Think Global, Play Local
The 27th annual Pittsburgh International Children’s Festival features more than 100 dance and magic shows for your kiddo.
The Pittsburgh International Children's Festival features the stunning Architects of Air exhibit.
Think global, play local
Kids love magic shows and dances. Put together more than 100 of those performances and activities — with an international twist — and you have a melting pot of education and inspiration. If you have yet to take your kids to the Cultural Trust’s 27th annual Pittsburgh International Children’s Festival this week, you have until Sunday to fit it into your agenda.
More than 500 performing arts companies from 40-plus countries have been represented at the fest throughout the years; this year, expect to see groups repping Australia, Russia, Ireland, the United Kingdom and the United States (including the Girl Scouts and the New York Children’s Film Festival) with fun shows and activities in and around Oakland’s Schenley Plaza and the University of Pittsburgh campus. You’ll find dinosaur petting zoos, African Pourquoi tales, music from around the world and educational sessions, such as Creative Reuse. Trust us, you’ll wish you were still young by the time the weekend ends.
(Various locations and times; $8-$30; 412/456-6666, pghkids.org)
Dragging the Double Wide up north
South Side’s perennial hit Double Wide Grill has been serving good food, powerful and well-crafted cocktails, and playful ribbing of down-home culture on Carson Street for years. The popularity of the joint made an expansion inevitable and, sure as a never-ending game of cornhole in the summertime, a second location sprang up in Mars, Pa. The food, fun and flamingos are there — but can a second spot capture the spirit of the original? Get a review of the newer spot in this week’s edition of After Dark!
Pit bulls & pinot noir
Every dog owner has experienced this minor domestic terror: Little Fido is harmlessly napping on the couch, when an unexplained noise hits his ears. And he’s up! And he’s … standing on the coffee table to get a better look out the window. And there goes the tail, swinging directly into the full glass of cabernet. Yes, pups and wine aren’t always a good combination. But Animal Friends will be happy to change that this Friday night for W(h)ine!, a tasting event and fundraiser. Pay $20 to cover admission for both you (for wine and cheese tastings and education) and your pooch (for treats and general sniffing). Proceeds from the event and silent auction benefit the homeless pups Animal Friends works with daily. Oh, and AF has classes, too, in case you need to teach Fido a thing or two about the furniture he can stand on.
(562 Camp Horne Road, Ohio Township; Friday at 7 p.m.; dogs must be friendly to both people and other animals, and owners should bring vaccination records)
In theaters: “Lost” creator J.J. Abrams has become the undisputed king of science-fiction. Not only did he get to push the reset button on the genre’s most sacred franchise with 2009’s Star Trek (before stopping in the area to make the under-appreciated alien flick Super 8), but he also signed on for the biggest gig of all: directing the upcoming Star Wars: Episode VII. He may have bridged the Trekkie/Jedi gap, but can he do a sequel? Star Trek Into Darkness debuts today, and PM Film Editor Sean Collier will be on the 102.5 WDVE Morning Show Friday at 7:15 a.m. to share his thoughts on the guaranteed blockbuster. Tune in to 102.5-FM or DVE.com to hear Sean’s review!
Don’t miss award-winning singer/songwriter Shannon LaBrie at the Center of Harmony tomorrow at 7 p.m. for a BYOB event. Click here for details.
Saturday at 10 a.m., join the South Side Community Council for the 21st annual Historic South Side Home Tour. Click here for more information.
