Boston’s biggest pizza weekend is back. The Boston Pizza Festival takes over City Hall Plaza on September 19 and 20, bringing together more than 20 pizzerias spanning nearly every major style the genre has to offer — from New Haven-style apizza and Neapolitan-inspired pies to Detroit squares and contemporary riffs on the classics.
Boston Pizza Festival takes over Downtown this September
The lineup covers a lot of ground. Sally’s Apizza, the legendary New Haven institution that’s earned near-mythic status among pie purists, heads a roster that also includes Boston-area staples like Quattro, Eataly, Lala’s Neapolitan-ish Pizza, and American Flatbread. The most-traveled participant this year: Pizza Taxi, making the trip from Vico Equense — a coastal town near Naples with deep roots in pizza-making tradition — to serve authentic Italian pizza on American soil for the weekend.
The international presence adds a genuine point of comparison that pizza enthusiasts will appreciate: side-by-side tastings that put a working Italian pizzaiolo next to New England’s own interpretations of the craft.
Both days run the same format, with general admission opening to the public at 11 a.m. The festival takes place at City Hall Plaza, one of downtown Boston’s most accessible outdoor venues, steps from Government Center and multiple MBTA lines.
The full pizzeria lineup is available online. With more than 20 vendors and two full days, it’s worth arriving early — popular booths from past editions have drawn long lines by midday.
Dining and Cooking