Inaugural Northside Music Festival will feature more than 70 bands
Music in the middle of July returns once again to Pittsburgh’s North Side, but with a new name.
The inaugural Northside Music Festival is happening July 14-16 within the heart of Deutschtown. Previously known as the Deutschtown Music Festival, the free, three-day event will feature more than 70 musical acts, an artist market and more than 30 food trucks.
“We’re excited to bring this new festival to the North Side,” said organizer Benjamin Soltesz, who lives on the North Side. “It will still be music in the park and on the streets. It’s smaller so people will be able to walk to get to the venues.”
Soltesz said he and five committee members curated the music. They focused on bringing various genres.
The festival is for everyone, Soltesz said. On Saturday, there will plenty of activities for kids in Allegheny Commons Park, which are being sponsored by One Northside, a program of the Buhl Foundation that supports all North Side neighborhoods.
He said they want to showcase the neighborhood’s vibrant music scene and will feature a lineup of a variety of musical genres. The event opens at 6 p.m. Friday, noon Saturday and 10 a.m. Sunday. Some of the sites include The Government Center, Penn Brewery, the Allegheny Elks Lodge No. 339 and the Allegheny City Brewing garden.
Some of the bands Friday include The Regal Sweet, NASH.V.ILL, Miss Freddye’s Blues Band, Crush Curl and the Allegheny Brass Band. On Saturday, Stone Throwers, Cam Chambers, Forestry Division, Flower Crown and Jason Gamble will perform.
On Sunday, there will be gospel music performed in Allegheny Commons Park outside the Allegheny Center Alliance Church, including members of the church as well as the Urban Impact Foundation choir and Steel City Revival.
The gospel music event is being sponsored by Allegheny Center Alliance Church. Jen Lawlor, creative arts and experience director for Allegheny Center Alliance Church on the North Side, said being part of the festival is wonderful. They are calling their part of the festival, which is happening in the nearby Allegheny Commons Park, Gospel Sunday.
There will be several performances between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. as well as activities for children and young adults and food trucks.
“Music is fun,” Lawlor said. “Our tagline is Sunday gospel, games and grub. We are so excited to take church outside. We love our community, and they may not go to our church but we want people to know the church extends beyond a building. We are honored to be a part of it.”
The Northside Music Festival is a nonprofit event, with the Northside Leadership Conference as the fiscal sponsor.
A complete schedule of performers can be found here.
JoAnne Klimovich Harrop is a TribLive reporter covering the region's diverse culinary scene and unique homes. She writes features about interesting people. The Edward R. Murrow award-winning journalist began her career as a sports reporter. She has been with the Trib for 26 years and is the author of "A Daughter's Promise." She can be reached at jharrop@triblive.com.
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