







































RACHEL WILKINSON

MATT PETRAS




AMANDA WALTZ



AMANDA WALTZ





AMANDA WALTZ










RACHEL WILKINSON
MATT PETRAS
AMANDA WALTZ
AMANDA WALTZ
AMANDA WALTZ
Pittsburgh’s Office of Nighttime Economy, rare for a city this size, offers critical support for partiers, businesses, and late-shift workers
BY: RACHEL WILKINSON // RWILKINSON@PGHCITYPAPER.COM
Atypical workweek at Pittsburgh’s Office of Nighttime Economy (ONE) spans both night and day. Though the city-run office is a two-person operation within the 9-to5-dominated City-County Building, they manage to cover a lot of ground — bouncing from a Strip District town hall, to a citywide public safety forum, to a meeting with a neighborhood bar association, to an event for the Pittsburgh 2050 Comprehensive Plan.
“There’s only two of us, so you [just] dive into something,” Bret Kunash tells Pittsburgh City Paper nighttime economy coordinator Bret Kunash. Back at the office, a disco ball shaped like a crescent moon hangs from the door, glimmering above a sidewalk-style sign with moveable letters that reads “LIFE 1S B3TT3R @ NiGHT!” A ONE flyer highlights Pittsburgh’s nighttime events: full moon hikes, Art All Night, GLOWLAND in Oakland, and the Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival.
“We have an interesting vantage point,” nighttime economy manager Allison Harnden tells City Paper . “By having that
broader picture, you understand how everything is connected. Every [meeting], I could go to the next one and say there was something that connected them.”
“NIGHT CUSTOMERS AND NIGHT WORKERS DESERVE THE SAME OPTIONS AVAILABLE TO DAYTIME WORKERS AND CUSTOMERS.”
Harnden and Pittsburgh’s Office of Nighttime Economy represent one of about 20 “nighttime manager” positions in the country. Mostly based in larger metros such as San Francisco, Austin, and New York City, nighttime economy managers are even rarer among mid-sized cities like Pittsburgh.
With a mission to support the city’s “social and nighttime economy” while still co-existing with residents, Harnden describes her role as a “connector and interpreter,” linking Pittsburgh’s hospitality and nightlife businesses, community members and groups, and city government. The office also serves as a wide-ranging resource hub for navigating city code, ordinances, and all things related to nighttime operations, encompassing outdoor dining permits, food truck regulations, loading zone restrictions, mobility-related concerns, and even the city’s plastic bag ban. They offer CPR, Heimlich, and Narcan trainings (called Night Industries Training and Education or NITE School), and email a quarterly newsletter with updates and industry trends.
Though it often appears they’re “in the weeds,” as Harnden puts it, ONE is part of a vanguard in city planning, a response to a new wave of re-urbanization. Based on a larger vision of a “sociable city,” the office aims to expand Pittsburgh’s idea of what nightlife is, while also recognizing it as a “vital” economic segment that generates millions in city
revenue and employs some 60,000 regional workers.
When most people think of city nightlife, Harnden explains, they think of nightclubs (of which Pittsburgh once had many and which residents love to reminisce about). Nightlife, loosely defined as occurring after 10 p.m., is also often negatively associated with noise and trash — perpetually Pittsburgh 311’s most common complaints — and disruption, vice, and crime.
ONE was first conceived in 2014 by former Mayor Bill Peduto as a single full-time “night-time economy manager” position. Planned in conjunction with then-City Council President Bruce Kraus, who represented the South Side, the initial idea was to address residents’ concerns about public safety and intoxication while also preserving the bars, restaurants, and entertainment venues that had become essential to revitalizing Pittsburgh neighborhoods (ONE still operates under the city’s Department of Public Safety).
“It’s about understanding the economic engine that nightlife is,” Kraus told CP in 2016. “I have a fiduciary responsibility to protect those revenue streams.”
Harnden came aboard as nighttime economy manager in 2015. She was first tasked with rolling out a parking-enhancement district in the South Side, which extended meter collection time from 6 p.m. to midnight. The additional revenue of nearly $2 million went toward addressing more frequent trash pickup, increased police presence, added security cameras, and even portable toilets for St. Patrick’s Day.
“There was this perception that South Side was the only game in town,” Harnden says of when she first started. “It was sort of like, oh, nighttime economy, who are they? They’re over there. We don’t have anything to do with them. We work in so many ways with so many different departments and offices now …
that’s changed so much.”
