By Scott Tady
PITTSBURGH —The Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival announced its free concert lineup and new location in Pittsburgh’s Strip District.
Performing and visual arts attractions including an Artist Market with 200 regional and nationally touring artists, a Juried Visual Art Exhibition, dance performances, the Creativity Zone with family-friendly activities, film and more will take place June 5-8 at the riverfront lots at the 15th Street Plaza along Waterfront Place in the Strip, while its future home at Arts Landing, a new four-acre civic space in the Cultural District, is constructed in 2025.
“New neighborhood, same spirit,” summarized Brooke Horejsi, chief programming & engagement officer for the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, coordinators of the annual festival. “Gathering together in the Strip District adds a new dimension to this year’s festival but the artistry and community spirit that has defined this cherished event for decades will have us feeling right at home.”
FEATURED MUSIC LINEUP
The following concerts will take place on the Dollar Bank Main Stage, located on the west side of the riverfront lots at the 15th Street Plaza along Waterfront Place. Additional shows are listed among the complete lineup at TrustArts.org/TRAF.
Thursday, June 5
Las Cafeteras (7:30-9 p.m.) | Las Cafeteras’ infectious live performances have crossed many genres and borders along the way. They remix roots music as modern-day troubadours. From Afro-Mexican to Americana, soul to son jarocho, roots to rock and hip hop, Las Cafeteras take folk music to the future. “Creative, socially conscious, it’s perfect.” – NPR
Friday, June 6
Preservation Hall Jazz Band (7:30-9 p.m.) | The Preservation Hall Jazz Band has held the torch of New Orleans music aloft for more than 60 years, all the while carrying it enthusiastically forward as a reminder that the history they were founded to preserve is a vibrantly living history.
Tiera Kennedy (6-7 p.m.) | Tiera Kennedy is an artist, visionary and movement-builder who aims to inspire and share her truth as liberation – and a lesson to live life fully with love and joy. Tiera is emerging as one of the most exciting voices in the format—injecting country music with a breath of vitality. Tiera’s talents have already garnered acclaim, including recognition as a collaborator on Beyoncé’s groundbreaking Grammy-winning album Cowboy Carter.
Saturday, June 7
Cautious Clay (7:30-9 pm) | The singer, songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist also known as Joshua Karpeh hits a galvanizing stride that unfolds hour-by-hour on his newest project, “The Hours: Morning,” a conceptual endeavor that’s equal parts mixtape and emotive timetable.
Souls of Mischief (6-7 p.m.) | The hip hop/funk group from Oakland, Calif. is composed of emcees A-Plus, Opio, Phesto, and Tajai.
Sunday, June 8
Suzanne Vega (7:30-9 pm) | The acclaimed songwriter helped spearhead the folk revival of the early 1980s. Vega will perform a career-spanning show including favorites like “Tom’s Diner,” “Luka,” and many more, plus new material from her new album, “Flying with Angels” (May 2025) joined by longtime guitarist Gerry Leonard (of David Bowie fame) and cellist Stephanie Winters.
Lisa Loeb (6-7 pm) | With a career spanning nearly 20 studio albums and EPs, multiple entrepreneurial ventures, the Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter is best known for her platinum hit “Stay (I Missed You)” from the 1994 film ”Reality Bites.” Loeb was the first independent artist to have a #1 single on the charts without a recording contract.
PERFORMING & VISUAL ARTS HIGHLIGHTS
The popular Artist Market returns with more than 200 artists from around the region and nation selling fine art and fine crafts. Some artists will be on-site for two days and others all four days, meaning visitors can discover new artists starting on Saturday. A full list of artists and their exhibition dates is available at TrustArts.org/TRAFmarket (Daily, 12-8 p.m.)
Celebrated as one of the region’s longest-running, juried exhibitions, the 2025 edition of the Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival’s annual Juried Visual Art Exhibition celebrates the rich history, vibrant culture, and scenic beauty of the Pittsburgh region. This open call invites artists within a 150-mile radius of downtown Pittsburgh to submit works that reflect the spirit, resilience, and diversity of this area—whether through landscapes, portraits, urban scenes, or abstract (Daily, 12-8 p.m., SPACE Gallery downtown.)
The Giant Eagle Creativity Zone returns to the Festival featuring a dozen arts organizations and community partners from throughout the region. Families can expect hands-on activities with new organizations each day (Daily, 12-6 p.m).
Learn garba, sanedo, and other Gujarati folk dances with the dance instructors, and dance (or just listen) to live music with Garba360. When people in the northwestern Indian state of Gujarat want to celebrate, the ecstatic dance tradition known as garba often provides the fuel. Garba is an intoxicating, high-energy folk-dance style marked by hand claps and twirls, danced in a circle (reflecting the cyclical Hindu conception of time). Garba360 brings this lively celebration to new spaces for all to celebrate and participate. (Sunday, June 8, 12-1:30 pm, Dollar Bank Main Stage).
The Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival Dance Battle returns for its 11th year. This year’s All Styles battle will include cash prizes and trophies for the finalists. DJ Inception will be spinning for the entire event. The Guardians of Sound Hip Hop Orchestra will open the festivities, showcasing original songs written and performed by a group of young musicians from Pittsburgh alongside their teaching artists (Saturday, June 7, 12-4:30 p.m., Dollar Bank Main Stage).
Getting It Back: The Story of Cymande (film) | The British group Cymande are unsung heroes: the first British band to play at Harlem’s legendary Apollo, their message of peace, love and funk sailed far beyond Britain’s shores and helped shape music for five decades (June 6 at 3 p.m.; June 7 at 5 p.m.; June 8 at 1 p.m., Harris Theater, Pittsburgh.
Additional music performances on the Dollar Bank Main Stage include Calico Dogs, Dov Beck-Levine, Kahone Concept, Laurel Lowlifes, Megan Paullet and the HR Department, Morgan Gruber, Ras Prophet, Rell Z The Genius, Rocket Loves Blue, The Shiners, Turpentiners, Woodland Creatures, and more.
Additional events are listed at TrustArts.org/TRAF. All events are subject to change.
UPDATED LAYOUT
The 2025 festival footprint, located at the riverfront lots at the 15th Street Plaza along Waterfront Place in the Strip District, is a one-year-only temporary host site while the Festival’s future long-term home at Arts Landing, a new four-acre civic space in the Cultural District, is constructed in 2025. A map of this year’s Festival grounds is available at TrustArts.org/TRAF, including some Cultural District destinations like indoor galleries and the Harris Theater that are a 20-minute walk or short ride from the primary Festival site. Updates on Arts Landing are available at TrustArts.org/ArtsLanding.