, plenty of ribs and a chance to hop across the pond for a weeklong British bash.
Taste of Greece Festival
If you haven’t had the chance to “eat Greek” this summer, head to Holy Trinity’s Taste of Greece Festival in McCandless.
Happening Thursday through Sunday, the long-running event caps off 39 days of Greek festivals across the region in 2026. This year features traditional Greek food and pastries, a dessert booth, nightly live music and Greek dancing, product vendors and tours of the Greek Orthodox church, including its handcrafted iconography and woodwork.
Returning menu favorites include braised lamb shank, moussaka, souvlaki (skewers) and traditional gyros. You can even “yinzerfy” a gyro with Greek-seasoned fries and feta cheese.
The festival runs daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Admission and parking are free, with complimentary shuttle service from the Green Lot at UPMC Passavant.
985 Providence Blvd., McCandless. holytrinitypgh.org/festival
Kickoff and Rib Festival
Mark the start of football season as the Kickoff and Rib Festival takes over Pittsburgh’s North Shore and Acrisure Stadium. Running Thursday through Monday, the 36-year-old tradition combines football, live music and ribs of every variety.
Try ribs from a dozen award-winning barbecue vendors from Texas, the Carolinas and Pittsburgh — including the South Side’s Bad Azz BBQ — as they vie for pitmaster awards. The festival boasts ribs for every enthusiast, ranging from classic dry-rubbed racks to beef and pork ribs drenched in tangy sauces. Festivalgoers can also enjoy rides and games along a carnival midway.
College football season kicks off with Pitt vs. Miami (Ohio) on Saturday, followed by a postgame street party featuring DJ Steve Maffei Jr.
Admission to the festival grounds is free; food, drinks and games cost extra.
100 Art Rooney Ave., North Shore. acrisurestadium.com/ribfest
A Soulful Taste of the Burgh
A Soulful Taste of the Burgh, also known as the Pittsburgh Soul Food Festival, returns to Downtown Friday through Sunday.
The seventh annual festival, held along Liberty Avenue and Stanwix Street, features two stages, craft and health vendors, a barbecue and mac-and-cheese contest, daily cultural activities and plenty of food. More than 30 vendors from around the country will serve Southern soul food, Caribbean and African cuisine and desserts, including Pittsburgh-based Early Mae Bakery, Jamaica Faraway Kitchen and Monroeville’s 2Cultures2C.
The Pittsburgh Soul Food Festival launched in 2019 to celebrate the region’s African-American culture and culinary traditions. It is billed as Pennsylvania’s largest African-American food celebration.
The free outdoor festival is family-friendly, with a youth fun zone, and runs from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.
Liberty Avenue and Stanwix Street, Downtown. facebook.com/ASoulfulTasteOfTheBurgh
Britsburgh Festival
Become a “Britsburgher” during Pittsburgh’s annual festival for Anglophiles. Britsburgh, a cultural organization celebrating British history and traditions, hosts its 12th annual weeklong festival from Monday through the following Sunday, Sept. 13.
Treat yourself like “Royaltea” during an afternoon tea kickoff Monday at the Mansions on Fifth. The next day, raise a pint of Britsburgh Ale — a honey heather ale brewed with U.K. hops — during a special cask tapping at East End Brewing Co. in Larimer.
Other events include a walking tour of Pittsburgh’s British landmarks, British trivia and comedy, plus Britsburgh Night at F.N.B. Stadium on Sept. 12 as the Pittsburgh Riverhounds host Loudoun United FC, a team from Virginia.
Most events require registration and tickets, with discounts for Britsburgh members.
Multiple locations. britsburgh.com/upcoming-schedule
Pittsburgh Renaissance Festival
Return to the past — or a 16th-century medieval amusement park — at the Pittsburgh Renaissance Festival. Running on weekends in Westmoreland County through Oct. 4 (including Labor Day), the 30-plus-year-old festival features rotating themes dedicated to pirates, kids and wine, revelry and romance.
Festival “food and drynk” evoke the period’s “magic and mystique,” with selections from a Pirate’s Pub, Queen’s Pantry and Canterbury Kitchen. Along with the requisite turkey leg, visitors can find Scotch eggs and an Earl of Bratwurst sandwich.
Entertainment includes jousting, medieval rock ‘n’ roll, fire-breathing and educational birds of prey demonstrations. Artisans will sell hand-forged metalwork and chainmail, pottery, handmade brooms and more.
Online tickets cost $25.50 for adults and $11 for children ages 5-12 ($27 and $12 at the gate). Children under 5 enter free.
112 Renaissance Lane, West Newton (South Huntingdon Township). pittsburghrenfest.com