PHOTOS BY OLLIE GRATZINGER | This year’s Arts Festival marks the official grand opening of Arts Landing, which serves as the festival’s heart; the main stage is located here, and so are the food vendors, the children’s activity zone and a handful of Artist Market tents.
The Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival has been a Pittsburgh staple since its founding in 1960, featuring live music, an Artist Market, gallery exhibitions and art-inspired activities for attendees young and old.
This year, its return spans two weekends and celebrates the official opening of Arts Landing, the four-acre green space in the Cultural District that will serve as the festival’s longterm home.
For decades, the festival was held at Point State Park; the famed fountain, scenic riverfront views and ample open space made it the perfect spot for such a well-attended, Pittsburgh-centric event, but in 2022, new rules and regulations around the usage of the park forced the festival out.
Attendees traded the grassy field at the park for blacktop in the Cultural District as the event worked to redefine itself without its iconic location. From 2022 to 2024, the festival spread out across streets and pop-up parks throughout Downtown. In 2025, the festival was pushed to a parking lot in the Strip District, and the event was shortened from 10 days to four.
This year, however, the festival has found its forever home in Arts Landing, and even if memories of festival’s golden years at the Point evoke a sense of nostalgia among longtime attendees and vendors, Arts Landing is the next best thing.
Also new this year are the festival dates. It runs for seven days, spanning two weekends — June 5-7 and June 11-14 — with a short midweek pause. These 10 photos were taken on June 7, rounding out the festival’s first weekend at Arts Landing.
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PHOTOS BY OLLIE GRATZINGER | This year's Arts Festival marks the official grand opening of Arts Landing, which serves as the festival's heart; the main stage is located here, and so are the food vendors, the children's activity zone and a handful of Artist Market tents.
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This sculpture in Arts Landing seemed to be a fan favorite among attendees. It overlooks an area called the Giant Eagle Foundation Backyard, where bands and performers play throughout the event, as well as the Giant Eagle Creativity Zone, which features art-centric activities for children.
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From atop the sculpture, crowds watched Squonk perform the world premiere of Joy Machine, described by the group as "a kinetic, music-filled playground."
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The majority of the food vendors were also located around Arts Landing. There is also a seating area with tables and umbrellas, which provide some respite from the hot sun.
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While the food at the festival is delicious, it is also expensive. A corn dog and peach lemonade ran me nearly $30. If you're bringing the whole family, you may want to consider packing a lunch.
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This vendor was selling poems typed up on a vintage typewriter. Her name is Haley Clancy; she began writing poetry at the age of 8 and now says she can craft an entire poem for anyone in just five minutes.
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The festival isn't limited to Arts Landing; it stretches out beyond it onto parts of 9th Street, Ft. Duquesne Boulevard and the Rachel Carson Bridge.
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Quite a few of the Artist Market vendors were located on the Rachel Carson Bridge. The Acoustic Stage is also on the bridge toward the North Shore end. This is also where crowds felt the thickest, and the lack of shade made staying hydrated all the more important!
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The event's location on the Rachel Carson Bridge also made it a prime spot for some very Pittsburgh photo ops.
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A final view of the festival's tents stretched out on the Rachel Carson Bridge, from our walk back to our parking spot in the Convention Center garage. Parking in town is limited, but not impossible. The garages offer easy access and are only a short walk away from the heart of the activities, but you can also take advantage of public transit or the city's POGOH bikeshare program to attend the festival car-free.
