The Pittsburgh Fermentation Festival will be held this Sun., Feb. 18 at Spirit in Lawrenceville. Come and spend the day learning about your favorite microbial friends with a series of workshops; use your competitive edge to enter into the fermented foods contest; or enter the as-of-yet mysterious Fermenter Olympics. This event, run by Justin Lubecki and Ferment Pittsburgh, is in its third year of bringing the magic of fermentation to the Pittsburgh public.

If you'd like to get the weekend of mold kicked off early, stop by the Garfield Community Center for the Fermentation Festival Potluck and Variety Show on Sat., Feb. 17. Last year there was a stupendous dance of choreographed molds and spores in colorful costume. This year will feature a special performance by some favorite food personalities in Pittsburgh including Trevett Hooper of Legume, Hal B. Klein of Pittsburgh Magazine, Amy Weiland of Constellation Coffee and Aeros Lillstrom of Who Cooks for You Farm. Doors open at 7 p.m. and the show starts at 8 p.m. Pay a sliding scale $5-15 to get in on the fun, or bring a potluck dish and get in for free.