Light up your life this November at these 11 terrific events around Pittsburgh.
1. The Get Down at Spirit: Nov. 1, 8 p.m.-2 a.m.
Dancing in a club is cool, but dancing inside a glowing work of art is epic. The creative minds behind Attack Theatre believe that dance is more than a spectator sport. The Pittsburgh company is calling all “adventurous audience members, party animals and dirty dancers” to join them on this pulsating dance floor. While grooving, you’ll check our exclusive Attack performances and DJ sets by Arie Cole, Gordy G and Deejay Aesthetics. It will all go down inside Ian Brill’s mesmerizing audiovisual installation, “The Vault.” This year’s Get Down serves as a jubilant prelude to the return of Attack’s beloved Dirty Ball event — which is return in April 2020. Get ready to fill up that dance card.
2. Pittsburgh Shorts at SouthSide Works Cinema: Nov. 1-7
A social media star participates in a tech billionaire’s dangerous experiment. A child struggles to save his grandfather during Hurricane Maria. A Syrian deli owner and a high school girl with a fake ID form an unlikely bond in Brooklyn. Big things come in small packages at Pittsburgh Shorts. With 116 films from 33 countries plus 40 visiting directors, you’ll experience the best of contemporary short cinema. Highlighting innovative visual storytelling and cultural tolerance, the fest explores a wide range of themes – from gender, artificial intelligence and grief to extraterrestrial existence and so much more. Don’t miss opening night featuring seven films, a Q&A with Rocky Bleier and an after-party. View a schedule and buy tickets.
3. EQT Pittsburgh 10 Miler: Nov. 2, 8 a.m.
Ready to run your way through iconic Pittsburgh places? Providing tons of quirky motivation along the route, this one-of-a-kind spectacle takes runners through 10 miles of local history, fandom and tradition — from pierogies to parking chairs to Pittsburghese. Nowhere else can you run alongside comedian Pittsburgh Dad and Steelers defensive lineman Chris Hoke. Kicking off at Station Square, runners will cross the scenic West End Bridge to Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood on the North Side, pass Heinz Field and PNC Park, and end in the Strip. Don’t miss the after-party at Wigle Whiskey, where participants will sip bourbon-spiked Turner’s Iced Tea. Can’t be there? Participate in the new virtual experience. Register here.
4. Three Rivers Film Festival: Nov. 8-23
Cinephiles, rejoice: Three Rivers Film Festival (3RFF) is returning to reclaim its spot on our November calendars. Southwestern PA’s largest and longest-running film festival is packed with 37 riveting documentaries, indie dramas and buzzworthy premieres, along with restored classics, avant-garde flicks and features made in Pittsburgh. There’s nothing like seeing a story unfold at a neighborhood theater. And beyond the screen, films are augmented by lively discussions with directors, actors and scholars. It’s a chance to see films you can’t catch elsewhere locally, while mingling with industry professionals and cinema enthusiasts. The opening and closing parties are always a blast and not to be missed. It all kicks off with a screening of “The Green Fog” and a hip party with renowned director Guy Maddin. View a schedule and buy tickets.
5. PGH Vintage Mixer at Nova Place: Nov. 9, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
Pittsburgh’s leading vintage fair is returning with a new home and its biggest event yet. Find a perfect treasure for everyone on your holiday shopping list — and score fab finds for your own home and closet — when this curated marketplace hosts 60 purveyors peddling genuine vintage goods. With much more space for browsing and haggling inside the former Allegheny Center Mall, vintage lovers will hunt for everything from fashion, furniture and toys, to home décor, artwork and antiques. Promising Pittsburgh’s “version of Mall Madness,” there will be twice as many vendors (plus way more parking), exhibitors like Frank Lloyd Wright’s House on Kentuck Knob and Old Flame Mending, plus tasty food and drink offerings.
6. My People: A QTPOC Festival of the Arts at the Kelly Strayhorn Theater: Nov. 14-16
What hatched 10 years ago as a film series inspired by Billy Strayhorn’s life as a queer man of color is now a three-day, multi-disciplinary arts festival. Curated by Pittsburgh theater artist Adil Mansoor, My People includes performances, screenings, workshops and panel discussions. Examining concepts of family, home, community and preservation, the festival is posing the overarching question: “What does kinship mean when living under Trump’s dystopia?” Opening day includes “Finding Kin,” a showcase of music, poetry and film by queer and trans artists of color hosted by drag performer Mahogany La PiranHa. Don’t miss Making Home, which invites attendees to share a meal and join a dialogue about housing and neighborhoods. Buy tickets.