Clockwise from top left: Delicious chicken, rice, and salad lunch from The Garden Pittsburgh; a nostalgic lunchpail
from The Frick Pittsburgh; sandwich and accoutrements from The Fluted Mushroom; sandwich and sides from Bistro to Go.
The secret to stress-free summer entertaining? Outsource the cooking. Pittsburgh’s best boxed lunches are pre-packed, portable, and travel-ready, so you can skip the kitchen and spend more time with your guests.
Chef Kate Romane always delivers creatively fresh dishes. Her boxed lunches will please your foodies with miso-grilled beef bowls, poached salmon salad, and goat cheese and smoked eggplant sandwiches. Minimum of 20 lunches, 48 hours in advance.
Shruti Gupta’s globally-inspired dishes are ideal for events such as bridal parties. Her lunches are presented almost as gifts wrapped in gabled boxes with raffia and rattan. Inside are meals such as Flight of the Kebabs, with two chicken and beef kebabs, spiced veggie Biryani, Greek salad, and tzatziki. Order a day in advance.
A downtown mainstay for decades, the Common Plea is now the exclusive caterer for the Heinz History Center and available for your affairs, too. They appeal to the taste buds with their chicken salad croissants and za’atar grilled salmon salad, among other options. $450 minimum on weekdays. $750 on weekends. Order 72 hours ahead.
Ready to serve hungry meat eaters and vegans alike, Fabled Table features bento boxes that are either stocked with Italian meats and cheeses, or vegan options such as stuffed grape leaves, olive medleys, and vegan cheese and gluten-free crackers. Choose from an array of salads, wraps, and sandwiches. 12 box minimum. Two weeks notice.
This upscale North Side caterer aims high with their artisan sandwiches, such as a Caprese baguette with lemon preserve vinaigrette, plum tomatoes, and microgreens; a sugar-baked ham croissant, or a prime rib sandwich with cheddar and horseradish cream. 15 box minimum. 48 hours in advance.
This is a great option for Mediterranean food lovers: Medi’s packs up pita boxes with a protein (gyro, chicken, or falafel) served with salad, hummus, tzatziki, green beans, and baklava. Boxes also come in a ‘bowl’ option with a base of lemon rice, romaine, or lentils. 10 box minimum. At least 24 hours notice.
If your crew enjoys a spicy kick, Sausalido’s signature box is bow tie spinach salad with feta and toasted nuts, served with rustic bread topped with their own Italian Stallion seasoning. Also on the menu: risotto, veggie wraps, and artisan pizza. 10 lunch minimum. 48 hours advance notice.
Throughout the summer, The Frick features a Lunch Pail Lecture series that covers topics such as their current exhibitions, the Frick family, and Pittsburgh’s history. You can order old-school lunches such as Islay’s Chipped Chopped Ham on brioche or bacon and butter on Italian bread. Order in advance at the café or online for no waiting.
At the helm here is Erin Gaunter, a graduate of Le Cordon Bleu’s International Culinary Academy. Her boxed lunch options include the Bang Bang salad with baby greens, red peppers, wonton strips, shredded cabbage and carrots, cashews, and cukes, topped with its namesake chicken. 10 box minimum for delivery. Four for pick up. 48 hours notice.
For those looking for Kosher boxed lunches, Elegant Edge offers a honey salmon bowl with rice and veggies, a Korean BBQ tofu bowl served on lime rice, and shawarma wraps with Israeli salad. 12 box minimum. One week notice.
This family-run business has been perfecting their catering game for more than 50 years — and their boxed lunch menu reflects this sophistication. Choose from Black Forest ham and brie; sliced roasted beef, roasted red peppers, and Danish blue cheese; and grilled portobello, plum tomato, and basil mayo on focaccia. 10 box minimum. 48 hours notice.
Their boxed lunches include a honey-thyme brined turkey and gouda sandwich and their popular tuna Niçoise, with olives, oven-dried tomato, haricot verts, hard-cooked egg, and avocado, served on petit lettuce. $250 minimum. 48 hours notice.
Known for her grazing boards — and her family’s namesake markets — Megan McGinnis also offers charcuterie in a variety she calls Adult Lunchables, which might come with a mix of melon and grapes, rosetted salami, brie and berries, cheese and crackers, and mixed nuts. All the fun of a kid’s meal with a dash of sophistication. 10 person minimum. 24 hours notice.
Story by Lauri Gravina Styling by Star Laliberte Photography by Dave Bryce
Happy Birthday, Leos! TABLE’s astrologist Wade Caves gives us a look at what gift to buy if you are shopping for the lovely Leo in your life. To start, you’ve got to consider the qualities of its namesake lion. Lions love the comfort of their lair and long stretches in the sun. They’re fiercely loyal to their prides, command attention wherever they go, and — of course, have those fabulous manes.
“Leos are frequently larger-than-life types,” says Caves. “When they’re in the room, you can hear them — they’re social, they’re participating, they like to be part of social settings.”
Best Gifts for Leo Zodiac Signs: Ideas for July-August Birthdays
Photo From Wavelength
Game On
“Leos love activities that bring people together,” comments Wade.
His first gift suggestion is simple: board games — but don’t give a Leo something completely out of their wheelhouse. “Leo really likes a little newness, but not too much at once.”
If your Leo likes being on stage, how about a charades-style game like Monikers, or if they like cards, Play Nine, which appeals to adults and older kids. A highly portable drawing game? Try A Fake Artist Goes to New York. A few quick-to-learn — and quick to play — board games are Wavelength and Just One. If the extrovert Leo in your life loves having everyone over for a backyard gathering, perhaps a well-reviewed croquet set?
Stop by Games Unlimited in Squirrel Hill to pick up a copy in person.
Photo From Fairmont
Pamper Them
Keeping on the theme of quality time, a couple’s massage is right up Leo’s alley, as it provides time together plus speaks to their love of luxury. “They want to feel special,” says Caves. Many spas offer couples and mother-daughter specials, or it could also be a visit for a manicure or a pedicure.
Some Pittsburgh favorites include the Fairview Spa, with its Eucalyptus steam room, and ESSpa, which offers a full array of services, or Evolve Wellness Spa for treatments such as Reiki, sound baths, and crystal attunements.
Left: Photo From Michael Aram; Right: Photo From Quince
Some Things for Their Lair…
When you enter into the home of a Leo, says Caves, there’s often a grand, eye-catching display. While we don’t suggest decorating your Leo’s home, maybe gift them a luxurious catch-all for the foyer. Michael Aram’s brass version takes inspiration from the pomegranate, a prized fruit and ancient symbol of life, birth, and renewal.
Just like lions lazing in the sun, Leos love being at home. They are very social, says Caves, adding, “When they’re up, they’re up — but when they’re relaxing, they’re relaxing and don’t like to be roused.”
As such, “there’s a long history with Leos and beds,” says Caves.
His gift idea? A nice set of bedsheets. “They don’t need to be super elegant, but they need to feel good, cozy, something you want to curl up in.”
Because it’s a bit more unexpected, we suggest linen sheets, which get softer with every wash. While you can go premium and order Parachute sheets, we also sourced a more budget-friendly option from Quince — which also comes in a wide variety of colors, like desert sunset.
Another great option for a Leo’s home — and more budget-friendly — is a big bouquet of sunflowers. If you can, try to source local growers or florists that might carry more unusual varieties. In Pittsburgh, try Squirrel Hill Flowers or Oliver Flower Shop in Deutschtown.
Photos From Oribe
…And Some Things for Their Hair
“Leos and their hair, it’s a big thing,” says Caves. After all, just think of a lion’s mane. For Leos with luxurious hair, this gold-plated hairpin from Oribe will show off their locks. Oribe also carries a roster of luxury hair care products and accessories, such as Gold Lust Hair Nourishing Oil made with lychee and edelweiss flower, shea butter, and cassis seed oils.
Photo From Louis Vuitton
Divine Denim
“Leos like to do traditional, classic things,” says Caves. “You’ll always see American Leos in jeans. They look good in jeans, they have nice styles of jeans.”
And, try as we might, we cannot recommend a one-size-fits-all pair of jeans, so we have another idea: the very on-trend denim bag.
If your Leo is all about vintage design and old-school style, Levi’s offers their Brannan shoulder bag, which doesn’t ding your wallet. However, if the sky’s the limit when it comes to your Leo, Louis Vuitton’s Neo Speedy is sure to give your lion that ‘wow’ factor when they enter a room.
You could even go on an adventure and see if you can find vintage denim in one of Pittsburgh’s thrift stores.
Left: Photo From Sur la Table; Right: Photo From Hyeholde
Sunset Picnic
Leos love the color of sunrise and sunset — and they love quality time, says Caves. “Leos are some of the best listeners, so an intimate experience with interpersonal connection is good.”
