Summer fun for all ages continues with added activities at city’s parks

Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy has an expanded lineup of free and low-cost programs across the city’s parks this summer, from a reimagined Family Day series, outdoor concerts and pop-up beer gardens.

The popular Kids Day series returns this year, starting this month. Reimagined as Family Days, the series is expanding into Riverview and Allegheny Commons parks in addition to its original location in Schenley Plaza, according to a conservancy news release. Each event will have a theme this year, presented by Peoples Gas: The Hello Neighbor Northside Family Day June 29 from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. in Allegheny Commons Park with performances by Pittsburgh Festival Opera and Azure Concerts Pittsburgh; the Galactic Family Adventure Day in Riverview Park July 27 from 4-10 p.m., presenting tours of the Allegheny Observatory and an evening screening of “Woman in Motion” with the Moonshot Museum; and the Flights of Fancy Summer Extravaganza Aug. 10 from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. at Schenley Park. Other activities include meet-and-greets with surprise friends, as well as entertainment options such as balloon artists, carousel rides and more. The series runs through October.   

The conservancy has a full brochure available to download on its site.

“We’re excited to expand our programming opportunities this year. The evolution of Kids Days to Family Days will make the events more inclusive,” Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy Director of Operations and Visitor Engagement Matthew Hileman said in the news release. “We want people of all ages to discover the parks and learn something new while having a great day out. We’re especially excited to expand into other parks so that everyone can experience something fun in their own backyard.”  

For music aficionados, there are plenty of opportunities to enjoy live performances in the parks this summer, including the Calliope House Summer Series in Schenley Plaza, featuring folk artists Penna Players on June 26 and The Grass Gals on Aug. 14. Both run from 7-9 p.m. Additionally, the WYEP Summer Music Festival will take over the plaza lawn June 21 from 4-11 p.m.

For art and culture lovers, the Frick Environmental Center offers a unique art exhibit, “Through Your Eyes,” featuring the work of Virginia Christman. Local photographer and nature lover Christman conducted walks through Frick Park with 14 Parks Conservancy staff members, which inspired a series of unique assemblages created with natural objects found during the treks, according to the news release.

“Virginia’s work invites us to pause and take notice of the wide variety of lifeforms that decorate the forest floor,” conservancy Director of Education and the Frick Environmental Center James A. Brown said. “Even for those who regularly visit the park, it’s easy to overlook the many plants and natural objects found within the meadows and woodlands of Frick Park. Her work puts it all into focus, and the result is breathtaking.”  

Another new exhibition, by the Pittsburgh Plein Air Collective, will open in late August. The small group has gathered every Friday morning for several years, painting together in locations throughout Pittsburgh, according to the conservancy brochure. Most works featured will be watercolors, with some in acrylic and pen and ink.

Community members can celebrate Juneteenth at the environmental center with the nonprofit in the From Slavery to Freedom Garden, featuring a Black Power Storytime reading with BOOM Concepts from 10 a.m.-11:30 a.m.   

Beer lovers can check out the Parks on Tap pop-up beer garden series in partnership with Eleventh-Hour Brewing at the Schenley Park Visitor Center. The main series continues June 27, July 25, Aug. 29 and Sept. 26 outside the center with a rotating lineup of food trucks from 3-9 p.m. It finishes in October with a special appearance in Allegheny Commons Park.   

Mellon Square Downtown will serve as a backdrop for summer fun. In partnership with the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership, the two organizations will offer pop-up mini golf, performances by percussionists and drummers from the African diaspora in Rumbón de la Calle, and outdoor paint-and-sip parties. Botanical candle workshops and salsa dancing lessons are also on the schedule; candle making begins in June and the dance lessons take place in July and August. Check the event schedule for days and times.

The popular Forest Bathing series continues throughout the summer months, thanks to partnerships with Citrone 33, Staunton Farm Foundation and the 10.27 Healing Partnership. The monthly series will take place in Frick Park, Allegheny Commons Park and Riverview Park. The first two start on Saturday, June 14, with Riverview starting June 28, running from 10 a.m.-noon; the program at Frick with the healing partnership begins July 10. Registration is required.

Additional health and wellness offerings include Yoga in the Plaza with 3 Rivers Outdoor Co. every Thursday at 6 p.m. through October at Schenley Plaza Bosque and on Saturday mornings in Allegheny Commons Park, presented in collaboration with the Counseling and Wellness Center of Pittsburgh. Baby and Me Yoga is set for July 25 from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. at Schenley. Restorative Yoga will start June 29 at Frick Park from 2-3 p.m. with additional sessions on July 13 and Aug. 10. Registration is required for these, too.

Allegheny Commons Park also has a Baby and Me Nature Walk from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. June 26. Registration is required.

Finally, ecologically curious, nature-based programming includes Birding Pittsburgh’s Parks to Trail Tours in Hays Woods. Train on the Trail: Identifying Birds of the Three Rivers Heritage Trail takes place from 8:30-10 a.m. Sunday, June 15, with naturalist educator and mycologist Stephen Bucklin and Friends of the Riverfront. Meet at Southside Riverfront Park. Registration is required at friendsoftheriverfront.org. The Hays Wood tour features a mushroom hunt with Bucklin Aug. 23 from 2-4 p.m. Registration is required for that, as well as the trail tours that start June 14 and continue on July 26 and Aug. 23.  The events calendar has the times the tours begin.

To view the entire programming calendar and register for select events, visit PittsburghParks.org/events. The downloadable brochure is at online.pubhtml5.com/movc/obhw/.

Looking for a community service project? The conservancy has stewardship days in Hays Wood Park and August Wilson Park on rotating Tuesdays and in Riverview Park on rotating Thursdays. Volunteers are needed to help with invasive species management, weeding, mulching, planting and more. Signups are available as well at PittsburghParks.org/events.