Three Rivers Art Festival brings art, music, food to downtown Pittsburgh
Indoor galleries in the Pittsburgh Cultural District are part of the Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival running June 3 through June 12.
The Artist Market presented by Peoples Natural Gas is one of the attractions of the annual Three Rivers Arts Festival.
Michael Franti and Spearhead kick off the free concert series for the Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival.
The Artist Market stretches from Gateway Center to Point State Park for the聽 annual Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival.
The Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival runs June 3 to 10.
The Three Rivers Arts Festival will feature public art throughout downtown Pittsburgh.
For 10 days between June 3 and June 12, crowds of people will flock downtown 鈥� rain or shine 鈥� for the Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival.
Serving the Pittsburgh area since 1960, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust never disappoints in providing a wholesome art and entertainment event free of charge, showcasing talented artists and musicians to the community in an environment infused with uplifting energy, aromas of irresistible food and relaxing, fresh air.
Between noon and 8 p.m. daily, nearly 1,000 artists will be represented at this year鈥檚 festival, whether it be through main stage musical performances or within booths included in the Artist Market taking place on the plush greenery of Point State Park as well as the walkways of the Cultural District in Gateway Center.
Abiding by the theme of 鈥淏elonging,鈥� this year鈥檚 festival will come with improvements from last year to make the event more inclusive and open to all.
Some of these changes include a sensory-friendly area, a functional art installation featuring works of mother artists equipped with a nursing and diaper changing area, in addition to providing three new indoor art exhibits.
One of the biggest adjustments is moving the Creativity Zone, which was previously held on the fountain side of the portal bridge at Point State Park, according to Sarah Aziz, program manager of festivals at the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust.
The Creativity Zone provides a family-friendly environment for children to have hands-on experiences with art, however in the past years, it was found that this section of the festival hindered parents from participating in the Artist Market, art galleries and concerts on the other side of the bridge.
As a solution, the creativity zone will be moved closer to the Artist Market along Liberty Avenue on the weekends.
鈥淚t will give people more of a chance to see different aspects of the festival,鈥� Aziz said. 鈥淲e are also trying to incorporate hands-on activities for all ages, not specifically for families or children. We鈥檙e hoping to get everybody making art.鈥�
For the entirety of the festival, the visual arts exhibit, 鈥淶aatari鈥� will present photographs of the Syrian refugee camp by the same name taken by a local photographer. As part of the Creativity Zone during the first weekend, the Andy Warhol Museum will offer the public a chance to color and design postcards that will be mailed to refugees in the camp.
鈥淥ur hope is that people will walk through the exhibit, get a sense for what life is like in the camp and then write a little message,鈥� Aziz said.
Approximately 350 art booths will come and go as part of the Artist Market, offering visitors the opportunity to purchase homemade works, ranging from jewelry to fine arts to photography prints.
Keep in mind that not all artists will be present the entirety of the 10 days.
鈥淧eople should definitely come down for multiple days because the art will change out,鈥� Aziz said.
One of the biggest attractions of the festival apart from the art is the live music.
Over 60 musicians of various genres both local and abroad will grace the stage, including Michael Franti & Spearhead on opening night, Beaver County alternative-rockers The Annajames Band on June 5, indie/alternative group Guster on June 10, and Ghana-born, Nashville-based singer Ruby Amanfu on June 12 among numerous others.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e very excited. This is one of the biggest shows they鈥檝e performed since [the group鈥檚 founding in] 2011,鈥� said the Annajames Band鈥檚 general manager Randy Lyons. 鈥淲e鈥檙e coming off of a CD we鈥檙e excited to share.鈥�
The Annajames Band released a 2015 single 鈥淪ecrets鈥� that sold copies nationwide and in Europe, having been recorded as part of WYEP-FM鈥檚 Reimagination Media project helping young bands. The band will perform from noon to 1 p.m., opening the festival鈥檚 WYEP Day.
In addition to the Point State Park main stage, there also will be the Acoustic Stage and Stanwix Stage at Gateway Center to showcase more musicians.
One of the most highlighted events according to Aziz is Squonk鈥檚 outdoor spectacle 鈥淐ycle Sonic,鈥� in which musicians atop massive, bicycle-operated parade floats will spread their music throughout the streets of downtown in a traveling performance June 11 and June 12.
Be sure to check out the full event schedule at traf.trustarts.org to plan your trip accordingly and not miss a minute of the action.