How about a sunset picnic? You can pack your own picnic basket or gift them a beautiful Sur la Table tote that you fill with a charcuterie setup. Check for a local charcuterie shop — in Pittsburgh, try The Cheese Queen. You can also make your own. A simple rule is to think in threes: Choose three meats, three cheeses, and three starches (like bread and crackers), and accompaniments such as red grapes, hummus, nuts, or olives. Keep in mind varying textures. Add chocolate-covered espresso beans or macarons for dessert, and be sure to pick up drink offerings your Leo loves. Bring your own blanket or gift them a cheerful water-resistant blanket to keep things comfy. Locally, Flagstaff Hill is a classic sunset spot, or a riverside spot at Point State Park, but there are plenty of other picnic spots around the city to choose from.
If you would prefer someone else curates this experience, Hyeholde offers exquisite catered picnics on their lushly manicured grounds. In the fairytale setting of a 1931 castle built as a promise to a young bride, picnickers dine on grilled peaches, cured pork, and black currant panna cotta. There’s even a silver tray picnic upgrade with champagne and truffle cake.
Photo From AVVA
Alfresco Dining
If a picnic is not the right fit for your Leo, find the finest — preferably expansive — patio, for an alfresco meal. ’Tis the season for outdoor dining, and in Pittsburgh, we have plenty of options that you can find here. But, some select picks are Andora in Sewickley features a multi-tier patio with a fountain, pots of flowers, and string lights; AVVA in Aspinwall serves refined Mediterranean on a covered patio, which often draws a bustling crowd, and the Over the Bar Cafe at the North Park Boathouse, where you can stroll lakeside before or after your meal for a more outdoorsy, casual Leo.
Photo From Warhol and Friends
Celebrate the Colors of the Sunset, Too
Leo is commonly associated with pinks, light reds, light oranges, and light yellows — bright colors, not muted — as we mentioned above, the colors of sunrise and sunset.
In 1972, fellow Leo Andy Warhol (birthday August 6) produced 632 distinct screenprints, titled Sunset, each featuring unique bands of color.
You can gift your Leo a colorful sunset — thanks to Andy — in a variety of ways.
The Andy Warhol Museum sells a set of nine colorful magnets perfect for the fridge or hanging notes. The museum’s purveyor of prints, McGaw Graphics, sells poster-sized versions of Sunset prints in a variety of sizes. If you’re committed to the finest, Warhol and Friends sells 34 x 34 museum-quality, unsigned proof editions.
Left: Photo From Adina Stone; Right: Photo From Aurum Brothers
…And Even Wear the Sun
With its honey color, resinous flares, and glowing essence, amber jewelry has long been associated with the sun.
A handcrafted Adina Stone ring reflects the stone’s sunny rays. For men, a sterling silver and Baltic amber Aurum Brothers bracelet gives him a subtle warmth. Both items ship quickly.
Photo From Mpix
Capture the Memories
“So much of our photos live on our phones. What if you were to collect these images into a nicely curated book?” asks Caves. “At the end of the day, Leos just want to belong. They want to be part of a community, part of a family, active, busy, happy life — so show them pictures of those things happening in their lives.”
“But remember, don’t skimp on the paper type, the weight — it still needs to be quality.”
Two quality online photo services, Mpix and Shutterfly, print and ship photobooks within 1-2 days after receiving an order.
“They’ll love it,” says Caves.
“The gifts don’t have to be the most expensive options. But Leos do like things to be nice — that’s what they like. If life can be nice, why wouldn’t it be? Why wouldn’t you choose that?”
United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania Event coverage by Nancy Andrews/Annie O'Neill Photography. Copyright 2025 All Rights Reserved
Pittsburgh has long been known as a philanthropic hub — and for good reason. This city was built by working people who believed a better tomorrow was possible when communities came together for the common good, not just the privileged few. While times change, leadership shifts and priorities evolve, one thing remains true: In moments of crisis and uncertainty, we look for the helpers.
Look no further than the United Way, which is seeing growing need across our region and the impact it is having on our neighbors. The organization recently announced a $21 million investment over the next three years in human service agencies working to help Pittsburgh not just survive, but thrive.
Human Service Agencies in Western Pennsylvania Receive $21 Million in an Investment From United Way
Powered by 50,000 donors, the grants are the result of United Way’s latest multi-year funding process, during which a record number of community volunteers reviewed proposals from hundreds of nonprofits seeking support.
So why now?
“This $21 million investment is vital and needed now more than ever,” said United Way President and CEO Bobbi Watt Geer, Ph.D. “The number of funding requests to United Way grew by 30% since our last multi-year grant cycle in 2023. This reflects the unprecedented needs our partner agencies are seeing in the community, often from people who have never sought help before. Meeting those needs is one of the reasons we’re asking the public to help us reach our goal of raising $40 million in honor of our 100th anniversary in 2027.”
Photo From Trade Institute of Pittsburgh
The timing couldn’t be more critical for grant recipient Maggie Beldecos, chief operating officer of the Trade Institute of Pittsburgh.
“More than ever, our students need assistance obtaining SNAP benefits, affordable housing and a driver’s license,” Beldecos said. “Our case managers are spending additional time helping students navigate the overwhelmed SNAP system. We are now partnered with a local doctor’s office that will see our students for a $10 copay while they wait for their SNAP medical insurance. Moving participants into stable housing is a critical step in ensuring they graduate. Helping them obtain their driver’s license before graduation helps ensure they secure a family-sustaining career.”
“United Way was one of the first organizations to invest in MCDC four years ago, when we were just getting started,” said Kelly Bender, executive director of the Mosaic Community Development Center. “They believed in our mission, believed in the potential of the children in Jeannette, and have been a true partner ever since.”
That long-term commitment is especially meaningful in today’s funding environment. Multi-year support provides organizations with stability, allowing them to focus on delivering services instead of constantly seeking their next funding source.
“It provides an incredible sense of stability and allows us to focus on what matters most: creating a safe, structured place where children can thrive and build resilience,” Bender said. “It also helps us retain exceptional staff and continue providing transportation and meals that remove barriers for families. I’m especially grateful that United Way continues to prioritize investing in communities like ours here in Westmoreland County.”
As we think about the future of Western Pennsylvania, let’s ask not only what our communities need to thrive, but who we want to be as a collective. Because when we invest in the people and organizations doing the hard work every day, we invest in all of us.
If we continue to center the helpers and give them the resources to expand their reach, this region can remain a national example of what’s possible when compassion, collaboration and community come first.
Story by Natalie Bencivenga Featured Photo: United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania Event coverage by Nancy Andrews/Annie O’Neill Photography. Copyright 2025 All Rights Reserved
Something about the next week of events in Pittsburgh from August 3-9 just screams Yinzer summer. Whether your little ones are diving into a Pennsylvania history lesson, you’re paddling along the Three Rivers, or sipping a cold, locally-brewed beer as you wander a city festival, take time this week to remember what being a Pittsburgh-er really means.
Children who have completed grades 3, 4, 5, or 6 can find out what late 18th century living is like at Bradford House, a part of the Pennsylvania frontier. Kiddos will delve into the 1790s with crafts, games, food, music, period-clothing dress-up, lessons, tours of the museums, and chances to examine artifacts alongside demonstrators and professional reenactors.
This is your second to last chance for 2026 to paddle on the Three Rivers as the Pirates’ fireworks show goes off at PNC Park. Join Venture Outdoors in their kayaks as you set sail right near the big finale. It’s a way to see Pittsburgh like never before and gets you up close to the action without needing a ticket to the game.
One of the best brewfests in the country (according to USA Today readers), Barrel & Flow is for the true craft beer lovers out there. For three days, the festival celebrates Black culture, local artists, vendors, and brewers alike. You can grab a beer from a Pittsburgh brewery before heading to the stage to check out artist demonstrations and live performances, supporting local every step of the way.
The Piatt Family Foundation continues the generosity of Rock, Reggae & Relief by supporting Café Momentum through this year’s festival. Stop Downtown to join the party through general admission or VIP access with a day full of live music from nine different artists. Then, head through Market Square for vendors, art, food, and drink.
The annual street fest on Brookline Boulevard is back! From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. walk up and down the boulevard to find live music, free kids activities, over 70 local craft vendors, your favorite street festival foods, a vintage car cruise, and even a Brookline Breeze 5K road race earlier in the day. Volunteers are also more than welcome to contact the festival to help.
Plus, check out our calendar for other events this week and beyond!
This week of August 10-16 is just what the doctor ordered to cure their back to school blues. As you get the little ones ready for the start of school coming soon, let the events in Pittsburgh this week take you on one last summer adventure. Take the kids to the county fair, treat yourself to an evening with a local author, or get some of your produce shopping done for the week at a town market.
Bookworms, get ready to swoon. Come out to meet and support local romantasy author Melody Robinette at her book launch for her latest duology These Vile Hearts. For those who love an enemies-to-lovers trope, follow Maddox Sinclair, a type one diabetic on a quest to cure her illness via a murderous deal with a dryad queen. Find out more about this tricky, magical romance in conversation with Jenna Voris and pick up a copy for yourself.
August 14 (and all other Fridays Through September 4), Between Cranberry Township Building and Pittsburgh North Regional Chamber
Gather in the heart of Cranberry Township to celebrate the small businesses and delicious food vendors around the area. Bring out the whole family to browse farm-fresh produce, homemade crafts, and artisanal items. Plus, you’ll hear live music by Todd Wehr from 4-7 p.m. and other musicians the rest of the market days.