The nighttime manager posi tion also spun out of Pittsburgh’s Sociable City Plan , released in Dec. 2012 after a three-year study by the nonprofit Responsible Hospitality Institute (for which Harnden pre viously consulted). Founded in 1983, RHI helped popularize the concept of a “sociable city,” which claims urbanization has dramati cally changed social interaction and requires city planning and resources to make a round-the-clock economy inclusive, vibrant, safe, and viable.
The sociable city concept comes with its own glossary of terms (also called buzzwords when the Pittsburgh office was first created) like “hospitality zone,” which refers broadly to an area with a cluster of venues for socializing. In 2012, the Pittsburgh plan looked at the South Side, Downtown, Lawrenceville, and Oakland, which it identified as the most mature district, while Downtown was still “emerging.”
“Think ‘bar’ and ‘entertainment district’ sum up ‘nightlife’? Think again!” reads the RHI website.
RHI also hosts an annual Sociable City Summit, where Harnden is a regular presenter. When Kunash was hired in 2023, he got a “crash course” at the summit. For the former pro motions manager, who ran concert venues like Club Cafe, it provided an entirely new framework for viewing nightlife.
“The logic of managing an economy, highlighting the assets, cultivating a community, giving resources to workers that are doing the same jobs that people are doing in the daytime … it was a huge differ ence,” he tells CP
“When you say nightlife, it limits your audience and who you’re talking to,” Harnden stresses. “‘Life at night’ is a different term, in terms of people operating on different schedules.”
Many people “work, play, and live their lives outside of a 9-to-5 sched ule,” Pittsburgh’s Office of Nighttime
Economy website states, citing industries including healthcare, shipping, transit and the airport, janitorial services, security, and hospitality and hotels, which Harnden calls “24-hour cities.”
Nighttime workers, especially night-shift workers of color, generally earn lower wages and face challenges with less access to transportation.
“It’s an equity issue,” says Harnden. Of the recently proposed service cuts to Pittsburgh Regional Transit, she wrote to CP , “Time of day is a form of equity, and night customers and night workers deserve the same options available to daytime workers and customers.”
But the biggest disruption to sociability and nightlife, and virtually all consumer behavior, says ONE, was the pandemic.
Dr. Elizabeth Currid-Halkett, an urban and regional planning and public policy professor at the University of Southern California, says, “We cannot underestimate the seismic shifts that the pandemic brought into our lives. It altered how we socialize, how we think about socializing.”
Currid-Halkett, who lived in Pittsburgh and studies how cultural amenities drive economic development, says there are two dueling trends: newly appreciating our social lives while also using the technologies that allowed us to stay home.
While warehouse-style nightclubs are unlikely to return soon, restaurants and Pittsburgh’s food culture remain a key part of nightlife and entertainment.
6 weeks for $32
6 months for $150
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Where to go when the mood to sing strikes? Pittsburgh boasts more than enough karaoke nights at bars and clubs citywide. But what if you want something more, something o beat, something a little risque, even?
In honor of Pittsburgh City Paper ‘s second annual Karaoke Kabaret, taking over the Funhouse at Mr. Smalls on Thu., May 15, wecompiled a short roundup of local karaoke nights and venues that break the mold. Refresh your go-to karaoke song list, warm up your vocal cords, and prepare for musical fun.
BAREOKE
facebook.com/PGHNaturists and instagram.com/pghnaturists
A case of stage fright often solicits the advice, “Just imagine the audience naked.” In the case of Bareoke, hosted at P Town by the Pittsburgh Area Naturists, the nudity isn’t imagined and includes the performers. Let it all hang out in a 21-and-over environment touted as safe and inclusive — while nudity is required (women are permitted to wear bottoms if they prefer), rules barring photography and video, sexual harassment, and non-consensual touch are in place to ensure patrons feel comfortable singing full frontal.
BROADWAY JUKEBOX
nonstopbroadway.com
Release your inner theater kid at a place for adult kids, Dave and Busters. NonStop Broadway regularly takes over the arcade chain’s Homestead location for a night of showtunes from stage musicals like Les Miserables , Little Shop of Horrors , Cats , and many more (an event description touts a catalogue of over 1,000 songs from which to choose). Rap your way through Hamilton, try to sustain the high note in Wicked’s “Defying Gravity,” or do Chicago proud with a sexy rendition of “Cell Block Tango,” while your fellow karaoke patrons sing along.
Pittsburgh Brewing Company is establishing its newish digs as a must-visit summer concert venue — and bringing a regatta back to the Allegheny River
BY: MATT PERTRAS
the Year.
