More than 30 pizzerias from New England and Italy will descend on Boston's City Hall Plaza next month for the ninth annual Boston Pizza Festival, a two-day celebration that has grown into one of the region's biggest food gatherings since it first set up shop in 2017. The 2026 event runs from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on September 19 and 20, mixing local North End institutions with imported Italian pizzaiolos, live entertainment and pizza-making demonstrations.
The lineup includes North End favorite Quattro, which was ranked among the top 50 pizzerias in the United States for 2026, according to MassLive. Quattro's Raffaele Russo, who was named the sixth-best pizza maker at the International Pizza Expo this past March, won the 2025 Boston Pizza Festival and will return to defend his title, per the same report. Quattro operates in Boston's North End as part of restaurateur Frank DePasquale's DePasquale Ventures group, which also runs North End dining spots Bricco, Mare and Trattoria Il Panino, according to Patch. That same national ranking guide also placed Somerville's Posto at No. 35 and Cambridge's Si Cara at No. 47, per Patch's reporting.
Italian Imports and a Defending Champion
Alongside Quattro, this year's roster brings in Connecticut-founded Sally's Apizza and Vico Equense, Italy-based Pizza Taxi, both confirmed as 2026 participants per MassLive. Rossopomodoro also joins the festival's lineup this year, the outlet reports. Each participating pizzeria will fire its slices in handcrafted ovens supplied by the Fiero Group, continuing a setup organizers have used in past years.
Boston Pizza Festival co-director Giancarlo Natale said the event is growing into one of Boston's most anticipated food happenings, according to MassLive, and added that this year's edition has planned activities for guests. Co-director Raffaele Scalzi said the festival aims to celebrate pizza, its history and the people who perfect it, per the same report. Natale specializes in national large-scale event production, while Scalzi serves as executive director of the Boston Wine Expo and owns East Boston dining venues Pazza on Porter and Next Door, according to the Massachusetts Business Network. The pair co-founded the festival in 2017, launching its inaugural two-day run at City Hall Plaza that July with two dozen pizzerias and guest pizzaiolos from Naples and New York, as reported by BU Today.
Tickets, Pricing and What's Included
Admission costs $10 in advance and includes event entry plus two pizza slices, which guests can top however they like, per MassLive. The price rises to $15 at the door for both September 19 and 20, and tickets can be purchased on the event website. Guests looking for more can add three-, five- or 10-slice packages at additional cost, the outlet notes. That $10 advance model marks a shift from earlier years, when festivals relied on per-slice tokens purchased on site, according to BostonMan Magazine, a change organizers made in 2025 to improve crowd flow and cut down on wait times.
The festival will also offer a signature Sam Adams beverage, with the Boston-based brewer partnered on this year's event, and Vinzo's Wine will provide wine selections for attendees, per MassLive's reporting. Organizers expect more than 20,000 guests across the two days, maintaining the festival's standing as New England's largest consumer pizza event, according to Boston Uncovered.
A Renovated Plaza Built for Crowds
The festival's home base, City Hall Plaza, underwent a $95 million renovation completed in November 2022 by design firm Sasaki, converting seven acres of brutalist open space into an accessible civic plaza built for large gatherings, per The Boston Globe. The project added green infrastructure and gathering areas to Government Center, giving the festival more room to accommodate its growing crowds each September.
Sally's Apizza's appearance at this year's festival also reflects a broader expansion push across Greater Boston. The New Haven-style pizzeria, founded on Wooster Street in 1938 and known for its coal-fired charred pies, opened in Woburn in 2023 and added a Dorchester location this past September, with further outposts planned for Boston's Seaport District and Concord later in 2026, according to WhatNow Boston.