August 15-22, Washington County Agricultural Fairgrounds
As the fair and festival summer season starts to transition into fall, don’t miss one of your last opportunities to attend a county fair. The Washington County Agricultural Fair, one of the oldest in the country, turns the empty fairgrounds lot into a party with livestock barns, rides and games for the kids, crazy carnival eats, car shows, and so much more. Every day brings something new so feel free to attend multiple days to catch it all.
The Allegheny County Parks Foundation works to keep the city’s green spaces in perfect space and you can help support their mission at their fundraiser night set under beautiful lit, elegant tents. Over in the Caren Glotfelty Meadow featuring an open sky in Hartwood Acres Park, Jon Bindley & The Steel Cowboys set the scene with live music as you dine on a meal that utilizes local ingredients. You’ll feel like you’re in a daydream as you relax under the stars.
No matter if you’re indoors or outdoors, the laughs keep on coming at the Iron City Comedy Festival. All day long, you’ll hear from local and national comedians on the indoor Taproom Stage, the Tomato Throwing Stage (yes you can actually throw tomatoes at the performers), and the outdoor Main Stage on the lawn which is also where the evening showcase takes place. Besides the food trucks and beer, there will also be a special professional wrestling presentation from IWC Wrestling.
Plus, check out our calendar for other events this week and beyond!
After stops across the country, Panda Fest is finally coming to Pittsburgh, bringing its traveling Asian food and cultural festival to Station Square from September 18-20. A way to travel throughout Asia right by the Three Rivers, Panda Fest represents countries like China, Japan, Korea, Thailand, and Vietnam with over 80 Asian food vendors, 200 Asian street food vendors, and 30 cultural marketplace vendors.
What to Expect at Panda Fest’s Pittsburgh Debut
Panda Fest may be new to Pittsburgh but the festival already travels to 15 other cities including Orlando and Philadelphia. The center of the festival is the lines of food vendors that bring you everything from boba tea to noodle dishes, dumplings, bao, skewers, hot pot, egg waffles, grilled squid, katsu, curry bowls, sushi, and so much more. There are even vendors that lean more fusion-heavy, carrying menu items like sushi pizza and Korean corn dogs, so you don’t have to stray to far from what you already love to enjoy the cuisine. It’s a chance to try both traditional Asian cuisine and trending treats such as tanghulu and bungeoppang (fish shaped pastries).
One of the biggest draw of Panda Fest, besides the food, is in the name… pandas. A 15-foot inflatable panda is the landmark of the festival though there are plenty of other panda-themed photo opportunities, treats, panda bounce house, games, and products. A lot of the food and drink items even come with a little panda figure on top. Expect cuteness overload when you order up a latte that features a cloud of foam in the shape of a panda bear.
Outside of the Food, Explore Shopping and Live Performances
But, despite the panda mascot, culture is at the core of Panda Fest. Throughout the day you can walk through a marketplace featuring cultural vendors selling Asian specialty products. Look through handmade crafts, clothing, accessories, and specialty ingredients from around the world. Artisan teas, artwork, origami earrings, and crochet plushies are just a few of the things you’ll find.
After browsing the market, stop by the main stage for performances all day long whether it’s lion dances, K-pop artists, or Thai dancers. Even off stage there are demonstrations that you can watch like sugar painting, paper cutting, and calligraphy. So, your day is truly up to you, whether you’d rather indulge in the food, take home a trinket for your shelf, or bask in the traditions of Asia.
General admission tickets are $14 (through Saturday is $16) and include a free Pittsburgh panda pin and a panda headband. Or, you can purchase VIP for $35 (or $37 for Saturday) to receive fast-pass entry, access to exclusive VIP areas and bathrooms, and a panda bag. Plus, for all families, children under six get in for free.
Meet the Food Vendors of Panda Fest Pittsburgh
At Boba: Giant Panda Fruit Juice, A Panda Bottle with Watermelon Juice
There’s a lot going on outside this week of July 27-August 2 in Pittsburgh, with great music, movies and more drawing you into the summer sun — plus a lot of those events are free and just a ticket reservation away. Prefer an air-conditioned environment? Not to worry. There are indoor activities coming up as well, including a week with the master of horror.
Fill Your Week With Tickets to These Events Around Pittsburgh July 27-August 2
Monday, July 27, Also Daily from July 24-30, Row House Lawrenceville
Prolific horror author Stephen King is practically his own genre on the big screen, with dozens of film adaptations resulting from his work. More than just the frequency of King adaptations, though, many of the resulting works carry a signature style and related themes: Innocence loss, bad choices in moments of crisis and a sort of wistful Americana. At Row House in Lawrenceville, you can spend a week three of the best adaptations of King’s work — Carrie, Pet Semetary and Stand By Me — plus the locally shot Creepshow, which stars King in a rare acting role. On Monday, you can also catch an oddity: The over-the-top, enjoyably messy Maximum Overdrive, which King directed himself.
If you’ve only visited Arts Landing for major events including the NFL Draft and Three Rivers Arts Festival, you’re missing out; there’s great, free programming at the sprawling Downtown space every week. This week, that includes a set by the accomplished jazz trumpeter Tommy Lehman, who is both an in-demand ensemble member and a bandleader in his own right. MCG Jazz partnered with the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust to schedule jazz at the outdoor venue; get away from your desk and make tracks for Downtown — this is a happy-hour concert, kicking off at 5 p.m., so don’t delay.
Speaking of free, open-air activities: The Dollar Bank Cinema in the Park series presents movies under the stars all summer long, at a variety of al fresco venues around the city. Many of those lineups focus on family-friendly fare, but some more grown-up programming can also be found in the lineup. Head to Schenley Plaza for a sunset screening of Badlands, Terrence Malick’s 1973 tale of love and violence starring Martin Sheen and Sissy Spacek.
Podcaster Chad Medved has spent nearly a decade interviewing interesting and notable folks on his podcast, I’ll Call You Right Back, and spun that expertise off into the live interview show Yinz Might Know. In this installment — held live on stage at Bottlerocket Social Hall — he’ll speak with a guest every Pittsburgher knows from just about every commercial break broadcast in the past 40 years: attorney Edgar Snyder.
Jay Pharoah’s six-season run as part of the Saturday Night Live cast was defined by his uncanny impressions. The comedian has an arsenal of pitch-perfect impersonations; his takes on Denzel Washington, Will Smith, Barack Obama, Stephen A. Smith, Shaquille O’Neal and more are so convincing that you can close your eyes and believe that the celebrities are in the room. A gifted stand-up comedian, Pharoah will headline two shows Friday (and another two shows Saturday) at the longstanding Waterfront comedy club.
Saturday, August 1, Also July 31, August 2, Charity Randall Theater
Before musical-theater team Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty composed the Tony darling Ragtime, they penned a deeply emotional and musically exuberant show set in the Caribbean. Once on This Island, well-received but short-lived on its initial Broadway run, grew in reputation over the following decades; a Broadway revival in 2017 raked in awards. Alumni Theater Company presents its production of Once on This Island this weekend at Oakland’s Charity Randall Theater; Monteze Freeland directs.
It’s hard to understate how successful singer-songwriter Richard Marx was when he burst onto the pop-music scene in the 1980s. Hits like Right Here Waiting, Hold On to the Nights and Satisfied became radio mainstays — and Marx has been just as successful writing for other artists, scoring additional hits with songs including N’SYNC’s This I Promise You and Luther Vandross’s Grammy-winning Dance With My Father. Marx plays Greensburg’s Palace Theater this Sunday; expect all the hits and maybe even a few standards.
Plus, check out our calendar for other events this week and beyond!
If you’re looking for things to do in Pittsburgh this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, we have your weekend planned. Our best bets include putting the Burgh’s pierogi pecking order to the test, taking in a jazz festival with a frankly absurd amount of star power, and finding out what photographer Ansel Adams left out of the picture.
Friday, September 18 – Saturday, September 19 | Carnegie
Pittsburgh operates on a two-tier system of pierogi excellence, so much so that we even ranked the city’s best pierogi. Tier one pierogi are those hand-made by your oldest living relative using a passed-down family recipe that predates the polio vaccine. Tier two are church-basement pierogi, the kind painstakingly filled, folded, and sold as a parish fundraiser. Clear your calendar, because tier two—stuffed with mashed potatoes and cheddar, then pinched, boiled, frozen, and bagged by the dozen—are available starting this Friday at the St. Peter & St. Paul Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Carnegie, as part of its 15th Annual Ukrainian Food Festival.
Hundreds of dozens of packaged pierogi, made from scratch by church members, are just part of the two-day festival’s culinary lineup. Also on the menu, available for sit-down dining or to-go: kielbasa, halupchi (stuffed cabbage rolls with meat and rice), borscht (beet soup), and halushki (a Ukrainian noodle dish). Between rounds of eating, you can hit the bake sale’s cookies, nut rolls, and cakes, try your luck at the basket raffle, and browse the new-this-year Ukrainian marketplace. Or take a guided tour of the Art Nouveau-influenced church, with its distinctive onion-shaped domes: built in 1906, it was designated a historic landmark by the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation in 1977. (Just know that the designer, Hungarian-born Titus de Bobula, was an eccentric, erratic Pittsburgh architect whose later political ideologies got very, very messy.)
