One Bite Pizza Festival

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One Bite Pizza Festival is an annual food festival in New York City, organized in partnership between Dave Portnoy, founder of Barstool Sports, and Medium Rare, an event production company. Started in 2023, the festival unites pizzerias from across the U.S. to celebrate pizza culture. [1] [2] [3]

Overview

The first One Bite Pizza Festival occurred on September 23, 2023, at Maimonides Park in Coney Island, Brooklyn. It was launched by the founder of Barstool Sports, Dave Portnoy, and Medium Rare. Over 35 pizzerias participated, including establishments such as Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana, Sally's Apizza, and Lucali. The festival attracted more than 5,000 attendees who sampled pizzas selected by Portnoy, based on his popular "One Bite" pizza review series. In addition, the event featured live musical performances and a live presentation of Portnoy's pizza reviews. [4] [5] [6]

The festival returned on September 14, 2024, at Randall's Island in New York City. Expanding on its success, the 2024 event accommodated 10,000 attendees across two sold-out sessions. The event again showcased over 35 pizzerias, including Frank Pepe, Sally's Apizza, and Lucali. [7] [8] [3] [9] Portnoy donated all proceeds from the festival to Al Santillo, the owner of Santillo's Brick Oven Pizza, which had burned down earlier in the year. [10] A GoFundMe campaign started by Portnoy raised more than $32,000 to help with rebuilding Santillo's. [11]

The third One Bite Pizza Festival was held on September 13, 2025, at Maimonides Park in Coney Island. [12]

References

  1. "Dave Portnoy Creates One Bite Pizza Festival With 'Top Of The Top' Restaurants". TMZ. August 1, 2023. Retrieved May 27, 2025.
  2. Pflaumer, Erin (June 25, 2024). "Barstool founder Dave Portnoy to bring back NYC's One Bite Pizza Festival". PIX11. Archived from the original on June 26, 2024. Retrieved May 27, 2025.
  3. 1 2 Cotto, Andrew (August 1, 2023). "Dave Portnoy Is Launching His One Bite Pizza Festival in New York City". Appetito. Retrieved May 27, 2025.
  4. McCart, Melissa (September 20, 2023). "Pizzerias Get Called Out Over Dave Portnoy Food Festival". Eater NY. Retrieved May 27, 2025.
  5. Holtermann, Gabriele (September 25, 2023). "Thousands of pizza lovers flock to inaugural One Bite Pizza Festival in Coney Island". Brooklyn Paper. Retrieved May 27, 2025.
  6. Draper, Kevin; Nierenberg, Amelia (October 3, 2023). "The Pizza Influencer With a Private Jet and a 'Troll Army'". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved May 27, 2025.
  7. Sosa, Jon (September 19, 2024). "Dave Portnoy's One Bite Pizza Fest Hits NYC". www.amny.com. Retrieved May 27, 2025.
  8. Nawab, Faiz (June 25, 2024). "Dave Portnoy's Pizza Festival at Randall's Island this fall". www.amny.com. Retrieved May 27, 2025.
  9. Fagan, Matt (July 17, 2024). "These favorite NJ pizzerias should have been invited to annual One Bite Pizza Fest". North Jersey Media Group. Retrieved May 27, 2025.
  10. Settembre, Jeanette (September 10, 2024). "Barstool's Dave Portnoy reveals how he beat the haters to help local pizzerias". New York Post. Retrieved May 29, 2025.
  11. Vasil, Jim (October 29, 2024). "Renowned NJ pizzeria nears return after being burned down". PIX11. Retrieved May 29, 2025.
  12. Holtermann, Gabriele (September 25, 2023). "Thousands of pizza lovers flock to inaugural One Bite Pizza Festival in Coney Island". The Brooklyn Paper . Retrieved January 3, 2026.