KENDRA WHITLOCK INGRAM, PRESIDENT AND CEO OF THE CULTURAL TRUST, POINTS OUT WHAT WILL BE THE CHILDREN’S PLAYGROUND AT ARTS LANDING | PHOTO BY VIRGINIA LINN

The transformative Arts Landing project, which will turn 4 acres of Downtown into a multipurpose, outdoor green space, is on track for a ribbon-cutting ceremony in advance of next year’s NFL Draft.

As a matter of fact, it’s ahead of schedule.

Officials from the Cultural Trust on Monday gave a hard-hat tour of the site to members of the media, highlighting the rapid development underway in Arts Landing’s sprawling footprint. The space, in the heart of the Cultural District, will feature a wide range of public amenities: a large playground (the only one Downtown), a pickleball court, pop-up food and beverage vendors and, most notably, a massive stage.

The stage, which will be installed beginning next week, will be “large enough for a full symphony orchestra” says Kendra Whitlock Ingram, the president and CEO of the Cultural Trust. That space will be the new mainstage venue for the annual Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival, in addition to other uses — “from yoga classes to salsa lessons,” Ingram says.

While the concerts and other events on the new stage may be the most visible uses for Arts Landing, Ingram is quick to highlight that the space has a wide range of potential activities and uses — for Pittsburghers young and old.

“Arts Landing will be place not only to bring your family — even though it will have Downtown’s first playground, which we’re really excited about. But it’ll also be a place to engage with arts and culture in many different ways.”

All aspects of Arts Landing will be open to the public (including public restrooms and water access, a perennial challenge Downtown). That includes a large amount of public art, another signature of the site. Winding pathways which surround the 1-acre lawn — which, thanks to slightly increased elevation, offers river views — will feature rotating public art displays throughout the year.

Construction on the site is expected to continue through the winter, leading up to the official ribbon cutting around the time of the NFL Draft (scheduled for April 23-25, 2026). Construction will largely be complete by that point, Whitlock Ingram says, with some additions — mainly landscaping — taking place between the Draft and the Arts Festival, which will serve as Arts Landing’s official introduction to the city.