Courtesy Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh

Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh – Main
June 5
Noon – 5 p.m.

Think you can read read 90,000 books (yes, e-books count) from now through August? Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh invites readers of all ages to rise to the challenge and kick-off the summer reading season at its biggest event of the year.

Courtesy Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh.
Courtesy Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh.

Marking its 16th season celebrating all things books, CLP’s annual Summer Reading Extravaganza brings together timeless stories—in print, outdoors, on stages, under tents—all taking place in and around the Oakland institution.

Family-friendly and entirely free, the rain-or-shine festival features five hours packed with storytelling, music, crafts, games, food trucks, a used book sale, and more.

Ready to up your expand your vocab and up your word count?

Courtesy Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh.
Courtesy Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh.

Play fun CLP Readers Games, shop for used books, and watch timeless tales come to life during interactive storytimes and live performances.

Activate all of your senses during healthy cooking lessons, green thumb gardening demonstrations, and hands-on science experiments, participate in cultural activities led by dozens of community groups, and get active on the giant slide.

Inside, the library’s Children’s Room will host lively puppet shows and concerts by young female musicians from WYEP’s Reimagination Series. When you’re craving lunch, head to the on-site food truck roundup—where proceeds will help to support CLP—and then personalize your very own Eat‘n Park Smiley Cookie for dessert.

During the festivities, children and families can also get a library card and enroll in one of CLP’s Summer Reading programs.

Looking for more events? Read our NEXTravaganza! 20 can’t-miss Pittsburgh events & concerts in June and our Top 10 things for families to do in June in Pittsburgh features.

Jennifer BaronArts & Entertainment / Jobs Editor

Jennifer has worked at the Mattress Factory, Brooklyn Museum of Art and Dahesh Museum of Art and is co-author of Pittsburgh Signs Project: 250 Signs of Western Pennsylvania. She also is co-coordinator of Handmade Arcade. Musically, she is in a band called The Garment District and is a founding member of Brooklyn's The Ladybug Transistor.