A tiny Mille Lacs County town of just 217 people is about to swell with pickle lovers from across the region. The Pease Pickle Fest returns to downtown Pease, Minnesota, this Saturday, September 26, running from 3 to 7 p.m. with more than 120 vendors, food trucks, beverage trucks, games, bouncy houses and a classic car show lining the small downtown district.
This year's festival will feature more than 120 vendors, according to WJON.
The Pease Mercantile is an antique and collectibles store in downtown Pease. Pease covers just 0.53 square miles and had an estimated population of 217 residents as of 2024, per Census Reporter.
What's Cooking Downtown
The lineup of food is where the festival's pickle theme really shows off. Under the Hood will serve crispy fried pickles and dill cheese curds, while The Timeless Trough is bringing fresh-squeezed pickle lemonade, per WJON's rundown of vendors. Heavenly Hog is set to serve pork chops and mac and cheese, The Smashed Cow will offer specialty smash burgers, Ahta Cakes is bringing pickle cupcakes, and Hennum's Hungry Hauler will serve pickle bombs.
Beyond the food, the festival includes family activities and games spread through downtown, alongside its classic car show.
A Small Town With Deep Roots
Pease sits along U.S. Route 169 in southern Mille Lacs County, roughly 60 miles north-northwest of Minneapolis, according to Wikipedia. U.S. Route 169 leads north four miles from Pease to Milaca. The town traces its origins to 1893, and a post office was established there the following year.
That small-town character still draws outside visitors even on non-festival days. The Pease Cafe, a 40-seat eatery in town, pulls in destination diners from as far as an hour away, including from the Minneapolis area, according to Minnesota's New Country.
Part Of A Bigger Pickle Trend
Pease's festival is riding a wave of pickle mania sweeping food events nationwide. Pittsburgh's Picklesburgh drew more than 208,000 attendees in 2025 and expanded its footprint again for 2026, as Hoodline previously reported.
Whether Pease's celebration keeps pace with those bigger festivals in future years remains to be seen, but for one Saturday afternoon, a town of 217 people is set to look a whole lot bigger.
