CALUMET — Main Street Calumet and Visit Keweenaw are thrilled to unveil the 19th Annual Pasty Fest lineup. The staple Pasty Eating Competition returns, and a new Pasty Olympics will challenge the strength and determination of Yoopers and pasty enthusiasts alike with fresh and exciting games. Pasty Fest 2023 is on Aug. 19 from Noon to 4 p.m. in Calumet. Participants should prepare themselves for two Pasty Olympic challenges: the Pasty Pull, and the Pasty Relay. Strong folks who enter the pull can expect to drag a truck loaded with pasty ingredients, ensuring you get that pasty home while it’s still hot!
Come for the pasties, stay for the Pasty Olympics on Aug. 19. Photo courtesy of 2nd Sandbar.
If you and your friends are quick on your feet, the Pasty Relay challenges teams of chefs to assemble their best “pasty” as fast as they can. Making a giant pasty with pool noodles and mops, you’ll assemble your doughy design – and get it into an “oven” for a final bake. There will be awards for fastest time, most appetizing and best team costumes.
A crowd favorite, the Pasty Eating Competition returns to 5th Street in Calumet. At the heart of Pasty Fest, find the Pasty Eating Competition. Challengers take the stage to see who can devour the most pasties in a five-minute span. The current record is 4.5 pasties – a glorious victory. Come hungry and leave with golden-crusted honor. Don’t forget to try the pasties yourself and cast your vote for best pasty.
Registration for the Pasty Eating Competition and the Pasty Olympics opens July 22.
“Pasty Fest celebrates all things pasty and traditionally that has focused mostly on eating pasties,” said Leah Polzien, Main Street Calumet executive director. “The addition of the Pasty Fest Olympics highlights a few important aspects of the Yooper experience with pasty flavor. We’ll ask contestants to test their fortitude with the Pasty Pull, their skill in the Pasty Fest Art Prize competition and their ingenuity with the Pasty Relay. The winners of each category will certainly be Pasty Olympians!”
Full schedule (contingent):
Noon – Opening Ceremonies
1:00 p.m. – Pasty Relay
2:00 p.m. – Pasty Pull
3:00 p.m. – Pasty Eating Competition
4:00 p.m. – Closing Ceremonies
In conjunction with Pasty Fest:
Keweenaw National Historic Park Talks (12:30 p.m. and 3 p.m.)
Pam Tillis performs at the Calumet Theatre (7:30 p.m)
Returning Favorites: Horseshoe Tournament, Car Show, Pasty Bake-Off
Main Street Calumet is a nonprofit organization that promotes local pride and preservation, hosts new and innovative events and supports business development and retention in the Calumet community. To learn more about Main Street Calumet, visit www.mainstreetcalumet.com and follow along on Facebook, or Instagram.
Visit Keweenaw promotes Michigan’s Keweenaw Peninsula as a tourist destination. Tourism, and the broader visitor economy, generate social, cultural, and financial benefits for our community members and are a pillar of the region’s economy. Formed in 1986 as the Keweenaw Tourism Council, and later as the Keweenaw Convention & Visitors Bureau, Visit Keweenaw has served as the two-county region’s lead destination marketing organization (DMO) for more than 35 years.