If you’re heading over on Saturday, arrive early. The church kitchen only stays open as long as there’s food to serve—and leaving without pierogi would be almost as depressing as the Pirates’ playoff prospects.
Thursday, September 17 – Sunday, September 20 | Downtown
For anyone whose current relationship to jazz consists entirely of a Lo-Fi Beats to Study/Relax To playlist on Spotify, prepare to get schooled. The Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival returns this weekend with a lineup stacked with Grammy-winning powerhouses, psychedelic-soul divas, funk legends, and R&B disruptors. Now in its 16th year, this mega music fest celebrates jazz at its most fearless, with hip-hop, gospel, and funk sharing the stage and reinventing the genre. That boundary-pushing is pure Pittsburgh: in the 1950s the Hill District was a legendary, late-night lab for jazz experimentation, and homegrown titans including Billy Strayhorn, Art Blakey, Erroll Garner, and Mary Lou Williams built their legacies by refusing to play it safe.
On Saturday and Sunday, the free outdoor festival brings a wildly eclectic lineup to Liberty Avenue, including five-time Grammy winner Lalah Hathaway, with her lush blend of jazz, R&B, and gospel; psychedelic-soul singer Lady Blackbird; neo-soul artist Eric Roberson; Grammy-winning drummer Terri Lyne Carrington; and Nate Smith, who folds rock, hip-hop, and electronic influences into his music. And because this is still a Burgh street fest, expect food trucks, a beer garden, and a GameZone for the younger tykes. And a Spotify playlist that potentially may never be the same again.
Friday, September 18 – May 2, 2027 | The Westmoreland Museum of American Art, Greensburg
Photographer Ansel Adams’ black-and-white images have been reproduced on so many calendars, coffee mugs, and posters that they’ve become visual shorthand for the idealized American landscape. But a newly opened exhibit at The Westmoreland Museum of American Art, created in partnership with Pittsburgh’s Silver Eye Center for Photography, gives viewers a whole lot more to look at before they decide they’ve seen it all.
Ansel Adams: Majestic Lands/Victoria Sambunaris: Altered Lands pairs 44 works by Adams—including those he considered his strongest—with four large-scale color photos by Lancaster-born contemporary photographer Victoria Sambunaris, who has spent more than two decades photographing American landscapes. While Adams’ compositions depict seemingly untouched vistas, Sambunaris’ are way more complicated. Her works on display, curated by Silver Eye, the nonprofit gallery devoted to bringing emerging and established contemporary photographers to Pittsburgh since 1979, include gold mine pits, railroads, power lines, and industrial sites.
What’s really surprising is how similar Adams and Sambunaris’ techniques are. Adams used a bulky tripod-mounted view camera with a dark cloth draped over his head. Seeing an upside-down image of the shot, he’d load an 8×10 sheet of film into the camera and take one photo at a time. Sambunaris travels the country alone by car with her own tripod-mounted camera, inserting a single sheet of old-school 5×7 film only when she’s certain she has what she wants. While the photos they captured couldn’t look more different, together they fill in the parts of America each photographer leaves outside the frame.
Before you leave the museum, be sure to stop by their Play Ball! exhibit on famously painted baseballs.
What To Do in Pittsburgh the Weekend of September 11-13
Just two weeks before he returns to the ruthless bloodsport of the Saturday Night Livewriters’ room for the show’s season premiere, Colin Jost is relaxing with his version of self-care: doing stand-up in Pittsburgh. Jost is best known for his decade-plus stint co-anchoring SNL’sWeekend Update—the longest run in the show’s 50-year history—and delivering political and pop culture zingers with a suit-and-tie smirk and the poise of a prep-school debate captain. But for his one-night set, away from the Studio 8H news desk, Jost turns the jokes on himself.
In a dry, hyper-literate deadpan, Jost—who was president of the Harvard Lampoon, is married to Scarlett Johansson, was hired by SNL at 22, and is now the show’s longest-tenured head writer—skewers his own golden-boy image, proving that an Ivy League diploma and a marquee job in the comedy biz offer zero protection against life’s humiliations. Like the indignity of paparazzi mistaking him for his wife’s personal assistant. Or his catastrophic attempt to report on surfing in Tahiti for NBC’s Olympic coverage: during a single weekend before he returned stateside, he developed a severe ear infection that distorted his hearing and a foot-rotting staph infection from a mishap with razor-sharp coral. For a guy whose résumé reads like a particularly aggressive piece of Harvard alumni magazine copy, Jost has amassed a wildly disproportionate collection of unglamorous indignities, which makes for a killer set.
Friday, September 11 – Sunday, September 13 | Mellon Park, Shadyside
On a Venn diagram of fine art, studio craft, and design, this weekend’s 57th annual A Fair in the Park hits the sweet spot where all the circles overlap. Held in Mellon Park starting Friday, it’s an outdoor marketplace presented by the Craftsmen’s Guild of Pittsburgh, which has been championing the local maker scene since 1944. More than 80 local and national artisans will sell their contemporary crafts over the three days, with about half belonging to the Guild and the rest selected through its jury process. Their work in ceramic, fiber, leather, metal, glass, jewelry, and wood ranges from a $48 goat-hair-and-walnut hand broom to a $2,200 blown-and-cast-glass menorah. Among the local artists is Pittsburgh native Hanna Dausch, who has made the traditional wood lathe her signature tool, turning cherry, maple, and other woods into sculptural vases, lamps, furniture, and candle holders.
Of course, you can’t spend the entire weekend mulling over a menorah purchase. There will also be live music, a scavenger hunt and crafts for the kids, plus food vendors serving up wood-fired pizza, seasonal pies, and small-batch grilled cheeses. You can also watch the craft happen in real time, with screen-printing demonstrations by Pittsburgh Center for Arts & Media and woodturners from Turners Anonymous making bowls and vases.
Saturday, September 12 | Hartwood Acres, Allison Park
Pittsburgh does its version of Ascot this weekend when the Family House Polo Match kicks off Saturday morning at Hartwood Acres. While the 43rd-annual fundraiser is known for its Brit-inspired sporting style—there will be wide-brimmed hats, posh tailgating, and day-drinking champagne—it’s a welcoming, come-as-you-are event with some surprisingly competitive polo.
Saturday’s main event is a grudge match pitting hometown favorite Pittsburgh Polo Club against its longtime rival from Maryland, the #1 Cochran Potomac Polo Club. Pittsburgh’s team, which is based at a 325-acre facility in Burgettstown that offers lessons for beginners through advanced players, is managed by instructor Felipe Villamil, a seasoned pro whose international career has taken him from Palm Beach to Argentina to Paraguay. He’ll lead Pittsburgh’s four-player team in their latest face-off against Potomac, so expect some competitive heat and thrown elbows: while racing after the ball, players are allowed to ride into opposing horses and block their rivals’ mallets to spoil shots.
In addition to polo, there will be a demonstration featuring mounted riders and hounds from Rolling Rock Hunt, Ligonier’s century-old fox hunting club, and collector cars displayed by the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix, which organizes the city’s annual motorsport festival. Younger spectators can head to the children’s tents for games, crafts, and pony rides. Per tradition, at halftime, everyone gets invited onto the field for the divot stomp—the smashing down of chunks of turf torn up by the ponies—because it’s not proper polo without some participatory lawn care. Check out the festivities from last year to see what you’re in for.
For anyone who’s watched a trad-wife video and thought, I could churn butter, or mistaken the newest Little House on the Prairie series for a documentary, the Pittsburgh County Fair is your moment. Created by Ferment Pittsburgh and happening on Saturday at Allegheny Commons Park, it’s a day-long celebration of back-to-the-land sustainability and pre-industrial craftsmanship, with enough demonstrations of homespun rural skills to rival an interactive frontier village.
Ferment Pittsburgh was founded by Justin Lubecki in 2015 out of a passion for promoting fermentation, but the project has always been bigger than sauerkraut: for Lubecki, it’s figuring out how to make, grow, and preserve the things modern society has outsourced. That philosophy led Lubecki, who also runs One By Spork’s quarter-acre urban farmette in Bloomfield, to launch the fair in 2023.
This year, he’s brought in urban-minded local farmers, foragers, gardeners and makers to share an astonishing array of old-school know-how with city dwellers: sheep shearing, flax scrutching, straw plaiting, papermaking, quilting, embroidery, backyard poultry keeping, seed saving, sorghum pressing, and homebrewing. Hands-on activities include crafting mulberry-paper kites and dyeing T-shirts with indigo and bandanas with madder root. For the kids, there are pony rides and a barnyard petting zoo, and judges will be awarding prizes for Pittsburgh’s best apple pie and best tomato. And because frontier life needs sporting events, there will be—of course—a competitive cast-iron skillet toss.
