Akron's signature pizza celebration is growing up. The Akron Pizza Fest has expanded into a full three-day event for 2026, running Thursday, Aug. 27, through Saturday, Aug. 29, at Lock 3 in downtown Akron, with pizza judging, live music, and a lineup of vendors spread across the park's newly redeveloped grounds.
The festival's move to a three-day format was reported by Cleveland.com, which detailed the schedule, performers, and participating pizzerias for this year's event. Now in its seventh year, the festival is produced by event management group Great American Outdoor Events, according to the Akron Pizza Fest's official website. Admission is free Thursday and Friday from 5 to 10 p.m., with a Friday lunch session running 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., while Saturday evening from 5 to 10 p.m. requires a ticket, per the Cleveland.com report.
A Bigger Stage, Literally
The festival's new home base is a Lock 3 that barely resembles its former self. The park at 200 S. Main St. reopened in November 2024 following a $17 million redevelopment funded primarily by the City of Akron and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, as reported by Signal Akron. The project transformed the 3.2-acre space from a seasonal event venue into a year-round park complete with landscaped gardens and skating areas.
Among the additions is the new Maynard Performance Pavilion, which includes a 550-seat reserved section directly in front of the stage and room for up to 2,500 attendees on the adjacent Knight Lawn, according to the City of Akron. The stage was named for Akron civic leader Phil Maynard. That larger performance footprint will host this year's music lineup, including a Journey tribute act called Escape on Friday and Nashville-based country-pop trio Dek of Hearts, who appeared on NBC's The Voice, Season 28, performing Saturday at 6 p.m., per Cleveland.com's schedule details.
Country singer Brett Young headlines Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Young was named 2018 ACM New Male Vocalist of the Year and has also been recognized as ASCAP Country Songwriter-Artist of the Year, according to Cleveland.com. Thursday's musical lineup had not yet been announced at the time of the report.
Pizza Judging and a Crowded Vendor Lineup
At the heart of the festival remains the pizza judging, evaluated across three categories: Best Overall, Best Specialty and People's Choice. Trophies and bragging rights go to the winners, per Cleveland.com. Last year's champions included Gionino's Pizzeria, which took Best Overall Pizza, Upper Crust, which won People's Choice, and The Cellar & Co., which claimed Best Specialty Pizza, according to the Akron Pizza Fest website.
This year's participating pizzerias include Gionino's Pizza, Upper Crust Pizza, Pizza Bella/Charlie's Pizza, Jet's Pizza and The Cellar & Co. Wine Bar, all based in or around Akron, per Cleveland.com's reporting. The festival will also add more food and beverage vendors this year. Because of the redeveloped park's altered layout, organizers have capped 2026 vendor participation at eight pizza vendors, eight professional service vendors, four retail vendors, four food vendors and four beverage vendors, according to the Akron Pizza Fest's vendor guidelines.
Beyond the Slices: Games and a Civic Mission
The weekend isn't just about eating pizza — it's also about winning at cornhole. Saturday's schedule includes a cornhole tournament along with a disc golf exhibition, and Thursday evening features a $10 pizza-eating contest at 6:15 p.m., per the festival's official schedule.
Proceeds from the festival benefit Lock 3 restoration and the Akron Children's Museum, which sits inside the park at 216 S. Main St. The museum expanded to 13,000 square feet following a $650,000 capital campaign completed in 2023, according to the West Side Leader. It began as a temporary winter pop-up at Lock 3 in 2015 before establishing its permanent footprint there.
Parking and a Downtown on the Rise
Attendees can find free parking at the Summit County Parking Deck on High Street, the O'Neil's Parking Deck on State Street, and the Cascade Parking Facility off Mill Street, according to the Akron Pizza Fest website. Lock 3 also offers street and garage parking directly on site, per Cleveland.com.
The festival's growth arrives as the city leans heavily on Lock 3's packed event calendar to drive downtown activity. City officials have set a goal of drawing 250,000 total visitors across nearly 110 scheduled events at the park in 2026, after the venue recorded 130,000 visitors in 2024 before shifting to year-round operations, according to the City of Akron. That foot-traffic push coincides with new private investment nearby, including the Crafty Steere market and bar opening steps away on South Main Street.
Cleveland.com's report was written by features writer Marc Bona, who covers food, restaurants, beer, wine, and sports entertainment and sports history for the outlet's life and culture team, and has authored four books focused on sports.
