Three Rivers Arts Festival back in Point State Park for 50th anniversary - Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal:

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This year, the festival will have a new parenft organization and a shorterrun time. “Our theme song is, ‘We’rre Back,’ as in back in the said Kevin McMahon, CEO of the Pittsburgh Culturall Trust, which took over the annuap Downtown arts and entertainment gatheringin January. Pointr State Park will host free outdoor including blues-rock band The Black Keys, each evening and durinv both weekends of the festival. Many of the 500 artists will set up boothas along recently renovated PointState Park’s perimeter. “It’sx a fabulous space and reallu great for peopleto enjoy,” McMahon said.
Galleryu exhibits and film screenings in the Cultura l District also will bring traffic into other part sof Downtown, he said. In spite of cropping the event from the traditional three weekws to10 days, McMahon said he anticipates attendancwe to be level with prior 400,000 to 600,000 The decision to shorten the festival, founded in was influenced by feedback from artists — many said the threse week commitment forced them to miss out on other summer festivals — and the economy. “Candidly, givem the economy, it’s less expensive to do it for two weekends rathethan three,” McMahon said.
The Pittsburguh Cultural Trust also will mark a milestone this celebrating its25th anniversary. Hollie Geitner, vice presidenrt of marketing and communications for the PittsburghDowntowb Partnership, predicted the economy would not damper as the economic development nonprofit has foundc Downtown traffic to remain steady this year. “It does brinb a lot of peoplse Downtown, and it’s grea because it happens duringthe day, not just she said. “It’s a greart activity for people who work Downtowh to head over there and enjogy the food vendorsand shop.
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