Overview Pizza City Fest Chicago is a two-day pizza festival curated by Steve Dolinsky, the 13-time James Beard Award-winning food reporter, where two dozen of the region's pizzerias bake to order on electric ovens set up in an open-air lot in River North. Every ticket includes unlimited tastings, across styles from tavern-cut and deep-dish to Neapolitan and Detroit. Dolinsky, formerly NBC 5 Chicago's Food Guy and author of Pizza City, USA, built it to show there is more to Chicago pizza than deep-dish, stuffed or tavern-style pies. The festival began in 2017 and also runs a Los Angeles edition. On site Each pizzeria works its own station and bakes its pies in commercial electric ovens from Marra Forni in front of the people waiting. A demo and panel tent runs hands-on demonstrations and talks on dough and technique, past sessions have included "Who Really Created Deep-Dish?" and "How to Make Great Pizza at Home", and live music plays between them. The VIP Lounge opens early and adds reserved seats at the panels, private bathrooms, gelato and an open bar with beverage pairings. Audience The ticket covers every station, so guests graze from one pizzeria's line to the next instead of choosing a few. The festival's deck says the event pulls chefs, restaurant operators, food influencers and local press alongside ticket buyers. Talent and Influencers Past panels have put Chris Bianco of Pizzeria Bianco, Tony Gemignani of Tony's Pizza Napoletana and Dan Richer of Razza on stage. The lineup published for the August 2026 dates included Home Run Inn, Paulie Gee's Logan Square, Bonci, Pizza Dada, Labriola, Robert's Pizza and Dough Co., George's Deep-Dish, Uncle Jerry's Deep Dish and Pizza Di Farfalla, with a Dough Whisperers panel of Richer, Rich Labriola and Robert Garvey. Track record The 2023 Chicago festival brought together more than 40 pizzerias. The 2025 edition ran in River North in August, and the festival counts its broadcast coverage that year at 105 placements with an estimated $178,000 in ad value. Pilot Light, a Chicago food-education nonprofit that works in schools, was the charity partner named for 2026. The organizers postponed the 2026 Chicago edition, citing economic strain. Brand presence The presenting partner's logo is built into the festival logo as "presented by" on the entrance truss, the photo installation and the website, and its product is mentioned at every demo and panel. Title positions sit on the VIP Lounge and the demo and panel tent. Partners sample from festival-provided 10 by 10 tents with power, can host guests in private cabanas with a bar and unlimited pizza, and can have pizzerias cook with their product. In-kind partners get menu placement at the bars. Truly, Twisted Tea, Lifeway and La Colombe were among the 2025 sponsors.