Thursday, September 3 – Sunday, September 6 | Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, McCandless
You don’t have to be a pyromaniac to appreciate flaming food, but it certainly helps when your church festival is setting cheese on fire. At the Holy Trinity Greek Festival in McCandless this weekend, the saganaki booth will be lit as kefalograviera cheese is pan-sautéed, flambéed with brandy, and plated with the obligatory “Opa!” That theatrical bit of culinary pyrotechnics is just one of the highlights of the four-day celebration, a full-on showcase of Greek food, culture, and traditions that’s been drawing thousands of festival-goers for decades.
Blazing cheese is only the beginning. Parish volunteers also serve up a sprawling menu of Greek classics, including moussaka, souvlaki, spanakopita, and a Yinzer gyro piled with feta and Greek fries. There’s also endless trays of flaky, honeyed, nutty desserts, including a chocolate-drenched baklava sundae that you won’t find at the typical taverna. But, you can also check out our recipe for an Orange Baklava Sundae if you want to try it at home.
Of course it wouldn’t be a Greek gathering without some celebratory communal dancing, and at Taste of Greece, the parish’s youngest performers bring it. Ranging in age from 5-year-olds through high schoolers, they rehearse at the parish year-round before entertaining the crowds during the holiday weekend. Dressed in authentic folk costumes, they take over whatever space is available, performing the Kalamatianos, danced in a circle with everyone clasping hands, and the athletic Tsamiko, where the lead dancers break loose with high kicks and leaps. It’s a generational tradition that spills out into the festival every evening, turning the whole get-together into one giant family party—with Pittsburghers on the guest list.
Thursday, September 3 – Monday, September 7 | Acrisure Stadium, North Shore
Most cities celebrate football’s season opener with an afternoon tailgate and a portable grill. In Pittsburgh, we require five unapologetic days, a stadium-sized party, and a nationally-recognized rib championship. For over 35 years, the Kickoff & Rib Festival—which opens Thursday at Acrisure Stadium and continues through Labor Day, with free admission—heralds the start of the Burgh’s high school, college, and pro football seasons. What began in 1990 as a modest parking lot gathering thrown by then-Steelers chairman Dan Rooney is now one of the country’s most-competitive rib smackdowns, with a dozen pitmasters battling it out for the top prize alongside live music, a midway of games and rides, a cornhole tournament, a 5K run, and an actual Saturday football game between Pittsburgh and Miami (Ohio).
Over the five-day fest, twelve professional teams from the national circuit will be serving up their own regional styles, secret rubs, and signature sauces. Expect everything from dry-rubbed ribs with a smoky crust to tender, low-and-slow smoked brisket, pulled pork, and chicken, with sauces ranging from sweet and sticky to tangy and spicy. Another big draw is Monday morning’s 38th-annual Steelers 5K, which allows runners inside the stadium for the final leg. After completing a flat 3.1-mile course around the North Shore, participants head inside the stadium and cross the finish line on the warning track at midfield. Not bad for a parking-lot party that started in 1990.
Friday, September 4 – Saturday, September 5 | Pittsburgh Improv, Homestead
If you catch Marlon Wayans playing a blissfully baked stoner when Scary Movie 6drops on Paramount+ this Thursday, brace yourself for some spectacular tonal whiplash at his live stand-up Friday night in Homestead. Because the Wayans brother who built an entertainment empire on raunchy, rubber-faced comedy is now finding profound truths—and brutal funniness—in diapering his elderly parents and navigating middle-age grief. In Living Color this ain’t.
When Wayans hits the stage at the intimate, 400-seat Improv this weekend for his Wild Child tour, expect a raw, freewheeling performance that strip-mines his personal life for humor. His 2024 Good Grief special was proof of concept: Wayans found jokes in the deaths of both parents and the indignities of aging, veering between filthiness, despair, and poignancy and ending up somewhere transcendentally hilarious. Continuing that confessional spirit, his current material is less a polished greatest-hits package than thinking-out-loud spontaneity. Wayans will take his freshest catastrophes, blow up the comic proportions, and turn it all into catharsis. At this point, the audience should probably send him a therapy bill.
Friday, September 4 – Sunday, September 6 | Highland Park
For the start of Pittsburgh Shakespeare in the Parks’ fall season this weekend, The Merry Wives of Windsor is going full 1980s, transplanting its 16th-century sexual hijinks to the decade famous for big hair, gender bending, and New Wave fashion. The Bard’s bawdiest comedy, supposedly written in just two weeks, features Falstaff, an outsized, overconfident knight attempting to make quick cash by seducing two married women, then blackmailing them into silence. What happens next could be lifted straight from Love Island: the women compare notes, realize they’ve been played, and flip the script by turning Falstaff’s seduction scheme into a revenge plot—and getting all the best lines.
Queering and reimagining Shakespeare has been part of Pittsburgh Shakespeare in the Parks’ DNA since its founding in 2005 by actor and director Jennifer Tober. For more than 20 seasons, the company has staged free, alfresco, nontraditional performances of Shakespeare’s plays, including all-female productions of Hamlet, Julius Caesar, and Cleopatra & Antony. When Merry debuts in Highland Park on Friday night—and continues through October 11 in parks around the city—the wives will be played by a man and a woman, with the production intentionally leaving the characters’ genders open to interpretation.
The result: a 400-year-old comedy that feels surprisingly at home in the ’80s. Tober describes the MTV era, with Madonna, DEVO, and Boy George, as a decade when people were pushing boundaries, taking risks in love, reinventing themselves, and “going for it.”
A rom-com location scout searching for a cinematic Italian-American festival—complete with from-scratch gnocchi, a strolling accordion player, and six straight hours of bingo at the local Italian lodge—should head to Butler Italian Days this weekend. Now in its second year, it’s an old-school, community-led celebration of the town’s Italian-American heritage that kicks off Friday evening. Organized by Butler’s Sons and Daughters of Italy Lodge 1664, the two-day street party leans big-time into food, bocce, bingo, music, and classic Italian-American traditions.
While there’s expected festival fare like gyros and funnel cakes, there are also Italian-American favorites: Bellissimo Catering will serve up the aforementioned gnocchi plus hand-breaded arancini and stuffed banana peppers; Kaczor Ravioli Company is doing from-scratch ravioli and pierogies; Del Vecchio’s will grill Italian sausage and meatballs; Benvenuti’s Pizza Factory is turning out pizza, stromboli and calzones; and Holy Cannoli has dessert and Italian iced coffee covered.
The Heinz History Center’s Italian American Program will also be staffing an outreach table, while the entertainment lineup brings a bocce tournament, a polka concert, and live bands. New this year for the kiddos: more crafts, plus a petting zoo and free mini golf. Go now, before it morphs into a mega festival with a VIP tent, sponsored hydration stations, and $19 tiramisu.
Friday, August 28 – Saturday, August 29 | New Hazlett Theater, North Side
If you’ve ever wondered what TikTok looks like in theater form, have we got a weekend for you. At the second-annual Bridges & Stages 10-Minute Play Festival this weekend, a whopping 26 plays will be performed over Friday and Saturday nights—and none clock in longer than ten minutes. There’s everything from high-speed comedies to dramas, and they aren’t excerpts or deleted scenes: they’re all complete, self-contained stories. With the rapid-fire format, it doesn’t matter if you’re not vibing with a character or plot—another play will pop up faster than you can doomscroll through your For You page.
Presented by The Becoming Arts Collective and Broken Arts Entertainment in partnership with the New Hazlett Theater, the festival is a chance to showcase and support emerging talent. When the festival announced an open call for plays, it received a staggering 350-plus submissions in less than 24 hours, with entries arriving from across Pennsylvania, the country, and as far away as Japan. A group of 45 actors and 13 directors will take the works from page to stage, and keep the costumes and sets as pared-down as the run time. With no extra minutes for leisurely exposition or meandering plot-lines, the plays are marvels of efficiency. Note to Samuel Beckett: This could have saved generations of theatergoers waiting for Godot a whole lot of existential dread.
Saturday, August 29 – Sunday, August 30 | West Newton
This Saturday, return to the Middle Ages—minus the pesky plague, pillaging, and pestilence—at the opening of the 33rd-annual Pittsburgh Renaissance Festival, which was rain-delayed for a week. Now running through October 4, the festival offers six jam-packed weekends of semi-historical immersion, elaborate cosplay, live spectacle, medieval make-believe—and the opportunity to add Ye Olde to just about everything. Can I get a huzzah?
Set in the fictional 16th-century village of Morelandshire (actually a collection of faux-old buildings on 20 acres in West Newton, about 35 miles southeast of Pittsburgh), the fair is like a giant set piece of interactive theater. While some festival-goers come as they are, others go all-in with period costuming—stage swords or daggers do need to be sheathed and peace-tied, though—and the festival supplies plenty of incentive to commit to role-playing. There’s a king and queen presiding over three daily jousting matches, plus wandering minstrels and wenches, fire-breathers and sword swallowers, medieval comics and musical revues. The hamlet also offers shopping and dining, so you can pick up some hand-forged blades, chain-mail skirts, and juggling supplies, or chow down on turkey legs, Scotch eggs, mead, and hearty stews—but bring your money pouch, as all food and drink purveyors are cash-only.
