Courtesy Kid City Rockers.

Market Square
April 23
1 — 3 p.m.

Don’t miss the chance to dance in the streets and walk through a giant turntable when DJ Kelly Mom takes her popular Kid City Rockers Dance Party outdoors to scenic Market Square.

Mix-n-Match. Photo by Tracy Certo.
Mix-n-Match. Photo by Tracy Certo.

If you’ve passed through the central downtown hub lately, you may have noticed an unexpected transformation. The brainchild of Netherlands-based  performance, sound and installation artist, Allard van Hoorn, Market Square now houses a giant interactive record player.

Dubbed Mix-n-Match, the interactive public artwork features a turntable with grooves that light up and a center spindle where visitors of all ages can hear original, collaborative sound works.

If you have yet to experience Mix-n-Match firsthand, Saturday’s dance party is the perfect chance to catch it before it closes to the public on April 30th.

On April 23 from 1 to 3 p.m, children and kids of all ages are invited to join DJ Kelly Mom for a lively Kid City Rockers Dance Party right in the heart Market Square.

DJ Kelly Mom.
DJ Kelly Mom.

Teaming up with the Office of Public Art, Kelly will spin tunes from her diverse vinyl collection, while also adding musical tracks from the new public art installation to her mix. The event is free and open to the public, and no registration is required.

Like many others you could fall hard for Kid City Rockers’ old-school, indie aesthetic (think: The Ramones, La Tigre, New Order, Bob Marley, the White Stripes and more). And if your kids are bashful about approaching the dance floor, you’ll love Kelly’s fresh and inviting approach to celebrating music in public spaces. Day, who loves introducing great music to her three kids, is a community leader from Brighton Heights who has spent two decades amassing an extensive vinyl collection. She was DJ at WPTS, ran a monthly DJ residency in Hollywood and is an alum of Jam Master Jay’s DJ Scratch Academy.

Part of the Market Square Public Art Program, Mix-n-Match uses sound as a way to explore urban landscapes. Van Hoorn also composed several new tracks of music that were inspired by his work with local community groups, including students from CAPA High School, tap dancers from Point Park, steel drum players from Urban Pathways Charter School, and the organist from the First English Evangelical Lutheran Church.

Looking for more events? Read our 12 Pittsburgh events not to miss in April and our 8 great family adventures in Pittsburgh in April features.

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.