SPOKANE — One of Spokane’s most recognizable summer traditions is coming to a close, as Pig Out in the Park will no longer be held after more than four decades in Riverfront Park.
The long-running food and music festival, founded in 1979 by Bill Burke, grew from a small local gathering into a major regional attraction that drew visitors from across the country. Over its 44-year run, the event welcomed nearly 4 million attendees and became a staple of Spokane’s cultural calendar.
Burke launched Pig Out in the Park after recognizing the rising popularity of food and music festivals nationwide. His concept combined the two into a free-admission event, initially built around a small stage left over from Expo ’74. What began modestly quickly expanded into a large-scale festival featuring dozens of vendors offering a wide variety of food and beverages alongside live entertainment…