Top Ten Things to Do in Pittsburgh in May
This month's best bets in the ’Burgh.
photo courtesy of the artis
May 16-18/ A $40 million deal with Netflix is bringing Chris Rock back onto the road after nine years of making movies. The Total Blackout tour, coming to the Benedum Center, touches on politics and relationships with personal asides about Rock’s recent divorce. (237 Seventh St., Downtown; 412/456-6666, trustarts.org)
photo by Laura Coulson
May 16/ The xx’s 2009 instrumental “Intro” from the group’s debut album “xx” was the kind of ubiquitous hit that sometimes sinks a band. But the moody Brits followed it with two acclaimed albums, including this year’s “I See You,” which they’ll showcase at Stage AE. (400 North Shore Drive, North Shore; 412/229-5483, stageae.com)
photo by P3R Photography
May 7/ Road construction forced the Dick’s Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon to change its course this year, but the new route appears to be an improvement. It’s a flatter run with a few more sights, including all three rivers, all three stadiums and 14 city neighborhoods. The changes occur mostly in the first half of the course, and runners still will pass through Homewood, which has earned a reputation in recent years for the most neighborly crowds. The theme of the race is “black and gold,” and organizers are asking locals to come out dressed to match. The city should resemble a championship-day parade. (various; 412/586-7785, thepittsburghmarathon.com)
May 13/ St. Vladimir’s Ukrainian Orthodox Church marks the arrival of spring with its Ukrainian Spring Food Festival. The menu includes holubsti (stuffed cabbage), pyrohy (pierogies) and halushsky (cabbage and noodles), plus baked goods and a plant sale. (73 S. 18th St., South Side; 412/431-9758)
May 6/ International Female Ride Day is open to all but specifically made for women who ride motorcycles. The Pittsburgh edition is a daylong ride from Three Rivers Harley-Davidson in Glenshaw to Crooked Creek Lake State Park and back, with an after-party to follow. (1463 Glenn Ave., Glenshaw; 412/487-3377, threeriversharley.com)
photo via flickr creative commons
May 13-14/ The 911th Airlift Wing is reviving Wings Over Pittsburgh after a six-year hiatus. The airshow includes displays along with aerial events by the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds and other flight teams. (2475 Defense Ave., Moon Township; 412/474-8000, www.pittsburgh.afrc.af.mil)
photo: Shutterstock
May 11/ Funk-punk misfits Red Hot Chili Peppers took a new direction with their 11th album “The Getaway,” in 2016, replacing longtime producer Rick Rubin with Danger Mouse. The group will bring its new style to PPG Paints Arena. (1001 Fifth Ave., Uptown; 412/642-1800, ppgpaintsarena.com)
May 5/ Katt Williams is celebrating his upcoming 20th year as a uniquely profane and profound stand-up comedian with his Great America Tour, which is making a rowdy stop at Heinz Hall. (600 Penn Ave., Downtown; 412/392-4900, trustarts.org)
photo by ashley mikula photography
May 12/ Listen to Your Mother is The Moth for moms. The third iteration of the live storytelling event, with some of the proceeds benefiting Beverly’s Birthdays, will mark the highs and lows of motherhood with well-produced tales told by regular people. (Hillman Center for Performing Arts, Shady Side Academy, 423 Fox Chapel Road, Fox Chapel; listentoyourmothershow.com/pittsburgh)
photo courtesy children’s museum of pittsburgh
through May 28/ The 1968 movie “Ice Station Zebra” followed an American spy team rushing to recover a Soviet satellite lost beneath a polar ice cap. Artist Emily Newman has been using the thriller as the basis for an educational project examining the tensions of the Cold War and their still-relevant ramifications today. Her project Ice Station Zebra at the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh connects a “submarine” in Pittsburgh with “ice stations” in Russia and Norway, using a spy-gadget called ZebraCom. The idea is to use the tools of the Cold War to promote dialogue rather than distrust. (10 Children’s Way, North Side; 412/322-5058, pittsburghkids.org)
