Three Rivers Arts Festival to return with mix of in-person, hybrid programs
After being held virtually in 2020 because of the pandemic, the Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival will be returning this year with some in-person events, it was announced Thursday morning.
Opening June 4 and wrapping up June 14, the festival will still have online elements, but festival mainstays like live concerts and an artist market will be back, though in altered formats. Sponsored by the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, it will mark the first time in more than a year that some of the Cultural Trust’s theaters, galleries and arts venues will have their doors open.
“The biggest change for the Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival in 2021 is the layout and footprint,” according to Sarah Aziz, the festival’s director.
The festival’s artist market will have a total of 100 independent artists selling their wares in the open air, with 50 artists appearing June 4-8, and the other 50 artists appearing June 9-13. Free, two-hour tickets are required for the market, which will take place in three, capacity-controlled zones. Simultaneously, a virtual market with more than 350 additional artists will be unfolding online at TrustArts.org/TRAF.
Each Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the festival, concerts will take place at the Byham Theater. Each show will have a limited-capacity, in-person audience of 350 people. Free tickets will be available starting at 12 p.m. May 20 at TrustArts.org/TRAF. The concerts will also be available on the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s social media channels and on 91.3 WYEP-FM.
Visitors will have contactless ticketing, and face masks will be required. Prior to attending an event, those attending will be asked to download the CLEAR mobile app and set up an account. Before entering a venue, attendees will open the app, verify their identity with a selfie, and answer a series of health survey questions. When approaching a kiosk, attendees will scan their QR code, and depending on their COVID-related health information, they will be issued a red or green health pass on their app. A green health pass combined with an event-specific ticket will allow entrance into the event.
“We cannot imagine summer in Pittsburgh without the Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival, and we are thrilled to see the work being done to return to in-person arts events and also build upon the accessibility of virtual experiences,” said Joe Smith, the senior vice president of marketing for Dollar Bank.
For more information, visit TrustArts.org.