11th annual Peeps Chick Drop set for Dec. 31

Marshmallow brand rings in the New Year with two-day festival.

Peepsfest, set for Dec. 31 in Bethlehem, Pa., culminates with the drop of the 400-lb. Peeps chick. Photo from Just Born.

The Peeps brand will celebrate the New Year with the two-day Peepsfest, culminating in the 11th annual Peeps Chick Drop.

The festival, set for Dec. 30-31 at the SteelStacks venue in Bethlehem, Pa., will feature live music, family entertainment and activities centered around the marshmallow brand.

Visitors will have the chance to make Leaning Towers of Peeps, using uncooked spaghetti and marshmallow chicks. They’ll also have the opportunity to make Peeps s’mores, see cooking demos using Peeps and vote on Peeps dioramas, among other activities.

The Chick Rising Ceremony is set for 4:30 p.m. on Dec. 30. The chick, which weighs 400 lbs. and measures 4 ft., 9 in., will get into position for the dropping ceremony, set to begin at 4:30 p.m. on Dec. 31.

“Peepsfest is an event that we look forward to each year, as it allows the community to come together and celebrate in such a fun and unique way,” says Meg Dowd, corporate affairs manager at Just Born Quality Confections. “The Peeps Chick Drop has become synonymous with New Year’s Eve in our area, and each year we meet more and more fans who travel from all over the country to join in the fun!”

Alyse Thompson has held many positions with BNP Media, first serving as an intern at Candy Industry Magazine in summer 2012. She joined Candy Industry's staff full time as associate editor in August 2016 after a few years at newspapers in West-Central Illinois, becoming managing editor in March 2019. Alyse has also served as managing editor of Cannabis Products Magazine since March 2019. She has bachelor’s degrees in journalism and Spanish from Western Illinois University.