The Renaissance concept gets looser as the season goes on, with themed weekends ranging from Pirate Invasion to Time Travelers to Celtic Weekend. Because at Morelandshire, the Middle Ages is less a time period than a general suggestion.
But if you can’t make it out to the festival, check out these spots for eating and drinking around the city that channel the same vibes of the Middle Ages.
There may be no better way to fully appreciate Pittsburgh’s famously steep terrain than from the seat of a bicycle. Whether that’s a good idea or a terrible one depends on how many hills you’re tackling during PedalPGH this weekend. Created in 1994, it’s now Western Pennsylvania’s biggest charity bike ride, sending more than 3,000 cyclists onto lower-traffic streets, bridges, trails, and bike lanes for a rolling tour of the city. How much of Pittsburgh you see is up to you: PedalPGH offers three routes, ranging from a leisurely Sunday ride to a full-on WTF test of endurance.
The 10-mile North Side Loop is the easygoing option, mostly following trails and protected bike lanes along the Allegheny River. The 25-mile route takes it up another level, sending you through the North Side, East End, South Side, and Downtown as you face 1,200 feet of total elevation gain. And then there’s the insane 53-mile trek, which covers 30 neighborhoods and packs in 3,700 feet of elevation gain. If that starts to feel like summiting Everest somewhere around mile 37, there’s an escape hatch: Follow the bailout signs, skip Troy Hill and Mt. Washington, and call it a mere 40-miler.
Two-wheelers, tricycles, unicycles, tandems, and street-legal e-bikes are welcome on the ride. The three routes start and finish at Allegheny Commons Park, where a post-ride festival will offer food trucks, music, family activities, and a beer garden—thankfully, on flat ground.
The National Aviary knows there’s clothing with a thwarted social life lurking in the back of your closet. Like that crystal-encrusted cocktail dress you bought in your Holly Golightly era, the floor-sweeping strapless gown you were certain would kill at a New Year’s ball, the four-inch stilettos with the calf-wrapping laces for whatever event would require gladiator-inspired heels, and the Philip Treacy-worthy fascinator perfect for a London society wedding. Eventually, you’d get that hoped-for invite and have somewhere to wear them. Well, eventually is this Friday.
On August 21, for its inaugural Nowhere to Wear It party, the Aviary is giving all your special-occasion outfits the occasion they’ve been waiting for. The evening’s official dress code: all the over-the-top clothing languishing unworn in your closet—preferably worn together in one head-to-toe ensemble. Consider it a unicorn of an opportunity to stop asking whether all those pieces should be worn together (honestly: no), and start asking whether they’re fabulous enough to compete with the flamingos and peacocks. There’ll be dancing, drinks, and small bites, plus plenty of plumage—human and otherwise.
And a confession: I once impulse-bought a black ostrich-feather miniskirt at a sample sale, convinced it would be sexy and sophisticated at my book launch party. Instead, I looked like I was molting. But if there’s ever a time to bust it out, it’s this Aviary bash. Just don’t tell the birds what I’m planning to wear.
Saturday, August 22 | Pittsburgh Zoo, Highland Park
Someone at the Pittsburgh Zoo decided that what this late-August weekend really needed was a mashup of a beer crawl, Jurassic Park, and frat-house drinking games, and who are we to argue? At ZooBrew: Prehistoric, the zoo’s after-hours, 21+ party on Saturday night, you can sample brews, ciders, and spirits at more than 20 tasting stations scattered throughout the grounds. As you sip, stroll, and try to spot animals in their enclosures, you’ll encounter more than 30 enormous, roaring, bellowing, and screeching animatronic reptiles straight out of the Mesozoic Era, including the sickle-clawed Utahraptor, the spike-tailed Stegosaurus, and the all-around fearsome Tyrannosaurus rex.
Along with live music and food trucks serving late-night bites, there will also be animal-ambassador meet-and-greets, featuring critters from the zoo’s educational programs. And—because nothing goes with alcohol like a test of hand-eye coordination—there are actual beer pong tournaments going down. Hustle, though: Ticket sales close 24 hours before the party, and no tickets will be sold at the door. While you’re there, be sure to take a look at the new lion cub now in her habitat on public view.
Photo From Great American Banana Split Celebration
Of all the small towns near Pittsburgh, Latrobe scored the luckiest trifecta: It’s the birthplace of Arnold Palmer, Mister Rogers, and the banana split. One is a golf legend, one is a television icon, and one is a frozen dessert—but around here, all three are revered as hometown celebrities. This weekend, the banana split—invented in 1904 at a downtown soda fountain—gets the rockstar treatment at the Great American Banana Split Celebration, a two-day party-palooza that will make you wonder how the organizers managed to cram so many activities into 48 hours in honor of a three-scoop fruit sundae.
In addition to all the banana-centric festivities (which you can learn more about in our Great American Banana Split Celebration feature), you’ll also find theater, dance, and gymnastics performances, a mobile rock-climbing wall, a cornhole tournament, candy-bar bingo, a marching band, face painting, kids’ crafts, life-size board games, a beer and wine garden, and adorable animals from Living Treasures Wild Animal Park. At this point, the only thing missing is Bluth’s Original Frozen Banana stand.
Nearly two years after choreographer Trey McIntyre’s punk-infused, boundary-breaking Peter Pan took Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre to a dark and brooding Neverland, he’s bringing his provocative sensibility to the sugarplum sweetness of the Nutcracker—and we are so here for it. On Sunday, during their annual alfresco Ballet Under the Stars performance at Hartwood Acres, PBT will offer an early look at McIntyre’s reimagined Nutcracker (learn more about the early look in our feature), which doesn’t officially premiere until 2027. It’s been revealed that McIntyre’s overhaul of the holiday classic—a collaboration with PBT’s artistic director Adam W. McKinney—is Yinzer-coded, set in an enchanted Pittsburgh populated by pirouetting pierogies, baseball players, a steelworker, and geodes from the Carnegie Museum. Sunday’s excerpt, a Grand Pas de Deux for the Sugar Plum Fairy and Nutcracker Prince, isn’t as Pittsburgh-centric, but it does feature McIntyre’s trademark acrobatic lifts and intricate partnering.
Also on the schedule: selections from classic and contemporary ballets, along with previews of upcoming productions, including Alice in Wonderland and The Sleeping Beauty. You’ll also see two excerpts from October’s Giselle, the spooky revenge drama starring a supernatural sisterhood of ghost brides. Food trucks will serve picnic-ready eats, and there’ll be pre-show dance demonstrations and ballet-centric crafts. It’s all free—just bring a blanket or lawn chair. Think of it as your first holiday present of the year, arriving before you’ve been subjected to a single note of All I Want for Christmas Is You.
For the last two months, Mattress Factory artist-in-residence Amanda Ross-Ho has been building a 75-percent-scale replica of her childhood home in Chicago on the museum’s fourth floor. This Friday evening, she’s going to start dismantling it—and you get to watch, because it’s art. Ross-Ho, whose work has been exhibited at the Whitney Biennial and MoMA and whose resume includes stints as a prop person for film and television, recreated her home’s second-floor rooms using her memories, photographs from the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, and a current Zillow listing.
Exactly what she plans to do to the facsimile house is hush-hush. The museum will only say that it will be loud, messy, and improvisational, and may involve a saw, hammer, pry bar, and screwdriver—and that Ross-Ho herself doesn’t know what will unfold until she starts demoing. But there will be a DJ spinning tracks, food, and drinks, because what’s a one-woman wrecking crew without a soundtrack and booze?
Saturday, August 15 | Kamin Science Center, North Shore
According to the Kamin Science Center, the best way to learn the physics of speed is to strap yourself into a high-performance electric go-kart and tear around a three-story indoor track at over 40 mph. The educational value might be debatable, but the thrills are real at the just-opened Science of Speed, an immersive 21,000-square-foot motorsport exhibit that’s been blowing up on social media. The main attraction is a white-knuckle go-kart race through hairpin turns, steep climbs, and sharp drops, where you’ll rip through over 10 laps in about six minutes—plenty of time to discover whether you’re Pittsburgh’s answer to Lewis Hamilton or just really good at Mario Kart.
For adrenaline junkies who would rather skip the actual crash helmet, there’s a full-size Formula 1 simulator that recreates the feel of driving famous circuits, plus four interconnected simulators for head-to-head competitions on virtual tracks. The multi-million-dollar complex also includes the new Pit Stop Lounge, featuring craft cocktails and local drafts, with the whole place turning into a 21-and-over hangout after dark. To fully commit to the bit this Saturday, head to the on-site Rangos Giant Cinema: Pixar’s Cars screens at 10 a.m., followed by the real deal, F1: The Movie, at 6 p.m.
Friday, August 14 – Sunday, August 16 | Kennywood, West Mifflin
Before local marching bands file onto football fields during Friday night games, they’ll bring their bleacher-rattling brass and percussion to Kennywood. For 76 years, the park’s Fall Fantasy Parades have been a late-summer showcase for the region’s high school and university bands, giving them an early chance to display their music and marching skills. Over 18 evenings in August, more than 130 bands—including Mt. Lebanon, Central Catholic, Peters Township and Pine-Richland—will march past the Potato Patch and the Wacky Wheel playing drum-heavy versions of pop hits. Friday night gets an extra dose of Pittsburgh: WQED legend and Kennywood documentarian Rick Sebak will host a Kennywood Memories Q&A, then lead the parade as grand marshal.
