The annual Pigtown Festival took place Saturday afternoon with everyone’s favorite pig-running spectacle, Squeakness. Pigtown’s name dates to the late 1800s, when pigs were herded through the streets on the way to the slaughterhouse. These days it’s a little different, with the pigs racing for fun and being cheered on for their cuteness — not their contribution to breakfast.

(Craig Hudson/For the Baltimore Banner)
Festival attendees cheer and snap photos as a group of pigs race during the Pigtown Festival in Baltimore, MD on September 30, 2023Festival attendees cheer and snap photos as a group of pigs races.
Announcer David Feimster releases a group of pigs to race.
A child wears a pig snout while waiting for the next race.
Attendees wait for the next pig race.
A clock shows the time of the next race.
A group of pigs race during the Pigtown Festival in Baltimore, MD on September 30, 2023.A group of pigs during their race.
A child wears a pig snout while waiting for a race.
Luna Coates, 5, runs through bubbles made by Bubbleverse’s Lindsey Noel during the Pigtown Festival in Baltimore, MD on September 30, 2023. (Luna Coates, 5, runs through bubbles made by Bubbleverse’s Lindsey Noel.
Festival attendees look on as contestants compete in a pie-eating contest.
Steph Compton celebrates winning a pie eating contest during the Pigtown Festival in Baltimore, MD on September 30, 2023.Steph Compton celebrates winning the pie-eating contest.