MCG Jazz is a hidden gem at the Manchester Craftsmen's Guild on the North Side, hosting live jazz concerts each year in a season that runs from fall through spring. These concerts bring in some of the best names in jazz today, from vocalists to instrumentalists, and from Broadway stars to Grammy Award winners.
Despite living a few blocks from this one for several years, we never knew it existed until a coworker told us about it. Naturally, we bought tickets right away.
Handmade Arcade is a free independent craft fair held at the David L. Lawrence Convention center every December.
If you're looking to pick up some unique presents, or just want to support independent artists from the region and the country, the Handmade Arcade is the place to be!
Note: Many of the artisans at Handmade Arcade sell their products online via Etsy storefronts. When applicable, we'll feature links to the stores directly within this article as well (may contain affiliate information).
The end of summer is marked with several annual events in the Pittsburgh region, and one that has been a favorite in the Laurel Highlands for many years is none other than the Pittsburgh Renaissance Festival!
We have been to many Renaissance Festivals elsewhere in the past, but our recent visit to Pittsburgh's festival was a first- and it delivered the nostalgic experience we were looking for.
Open Streets Pittsburgh (or OpenStreetsPGH, as the organization is called) is an outdoor event that has a very simple premise- to encourage you to get outside and be active!
The event is part of a global movement called Ciclovia which is said to have begun in Bogota, Colombia, in the mid-1970s. Here, the main roads of the city are shut down for several hours on Sundays and public holidays in order to open the roads up to pedestrians and bikers- thus giving people a safe space to get out and exercise in the city.
This trend caught on, and the Open Streets movement is now found the world over- including in Pittsburgh!
Although our Open Streets options are limited to select weekend days of the month from May to July, the organizers ensure different streets are open in each event, giving you several miles of open space to get out for a walk, run, bike, or more.
Naturally, we wanted to try out Open Streets both on foot and on wheels, and in this one wanted to share our thoughts on attending the event in each case!
The North Side Music Festival takes place each July in Pittsburgh's North Side and features hundreds of bands, dozens of stages throughout the region (most in Deutschtown, giving the event the former name the Deutschtown Music Fesitval), food trucks, art and other vendors, and so much more.
In fact, there is so much to see in this three-day event you really plan to spend the entire day down at the festival to get the most out of it!
The Three Rivers Arts Festival is one of the most popular annual events in Pittsburgh.
This two-week long festival in June celebrates all things arts and includes dozens upon dozens of booths of art vendors, live performances and music, extended gallery hours, and so much more in downtown Pittsburgh.
While you may need to visit this one multiple times in order to truly experience it all, a visit during any day of the festival has enough to keep anyone busy.
Pittsburgh's outdoor amphitheater, The Pavilion at Star Lake (formerly S&T Bank Music Park, KeyBank Pavilion, First Niagara, and Star Lake before that), is the preferred venue for many of the world's best bands and musicians as they make their touring stop in Pittsburgh.
But this pavilion, located about 45 minutes west of downtown Pittsburgh, has had some notoriety about it throughout the years as accessing the arena is quite difficult with its one and only road in and out. But since many of our favorite bands play there, we've sucked it up several times over the years to see performances with vastly different experiences.
As with everything, this review is not about the performance, but rather is about the arena itself. So, what did we think of Star Lake and what can you do to have the best experience when visiting? Read on!
Everyone in Pittsburgh knows that PPG Paints Arena (formerly CONSOL Energy Center) is home of the mighty Pittsburgh Penguins. But outside of hockey season the arena does not sit empty, and is instead one of the best spots in the city to catch some of the largest bands and musicians in the world as they make a stop in Pittsburgh to perform.
One band we got to check out at PPG Paints Arena in 2017 was Red Hot Chili Peppers, and while we enjoyed the performance we wanted to take a look at PPG Paints Arena itself to see if it is truly a good spot to check out live music, what to consider before visiting, and what to avoid.
In knowing these things, you'll be better prepared for purchasing a ticket for when your favorite band comes to town!
The Banff Mountain Film Festival is not unique to Pittsburgh. In fact, it is not even unique to the midwest or even the United States.
This film festival originates from the tiny mountain town of Banff just outside of Calgary, Canada. Aside from being a town in its own right, this part of the world is also a great spot to get out and experience all things nature.
To capitalize on this, the city has created a film festival that showcases some of the world's best videos of adventure sports and other associated topics. The main festival takes place in Banff each fall, and after that the best videos go on a world tour with an annual stop in Pittsburgh.
As adventure lovers ourselves, we've been attending this event for many years. Today, we wanted to share the experience of what the festival is like to help encourage you to get out to the next one!
If the explosive growth of the restaurant scene and the local food movement in Pittsburgh is any indication, Pittsburgh has tons of locavores and foodies. One of the most popular annual events for such individuals is perhaps the Farm to Table conference.
This event is the perfect opportunity to network with other like-minded Pittsburghers, learn about things like canning and preserving, attend demonstrations, and browse the huge exhibit hall.
We recently had the chance to attend the conference as well as the Sunday night farm to flask tasting and left with a renewed appreciation for the local food scene.