Overview
After drawing more than 4,000 attendees to its debut event in 2025, the Indianapolis Pizza Festival is officially returning for a one-day-only event as part of the larger World Food Championships weekend in Indianapolis.
The festival will once again bring together many of Indiana’s top pizzerias, food trucks, and pizza creators for a day featuring pizza tastings, live entertainment, competitions, and family-friendly activities.
Following lessons learned from the festival’s inaugural year, organizers are expanding the footprint of the event significantly while improving attendee experience, vendor operations, seating areas, restrooms, parking, and overall event flow.
“This event is about celebrating Indiana’s incredible pizza scene while creating an unforgettable experience for food lovers,” said Tommy Barrett, founder of the Indianapolis Pizza Festival. “Year one showed how passionate people are about local pizza. We’ve worked tirelessly to improve upon our inaugural event, and we’re excited to take the festival to another level in 2026.”
“The Indianapolis Pizza Festival adds another exciting layer to what is becoming one of the biggest food weekends in the country at the Indiana State Fairgrounds & Event Center,” said LeRoy Lewis III, Director of Community & Media Engagement at the Indiana State Fairgrounds & Event Center. “The partnership between Pizza Festival and the World Food Championships creates an experience that brings together local flavor, national attention and thousands of food enthusiasts in one place. We are proud to continue positioning the Fairgrounds as a destination for large-scale events that celebrate community, culture and culinary creativity.”
New for 2026, the Indianapolis Pizza Festival is partnering with the World Food Championships to help create one of the largest food weekends in the Midwest, bringing chefs, creators, food brands and fans from across the world to Indianapolis.
“We're excited about this new collaboration around iconic foods that Americans love,” commented Mike McCloud, Founder and CEO of World Food Championships. “Expanding WFC programming with specialized events like the Indy Pizza Fest is part of our mission to deliver a robust week of Food Sport energy to Indianapolis. In fact, eventually, we believe that Food Sport in October can become as exciting and rewarding as racing is for Indy in May.”
Attendees can expect:
- Pizza tastings from some of Indiana’s favorite pizza spots
- Live music and entertainment
- Pizza competitions and awards
- VIP experiences
- Family-friendly activities
- Interactive sponsor activations
- Expanded beverage offerings
- Special appearances and collaborations with nationally recognized pizza personalities and brands
The Indianapolis Pizza Festival will also partner with Indiana Wish, a nonprofit organization dedicated to granting wishes to Indiana children with life-threatening illnesses. “We are beyond excited to partner with the Indianapolis Pizza Festival as the 2026 charity partner! Bringing people together over pizza, community, and a shared mission to make a difference is something truly special. Every slice, every ticket, and every moment of support helps bring hope and joy to Indiana children facing life-threatening illnesses. We can’t wait to be part of this incredible event and are so grateful for the opportunity.” — J’Lynn Edwards, Executive Director, Indiana Wish
The Indianapolis Pizza Festival is an annual celebration of pizza, local restaurants, and community, bringing together pizza lovers from across Indiana for a day of food, entertainment, and charitable impact.
Map
Upcoming Events at Indiana State Fairgrounds and Event Center