There are also six hand-decorated floats built in-house by Kennywood’s own carpenters, artists, and electricians, all decked out in this year’s Mardi Gras theme. Watch for Kenny Kangaroo, Parker the Arrow, Jeeters, and—for reasons the park has never fully explained—Santa Claus. Because August is never too early for Christmas.
If your summer Instagram grid has been mostly Picklesburgh selfies and cocktail close-ups, head to the Lake Erie coast this Saturday. It’s the final day of the Sunflower Festival in the historic town of Girard, and your last chance to catch 50 acres of farmland going full Van Gogh. With over a million blossoms in full bloom, the fields practically art-direct your photos for you. Get lost in the sunflower maze, pick a bouquet, check out the food and craft vendors, and know that the whole botanical backdrop is zero waste: in autumn, a local distillery will harvest the seeds and transform them into sunflower rum.
After you’ve got the shot, drive 30 minutes east to CelebrateErie, where a three-day festival of music, local art and culture, wine and craft beers, and free concerts takes over downtown. Saturday night’s headliners are the Plain White T’s, but if you stay through Sunday, you’ll catch Beach Boys co-founder Al Jardine and the Pet Sounds Band, best known for their 1966 album that turned surf-and-summer tunes into psychedelic orchestral pop.
Friday, August 7 | Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Oakland
Turns out, summer camp is way more fun when everyone’s old enough to order s’mores cocktails. On Friday night, the Carnegie Museum of Natural History becomes an adults-only nostalgia fest called Camp Carnegie, where you can relive all your favorite camp traditions—only this time with a cash bar. Roam the museum by flashlight, swap stories around a faux campfire, craft friendship bracelets and beaded bug lanyards with the museum’s Invertebrate Zoology team, sharpen your soccer skills with Pittsburgh Riverhounds players, and pick up wilderness wisdom from Pittsburgh Park Rangers. While we won’t shame you for wearing that bug lanyard on Monday, we can’t vouch for your coworkers.
Right now, the best baseball players in the world are warming up in Washington, Pennsylvania. They’re middle schoolers battling it out in the PONY League World Series, a six-day slugfest that kicks off Friday and features 10 championship teams from across the globe. Founded in Washington in 1951 for boys who had outgrown Little League, PONY baseball celebrates its 75th anniversary this year, and counts Andrew McCutchen, Cal Ripken Jr., and Nolan Ryan among its most famous alumni. Opening weekend features a home run derby, a fastest-runner competition, themed nights—and a chance to scout the draft class of 2035.
The loudest sports arguments in Pittsburgh this weekend won’t throw down at a Steelers practice—they’ll erupt over a little white pallino ball at Heinz History Center’s annual Bocce Tournament & Festival. Now in its 15th year, the tournament brings four-person teams to Acrisure Stadium for a day of surprisingly fierce competition, as they battle for an ornate trophy and a year’s worth of bragging rights. The fundraiser, benefiting the museum’s Italian American Program, also includes Italian food, live music, and lots of opportunities to cheer from the sidelines. Don’t stress if you’ve never played—or even watched—bocce before: You’ll learn the rules in about three minutes, and start disputing close calls at around four minutes.
Once a year on an August Saturday, Pittsburgh becomes the country’s capital of Black-owned craft beer. Barrel & Flow—the first and largest festival in the country dedicated to Black-owned breweries—brings nearly 30 of those businesses to the Burgh to pour everything from hazy IPAs and crisp lagers to barrel-aged stouts and one-off collaborations you won’t find anywhere else. Beyond the beers, expect live bands and DJs, visual artists creating work throughout the day, chefs and food vendors, rising comedians, writers, and more than 100 Black-owned small businesses.
A Dave Matthews Band concert is never just a concert; rather, it’s an all-night event complete with tailgating, singalongs, surprise setlists, and, at The Pavilion at Star Lake, a little patience in the parking lot. Whether you’re a longtime fan chasing another unforgettable show or experiencing the band live for the very first time, a bit of preparation goes a long way at this iconic venue. Before you pack your blanket and head out on July 24 to Dave Matthews’ visit to Pittsburgh, here’s everything you need to know about parking, tickets, bag policies, the best spots on the lawn, where to eat and drink, and how to make the most of your night under the stars with the speakers blasting.
Going to See Dave Matthews Band at The Pavilion at Star Lake? Here’s Your Guide to Everything You Need to Know Before You Go
Parking
We’re putting parking first and foremost since this concert is at The Pavilion at Star Lake. This venue is famously known for its terrible parking situation — in other words, there’s one way in and one way out. Now, one of the good parts is that general parking is completely free. You simply just pull in and park! But, there are options to upgrade your parking, and we’re going to recommend them for this venue. The Premium Parking pass at Star Lake puts you right at the exit lane so you can simply hop in your car and leave quickly rather than get stuck in the long lines. There are also Early Tailgate passes available that will get you in before general parking, securing a closer spot than normal.
If you’d rather not dish out extra for parking, make a game plan. If you get lucky enough to park at the lot nearest to the turn-off from the main road, you will have a bit of a walk down and up a hill to the gates. Though, getting out is certainly easier than being stuck around the other side of the venue (where most late parkers will be).
A.D.A Parking
There is also accessible parking for those with A.D.A and handicap passes, but this is on a “first come, first serve” basis. If you come early, your A.D.A parking will be directly to the right of the left side gate. If you come later, you may be directed to the lot near the main roadway, and then you can take a golf cart transport to the main gate. Be warned, though — the line for the golf cart transport can get lengthy after the show.
Overall Tips
Let’s be real though, it’s Star Lake. You’re going to end up waiting in a line of cars whether it’s on the way in or on the way out. Our best advice? Make the most of it! Bring snacks and drinks to enjoy while you wait for the traffic to clear. We’ve even seen guests take out mini grills and start making hot dogs. Card games are a great time passer, and even a short nap can be beneficial if it’s been a long day. At the end of the day, you just need to have patience and know you will make it out… even if it’s past midnight.
One last tip is to always write down what row your car is in and what gate you enter the pavilion through. Trust us. At night, in deep crowds, and after a few tallboys, everything starts to look the same.
Rideshare and Transportation
The one way to avoid most of the traffic of Star Lake is to take advantage of rideshare apps like Uber and Lyft. The venue has a specific drop-off and pick-up lane for rideshare guests just a short walk down and up the hill to the gates. But, if you don’t want to pay the rideshare app prices, there’s also Rally Rideshare that’s a charter bus full of concert-goers with transportation to the venue and back. No worries about parking, and it lets you indulge as you please.
Purchasing Tickets
There are still a handful of pavilion seats and a bunch of general admission lawn tickets still available for Dave Matthews Band on July 24 through Ticketmaster. Currently, a lawn ticket will run you $69.50 while under the pavilion ranges from $125 to $189.50 with verified resale tickets anywhere from $113.05 for seats to $590.24 for pit. While Ticketmaster has verified resale, you can also check out trustworthy sites like StubHub and SeatGeek which both have money-back guarantees if you don’t receive your tickets in time.
Bag Policy
In terms of bags, at Star Lake, you can only bring in small clutches, wristlets, or fanny packs no bigger than 6”x 9”. You can also opt for a clear plastic bag that’s no bigger than 12″x12″x6”. Within these bags (or without them), you can bring in nonprofessional cameras, food in the plastic ziplock baggie, a sealed water bottle up to a gallon in size or an empty plastic bottle, blankets, and umbrellas under 3′ in diameter.
Door and Show Times
The doors/gates for Star Lake will open at 6 p.m., but early parking opens at 3 p.m. General parking opens at 4:30 p.m. so that you have time to tailgate and get into the venue. There are no openers for Dave Matthews Band, so the show goes on promptly at 7:30 p.m. and takes you through a journey long into the night. Expect around a two and a half hour long show from these skilled artists no matter if it’s rain or shine.
The Setlist
There’s something to understand about a Dave Matthews Band concert: it really is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, because you’ll never see this exact setlist again.
One of the best parts of Dave Matthews Band having no openers is that you get over two straight hours of their discography. This gives them time to play a variety of music, sometimes even hitting songs from 10 different albums in one night. With that in mind, you can always expect to hear music off of Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King, Crash, Before These Crowded Streets, and Everyday. Of course, Dave Matthews brings his powerful covers to the setlist too, taking on songs like Sledgehammer by Peter Gabriel most recently.
While the setlist changes for every show, some songs that are nearly guaranteed are American Baby, Warehouse, and #41. Who knows, you’ll probably even get lucky and hear an exclusive tour premiere or cover that has never been done before.
Navigating the Venue
To start, The Pavilion at Star Lake is completely cashless. They do have reverse ATMs that you can use, but be ready with a card no matter what stand you go up to (yes, this includes merch).
