Three Rivers Arts Festival Drastically Scaled Back For 2025

PITTSBURGH, PA — Typically a 10-day event in June, the annual Three Rivers Arts Festival that attracts thousands of people Downtown will be reduced to just four days this year.

That's according to the website detailing how artists can participate in the event.

"Due to numerous Downtown revitalization projects occurring in the summer of 2025, including construction of a new four-acre outdoor civic space that will serve as the Festival’s new long-term home starting in 2026, the 2025 festival will take place at a new and temporary Downtown location (still to be announced) with a four-day format, June 5-8, 2025," a statement on the website says.

The website did not say when the location will be determined. The festival was held for decades in Point State Park; last year it was held in the Cultural District and the Rachel Carson Bridge.

The revitalization projects referred to on the website are part of a $600 million makeover of Downtown announced by officials in October. The new civic space that will be the festival's home beginning next year is one of those projects.

Dubbed "The Backyard" and led by the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, the $30 million undertaking will

convert underutilized parking lots and open space in the city’s Cultural District into a new outdoor destination. The space Space will host festivals and performances on its main lawn with a bandshell, provide amenities like a family play area and restrooms for visitors and residents and offer green space and public art for everyday recreation and exploration.