In a Pickle Festival moves near San Antonio after 2025 backlash

A Texas festival is making major changes after receiving backlash for alleged mismanagement last year. This time around, event organizers are heading closer to San Antonio.

The In A Pickle Festival, which supports the Hunter Syndrome Foundation, will host its next celebration at the Helotes Festival Grounds, located at 12210 Leslie Road, on Saturday, September 19, and Sunday, September 20. Attendees can expect vendors, live music, pickle-eating contests, unique pickle-inspired foods and beverages, according to a press release from the founders.

The festival's New Braunfels debut in spring 2025 drew backlash on social media, prompting the family-owned business to issue a statement. Guests alleged their experience was marred by long queues inside the 42-acre Comal County Fairgrounds and that overflow parking extended into residential neighborhoods. More than 10,000 tickets were sold, and 220 vendors were scheduled to attend, according to the festival's guest influencer, The Pickled Guy.

In a new press release issued Tuesday, July 14, organizers said that "after drawing thousands of visitors to previous festivals across Texas," they decided to expand this year's event to a larger venue and offer timed-entry tickets. They added that tickets will sell out and that the purpose is to make this experience "more enjoyable with easier parking, shorter lines, and more room to explore."

Previously, some visitors also claimed there were not enough restrooms to accommodate the crowd, that hand-washing stations had no water, that high winds left attendees covered in debris, and that drink stations were hard to locate, which was distressing given the heat. Organizers told MySA that 13 porta-potties were available on-site, along with open restroom facilities at the fairgrounds. 

"We believe there were attendees who had traveled and needed to use the restroom as soon as they arrived, creating longer lines than what we have at our past events," organizers said. 

This fall, there will also be more activities for children to enjoy, a feature missing from last year's event, as one guest previously told MySA. New attractions include the Pickle Olympics, where teams compete in challenges for the Grand Champion title; a pet parade featuring pets in costumes; and prize opportunities.

"We wanted to create more than just a food festival," the festival founders wrote in the press release. "This year we're adding experiences that families can't find anywhere else-from a carnival and wrestling to the Pickle Olympics. It's shaping up to be our biggest and most entertaining festival yet."

Before launching in the Hill Country, the festival had five successful years in Kingwood, a master-planned community northeast of Houston. Organizers had previously said they intended to "create a space where fellow enthusiasts could gather and celebrate together," but word of the event spread quickly, leading to "unforeseen challenges and unintended impact on the local community and attendees alike."

Readers can learn more about the event by visiting its official website. Tickets are available at Eventbrite.com.

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