The next thing to note is that the venue splits up its gates by East, West, and South. The East gate is best for you if you’re parked or sitting on the left side. The West is best for those with lawn seats, as you’ll come out at the top of the hill that the lawn is on. Then, the South gate is best for those parked or sitting to the right side. But, no matter where you enter, you can get to the other side of the venue easily by following the walking paths above the hill or between the lawn and pavilion seating. There are bathrooms to the left, right, and up the hill in the back. No matter where you are, you’re close to amenities.
Tips for General Admission Lawn and More
If you’re looking to rent a lawn chair, blanket, or are trying to upgrade your seats, you’ll want to head to the rental huts that are also available to the left, right, and up the hill. Not to mention, there are food stands nearby so you can grab food and drink at your leisure.
For those with lawn seats, plan to arrive by the time gates open if you want your choice of a spot. Though, if we’re honest, any spot in the lawn is a gem thanks to the hill that lets you see over the people in front of you without disrupting the people behind you. Bring a blanket if you want to save your spot; otherwise, have a seat in the grass and kick back till the show begins.
We will warn you though, Star Lake is at an incline basically everywhere — so, if you’re bringing a friend or family in a wheelchair, take it slow, ask for help if needed, and try to come in through either the East or South gates rather than coming down the bigger hill.
Where to Eat and Drink
You’ll find your usual concert concessions at Star Lake, but there is some variety to their choices. Located all around the outside circle of the venue, you can choose from Mosh Burger, Rebel Hen Crispy Chicken, Ziggy’s Magic Pizza Shop, Koko’s Bavarian, Jade Lane Dumplings, Tacos Del Centro, frozen ice cream treats, and snacks as a grab-and-go option. Then, refresh yourself with Liquid Death Mountain Water, Jolene Coffee, Shaker Cup Cocktails, non-alcoholic Riffreshers, ColdRush Shaved Ice, as well as Subzero Frozen Drinks. There really is something for everyone from picky kiddos to more upscale adults. We’ve even seen wine available at certain bars around the venue if that’s your beverage of choice.
It is worth noting that lines throughout Star Lake vary. If you see a super long line, sometimes it’s worth checking the other side of the venue to see if there’s a better option. Each part of the venue also has its own unique dining spots, so it’s worth taking a little walk to see what piques your interest. Not to mention, beverage vendors with carts of water, beer, and seltzers walk all throughout the grounds for quick transactions.
Shake Up a Dave Matthews Band Cocktail Before the Show
The Crush Cocktail is everything we love about Dave Matthews in one. Bacardi White Rum and a homemade blueberry simple syrup match with Triple Sec, lemon juice, and fresh pomegranate seeds.
Matt Damon is Odysseus in THE ODYSSEY, written, produced, and directed by Christopher Nolan.
Since movies were invented, we’ve been told that they’re an endangered species. But this year’s blockbuster summer is changing that.
Prognosticators and cynics said that the advent of television would sink the movie theaters. It didn’t. Then, the threat was pay television — the growth of cable, it was thought, meant doom for cinemas. It wasn’t. The VCR was the next prospective theater-killer — why would anyone go out if they can watch a movie of their choice at home?
Because movies are better in theaters, of course.
Are Movie Theaters Back?
More recently, skeptics believed that streaming would finish off in-person movie viewing once and for all. The peak of digital content’s dominance coincided with the beginning of the pandemic, fueling the fire for cinema’s doomsayers. Yet box-office business is booming in 2026; according to Variety, sales are up 10% overall from 2025 and summer receipts are expected to hit their highest level since 2019 (a particularly profitable, and pre-pandemic year for cinemas).
Brian Mendelssohn, owner of Row House Cinemas, says the difference over recent years is palpable. “From what I see, the box-office upswing is being driven both by stronger movies and by people’s growing desire for communal experiences.
“This year’s films are well balanced between original content, sequels and a new generation of horror directors coming into their own — including Ari Aster, Robert Eggers, Jane Schoenbrun and Osgood Perkins.”
In general, Mendelssohn says, the public is getting sick of their couches. “As we continue moving beyond the pandemic and people grow more fatigued with social media and isolated entertainment, folks are wanting the energy and joy of watching a movie with other people in a great movie house.”
While there are still some major releases yet to come — including Marvel’s next Spider-Manfilm, due out July 31 — here are the five biggest summer hits of the season and where you can see them.
Where to Watch the Best Summer Blockbusters of 2026
Box Office to Date:$431 Million Domestic (#1 Overall for 2026)
Our Review:“This world is so rich and charming that story flaws can’t sink the ship. The performers are clearly happy to be back, and newcomers including Conan O’Brien, Craig Robinson and Melissa Villaseñor fit right in. A marvelous score, once again by Randy Newman, helps ground the action.”
Why Did It Hit?:Nostalgia and timing. There’s plenty of affinity for the Toy Story characters, and that feeling is strongest amongst Millennials now of parenting age; members of the target audience for the original film’s 1995 release are now between 35 and 45 years old. That means that generation has plenty of money to spend at the cinema … and many have kids of their own to bring along.
Where to See It Now:Still in theaters.
Go to the Cinema or Wait?: Go to the cinema. The score and sound are so enchanting, and the world so richly envisioned, that the in-theater experience will definitely help. (And, to be honest, this chapter has some slow stretches; you or your kids might lose interest at home.)
Why Did It Hit?:It’s very good — and it’s shocking in a way that spurs conversation. Obsession is a Monkey’s Paw tale gone maniacally wrong; a young man wishes that his crush would love him, only to make her murderously obsessed with him instead. There are jaw-dropping moments aplenty and unanswered questions to debate; that means missing Obsession feels like being out of the loop. That kind of word-of-mouth buzz often translates to ticket sales. (Plus, horror is having a big moment right now.)
Where to See It Now: Obsession is still rattling around cinemas, a full 10 weeks after its release; it remained in the Top 10 last weekend. It’s also now streaming on Peacock and can be rented from digital on-demand services.
Go to the Cinema or Wait?:Seeing it at a local drive-in would be a particularly creepy experience. Obsession is great in the theater, but a claustrophobic home viewing wouldn’t be bad, either. (Just turn the lights out.)
Why Did It Hit?: Internet buzz for a topic born of the internet. Backrooms is based on a viral internet meme born of a single, unsettling image and turned into a crowdsourced world of mythology about mysterious liminal spaces and the dangers within. Unlike many theatrical offerings, Backrooms feels truly freshand novel — a lurch forward in spooky cinema.
Where to See It Now:An extended edition of Backrooms, with bonus footage after the credits, was released in theaters two weeks ago. It likely won’t remain in cinemas for very long, though, so catch it while you can — or rent it at home through Prime or Apple.
Go to the Cinema or Wait?While your chances to catch Backrooms on the big screen are running out, you should do so if you can. The long hallways, endless echoes and fluorescent hum are much better served by watching in a cavernous space. If you can’t find a theater, though, the found-footage moments of the film will translate well to home viewing.
Box Office to Date:$177 Million Domestic (#8 Overall for 2026)
Our Review:“This is a standalone tale that doesn’t require the audience to be familiar with the TV series. And there’s plenty of signature Star Wars fun here, from memorably weird aliens to thunderous battles between giant robots.”
Why Did It Hit?:While The Mandalorian and Grogu didn’t do quite as well as Disney would’ve liked (who predicted Backrooms and Obsession outgrossing Baby Yoda?), it’s the first theatrically released Star Warsfilm in almost 7 years — and the brand still has undeniable appeal. A built-in audience from one of the most successful streaming series in recent memory didn’t hurt, either.
Where to See It Now:At home. The theatrical window has all but closed for The Mandalorian and Grogu; it’s now available for digital rental and should drop on Disney+ in a few months.
Go to the Cinema or Wait?:On this one, you don’t have a choice — if you missed it on the big screen, you’ll be watching at home. On the plus side, the small screen was the birthplace for these characters, so it should be a smooth transition.
Box Office to Date:$124 Million Domestic (#10 Overall for 2026)
Our Review:“Many of the typical hallmarks of blockbuster cinema are deliberately absent here; wonder has been sacrificed to Athena, replaced with pervasive dread. It’s an odd and deeply affecting experience — yet one made with remarkable skill and, perhaps, a bit of magic. Or at least prophecy.”
Why Did It Hit?:Audiences were extensively surveyed on that question … and they named the director. With his inherently cinematic, visually rich films, Christopher Nolan has become the standard-bearer for the in-theater experience. Audiences know that these are movies that must be seen in the cinema, ideally on the most technologically advanced screen possible. At the moment, Nolan is the closest thing in Hollywood to a surefire box-office bonanza.
Where to See It Now:In every movie theater on the planet. The Odyssey just debuted last weekend, winning its first weekend with a gargantuan (or Cyclopian?) haul. It’s 10th for the year as of this writing, but it could well crack the Top 5 after another week or two — so cinemas are going to hang onto it for as long as they can.
Go to the Cinema or Wait?:Watching a Nolan movie at home is like listening to a symphony through your cell-phone speakers. You’ll want to see every detail and appreciate every stroke of filmmaking bravado; get to the cinema now.
