Weekend art festival takes over Shadyside area

By Samantha Zapach | Staff Writer

Although the end of summer is quickly approaching, the fun activities to experience in Pittsburgh continue on.

The 23rd annual Shadyside Arts Festival will take place on Saturday, Aug. 24, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday, Aug. 25 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Beginning as a small street fair in 1997, the Shadyside Arts Festival is now one of the most popular outdoor art shows in Pennsylvania.

The festival, which is free to attend, will take place on Walnut Street in Shadyside. The neighborhood streets, which are already home to a variety of shops and restaurants, will be lined with tents and tables featuring various types of fine art from more than 150 vendors throughout the weekend.

Local artists, as well as those coming from around the globe, will showcase their passions and talents for the Pittsburgh community to browse and enjoy. Some of the art available for purchase include jewelry, ceramics, leather goods, photography, paintings, pottery, sculptures, glassworks, clothing and more. A full list of festival exhibitors can be found on the artfestival.com/shadyside-exhibitor-list-august-2019.

The intimate environment of the festival encourages visitors to directly speak with the artists, enabling them to get to know the artist and gain a solid understanding of the inspiration and story behind their work.

It is unclear how much street parking will be available in the immediate area due to the festival, but attendees can utilize the Shadyside Parking Garage located at 714 Bellefonte St. Or, if you don’t mind getting some extra steps in, find a spot to park a few blocks away and make your way over to enjoy the festival.

It may even be easier to travel via public transit, as Walnut Street is a hub for buses. From Duquesne’s campus, you can hop on bus line 71B at the corner of Forbes Ave. and McAnulty Dr., riding it for 37 stops until you reach the corner of Highland Ave. and Walnut Street, which should only take about 30 minutes. Other lines with routes passing near Walnut Street are lines 64, 71D and 75.

For more information about the Shadyside Arts Festival, please visit artfestival.com/festivals/shadyside-the-art-festival-walnut-street-pittsburgh.