Pittsburgh residents looking for summertime activities can check the recently released 2024 CitiParks Summer Guide. It lists all the upcoming events from concerts to movies, farmers markets to footraces, the Roving Art Cart, Fourth of July and more.
The Jam at Grandview has been added to the concert schedule this year. Louie Castle and the Unleashed Band, Missing!, New Shoes, Wild Blue Yonder and SamJAMwich will be performing on Saturdays from Aug. 3 to 31 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Grandview Park Bandstand, Bailey Avenue, Mount Washington. Other concerts are set at Stars at Riverview on Saturdays through July 27 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. on Observatory Hill, Riverview Park; Bach, Beethoven and Brunch, Sundays from June 23 to July 28 from 10:30 a.m. to noon, Mellon Park, Shadyside; and Reservoir of Jazz, on Sundays from Aug. 4 to 25 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Highland Park Reservoir, followed by line dancing sessions until 9 p.m.
The Dollar Bank Cinema in the Parks starts in June at Schenley Plaza in conjunction with the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy. Screenings also take place at West End Overlook in Elliott, Banksville Park, McBride Park in Lincoln Place, Highland Park, Ormsby Park on the South Side, Schenley Park in Oakland, Brookline Memorial Park, Arsenal Park in Lawrenceville, Grandview Park on Mount Washington and Riverview Park in Perry North. Showings begin at sunset and continue through July with the last one on Aug. 1.
Two special features: The Sunday, July 28 showing of “The Peanut Butter Falcon” presented in partnership with Film Pittsburgh is a preview of the ReelAbilities Film Festival. Pop Up Movies will end the cinema series in August with movies at a variety of Pittsburgh parks. Check online and on social media for locations and movie titles.
Farmers markets will operate at four locations: Sundays in Squirrel Hill from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Beacon/Bartlett parking lot; Mondays starting June 17 at Liberty Green Park, East End, from 3 to 7 p.m.; Wednesdays starting June 19 at the Carrick Community Pavilion, 1529 Brownsville Road, from 3 to 7 p.m.; and Fridays at Allegheny Commons Park, North Side, from 3 to 7 p.m. All four accept SNAP or food stamps, credit and debit cards as part of Just Harvest’s Fresh Access Program. Food Bucks give Fresh Access food stamp shoppers extra money to spend on fruits and vegetables, according to the guide. For every $5 spent in food stamps, customers receive an extra $2 to spend on produce. For more information, visit justharvest.org/fresh-access.
Spray parks have opened from 10 a.m. until 8 p.m. already in Arlington, Beechview, Burgwin, Chartiers, East Hills, Mellon, Paulson, Troy Hill and Warrington. City outdoor pools will be ready for swimmers on Saturday, June 15, with daily hours from 1 to 7:45 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and 1 to 5:45 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. They will remain open through Labor Day, Sept. 2. Check the guide for a QR code for locations and other information.
Residents can register for footraces and walks this summer, including the Brookline Breeze 5K Run and Fitness Walk on Aug. 10, Historic Hill 5K Run, Walk and Ride on Aug. 17, and the Run Around the Square in Frick Park’s Fern Hollow on Aug. 24. Links for each one are in the guide.
The Citiparks Roving Art Cart has free multimedia art projects best suited for children ages 5 to 12 on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays beginning June 18 and continuing through Aug. 2. Special guest artists and entertainers will add to the fun all summer long. More information is available in the guide, and a QR code links to the schedule.
The Summer Food Service Program begins on June 24 for children up to 18 and up to 21 for those with intellectual disabilities. For information, contact the CitiParks Food Programs Office at 412-571-3291. Locations are available via a QR code in the summer guide.
CitiParks is a premier partner in the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh’s READ-A-PALOOZA BOOK BOWL. Children can sign up, get their book log via the guide and read all summer long.
A highlight of the summer, of course, is Independence Day at Point State Park from 4 to 10 p.m. CitiParks has free family activities, musical entertainment, line dancing sessions and more on the schedule. The main event — fireworks — begins at 9:45 p.m.
The guide can connect residents to community recreation centers, which offer indoor and outdoor sports activities, educational programming, crafting and leisure time for young people, including summer CitiCamps. The city’s 12 senior centers are open from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m.; locations are also listed in the guide.
Game dates have been set for the CitiSports/Pirates Nike RBI Mayor’s Cup Championships at PNC Park: July 15 for 12U and 15U softball, 18U Fastpitch, Bronco and 10U Competitive; and Aug. 9 for Pony AA, Colt and Super Colt. Games begin at 9 a.m., weather permitting, and admission is free.
CitiParks offers tennis clinics in the summer at Mellon Park Tennis Center, ranging from beginning to advanced training. All clinics are booked online, and registration can be completed through a QR code on the guide.
Pittsburgh has 3,800 acres throughout its 176 park spaces, and residents are encouraged to learn more about them and some interactive trails through QR codes on the summer guide.
The 2024 CitiParks Summer Guide is available online here. It will also be available at CitiParks Recreation and Healthy Active Living Centers for seniors, farmers markets, concerts and various locations throughout the city.
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