Turn your calendar to June (this writer’s favorite month) to embrace a summer packed with dynamic events — many of them free and outdoors. It’s time to rediscover the Burgh. For more things to do in June, don’t miss our Weekly Event Guides. Visit each organization’s website and social media for Covid safety protocols.
1. Pittsburgh Pride Revolution: June 2-5
There are countless ways to show your Pride all around the region. Co-organized by Trans YOUniting, Pittsburgh Pride Revolution kicks off June 2 with Too Hot for July, an outdoor street party at the uber-cool KLVN Coffee Lab. On June 3, make a beeline for the Ball on the Warhol Bridge, followed by Pride on the Shore at Stage AE. On June 4, join the Stand Up, Fight Back March Downtown, then bounce over to the North Side Festival in Allegheny West Park. Keep the revelry going at Trace Brewing’s Bloomfield Festival on June 5. View a schedule. Read the NEXT Pride guide here.
2. Fiberart International at Brew House Association and Contemporary Craft: June 3
You’ve heard of the prestigious Carnegie International, but did you know that one of the world’s leading textile art exhibitions also takes place in Pittsburgh? Be the first to see this exceptional show when it opens in the South Side and Lawrenceville with a free reception from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Representing the world’s best fiber art, the prolific presentation of 45 multimedia works is produced by the Fiberarts Guild of Pittsburgh. You’ll be amazed at how artists combine weaving, rug hooking, crocheting, quilting and felting, with video, photography, drawing, comics, painting and sculpture to create transformative textile works.
3. Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival in the Cultural District: June 3-12
So much is new and on the move for TRAF. Presenting one of the most diverse lineups in its 63-year history, the festival is encompassing a new pedestrian-friendly layout linking key attractions, parking and transportation, and local businesses and restaurants within the Cultural District. Don’t miss Streb Extreme Action’s gravity-defying show “Time Machine” at the new Backyard Stage. The esteemed Juried Visual Art Exhibition is moving to SPACE to explore the cultures, communities, identities and topographies of Appalachia. The beloved Artist Market houses 200 talented makers in five open-air booths. From its new 9th Street HQ, the Dollar Bank Main Stage will rock the block with headlining concerts, while families will love the Giant Eagle Creativity Zone and Anthropology of Motherhood installation. View a schedule.
4. Inside Out at Carnegie Museum of Art: June 4, 11, 18, 25
Clear your Thursday nights and Saturday afternoons. After debuting last summer, CMOA’s outdoor series returns to engage visitors with Pittsburgh’s rich cultural landscape. As a prelude to the 58th Carnegie International, artist Rafael Domenech will transform the Sculpture Court into a site-specific pavilion. Thursdays will provide a vibrant, after-work nightlife destination for friends to connect from 5 to 9 p.m. On Saturdays from noon to 5 p.m., visitors and families alike will enjoy pop-up performances and art-making activities. The rotating robust roster features local DJs, performers, food trucks, breweries and creative experiences. View a schedule.
5. People’s Pride PGH in Swissvale: June 5
Show your support at the first Pride event ever held in Swissvale. It’s a fitting new location for the People’s Pride march and festival, as the borough east of Downtown is home to SisTers PGH — the nonprofit producing the event that’s run by Black trans women and femmes. Uplifting Swissvale’s Black and brown TLGBQIA community, spreading a message of inclusivity and honoring the history of Pride, the march kicks off at 10 a.m. at Frick Park’s Forbes and Braddock Playground and ends at Dickson Elementary School, where the festival continues until 9 p.m. with headliner Shea Diamond. Read the NEXT Pride guide here.
6. Dollar Bank Cinema in the Park: June 8, 11, 18, 25
Who needs Netflix when you can relax in an open-air movie theater under the stars? From Brookline to the West End, there’s even more to love about the city’s free cinema series in nine urban parks. Kicking off June 8 with a new twist, the program is expanding to include a month of pop-up films, plus movies following the Stars at Riverview Jazz Series concerts on the North Side. The roster includes “Encanto,” “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” “American Underdog,” “No Time to Die,” “Singin’ in the Rain” and other popular contemporary and classic movies. View a schedule.
7. Open Air: A Series in Celebration of the Performing Arts in Sharpsburg: June 9-12
Launched as an innovative way to offer safe public programs during the pandemic, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre’s Open Air festival is taking its mobile stage on the road to its new home in Sharpsburg. Activating the banks of the Allegheny River along 19th Street, the series will showcase PBT productions along with local performing arts organizations. New this year is Open Air: Shared Spaces, a showcase of prominent regional dance studios and artists. Move your way into summer with 17-plus companies — from Attack Theatre and Pittsburgh Festival Opera to Shana Simmons Dance and Texture Contemporary Ballet. Buy tickets.
8. Living Dead Weekend at Monroeville Mall: June 10-12
Lurch your way into gore, ghouls and guts at the dystopian complex where George Romero filmed his 1978 cult classic “Dawn of the Dead.” The zombie apocalypse will descend on Monroeville and Evans City for this three-day horror happening. Pose for killer pix with “Candyman” icon Tony Todd, special effects gurus Tom Savini and Greg Nicotero, and the creepy cast of “Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III.” Horror junkies can geek out at screenings, celebrity panel discussions, vendor halls, special effects demonstrations and VIP mixers. Don’t miss the guided tour of Romero’s rarely-seen film locations. Buy tickets.
9. Summer Safari: Groovin’ Thru the Zoo: June 11
In 1967, The Rascals sang about groovin’ on a Sunday afternoon in their No. 1 hit. With the zoo as your playground, you’ll be groovin’ on Saturday evening with sea lions, red pandas and komodo dragons. Kick-off summer with a roar by enjoying themed musical entertainment in each location, flowing libations and delectable dishes crafted by local restaurants. Whether you prefer the twist, hustle, two-step or mashed potato – you’ll dance through the decades from 6:30 to 11 p.m. while supporting animal conservation. Ready to go retro? Check out this Pinterest Board for inspiring safari-themed looks. Buy tickets.