June 7 and 8, starting at 11 a.m. each day and ending at 9 p.m. on Saturday and 6 p.m. on Sunday, the brewery will debut its “Rockin’ Regatta” event. Live music for the weekend includes Casual Affair, High Fidelity, Peace Sign Band, Family Tradition, Lenny Collini, Mia Z, and others. The weekend will also include powerboat races, a cornhole tournament, rockclimbing, a foam party, food trucks, and more. Two-day passes run from $14.20 to $50.80 depending on age, and tickets for either day individually run from $13.20 to $31.50.
Then, June 14 will feature Alabama; July 13 will feature Blues Traveler, Gin Blossoms and The Spin Doctors; and Aug. 8 will feature Joan Jett and the Blackhearts. Doors open for Alabama at 6 p.m. but at 5 p.m. for the July and Aug. shows. General admission tickets, which allow for hanging out on the lawn with the option to bring a chair or blanket, run from approximately $70 to $85 for each show, with pricier middle section and VIP seating options available.
That Alabama show particularly excites McCormick. It will be a good showcase for the venue, she says.
“ I’m so excited about that one,” McCormick says. “I’m thinking, can you imagine hearing [“Tennessee River”] while you’re on the river?”
For the Alabama show, McCormick is hoping for attendance of about 9,000 people, which she says the venue can definitely handle. As a point of comparison, Stage AE’s outdoor lawn accommodates up to 5,500 people. It’s possible the venue could even accommodate more for future shows.
“Next year, the sky’s the limit,” McCormick says. “As far as what we bring here, we can do 10 [thousand] if it’s the right act, and people want to come to see them and it makes sense.”
Pittsburgh Brewing Company hopes the “Rockin’ Regatta” event can
be the start of something big for the city. And the hype already seems to be spreading.
“The Rockin’ Regatta at Pittsburgh Brewing Company is an excit ing new addition to Pittsburgh’s vibrant summer lineup of festi vals and events,” says Jerad Bachar, VisitPITTSBURGH’s president and chief executive officer, according to a Pittsburgh Brewing Company press release. “Events like the Rockin’ Regatta not only highlight the creativ ity and energy of our city but also drive tourism and support our local economy. We’re excited to welcome visitors to what promises to be an unforgettable summer in Pittsburgh.”
Last year, Pittsburgh Brewing Company had about 6,800 people come for a concert, according to McCormick, and there have also been other, smaller shows.
“There’s a lot of moving parts,” McCormick says. “We’re learning as we go. Everything we do here, every thing gets bigger and bigger.”
This move toward utilizing the large amount of space for a concert venue comes after new ownership in 2018 by wealthy businessman, Rosebud Mining president, and political donor Clifford Forrest.
“We had so much unused space,” McCormick says. “Our owner is a visionary. He has quite a vision. And he loves to see people having a good time and having fun.”
Its slate for the summer underscores an effort from Pittsburgh Brewing Company to appeal to a wide variety of people. If successful, it could be the hottest new venue in the area.
“We’re trying to diversify and bring it so that everyone can come here for something, like there’s something that’s going to appeal to everybody,” McCormick says.
Arts & Entertainment Editor Amanda Waltz contributed additional reporting to this story. •
“THE
Last month, two metalheads got hitched in the mosh pit of a Cannibal Corpse show at Stage AE, and the metal world has since given its enthusiastic blessing
BY: AMANDA WALTZ // AWALTZ@PGHCITYPAPER.COM
SUPPORT AND GENEROSITY FROM FRIENDS AND FAMILY TO THE VENUE ITSELF, IT HAS JUST BEEN EPIC.”
Alot can happen in the mosh pit. Fans are subject to shoving, slamming, windmills, and other usually good-natured horseplay. Recently, a couple added “getting married” to pit activities during a metal show in Pittsburgh.
As reported by Stereogum and other music news outlets, Christopher and Erica Curtis exchanged vows in the pit at Stage AE on April
22 as fellow metal fans circled them.
The ceremony happened during the set of death metal band Cannibal Corpse, who was performing on a bill with Meshuggah and Carcass.
“Honestly, we were tired of trying to plan a wedding that ended up being about everything else. Not to mention the cost,” Erica tells Pittsburgh City Paper
“We had thought about the [justice of the peace], and that didn’t quite sit well with us. It just wasn’t our style. Once this tour was announced, the first thought I had was to say our vows in the pit. Carcass, Cannibal Corpse, and Meshuggah … it’s an epic lineup! Three of our favorite bands.”
She adds that when she mentioned it to Christopher, he “responded ‘fuck yea’” and started a Facebook event titled “Corrupted Nuptials” to announce the knot-tying.
The choice to marry at a Cannibal Corpse
show seems natural for the couple, who have been together since December 2020. “The first song I had listened to was ‘Hammer Smashed Face.’ Been hooked ever since!” Christopher, who has been a fan of the band since was 16 years old, tells City Paper
The couple says a musician friend was even able to convince Cannibal Corpse bassist, Alex Webster, to meet them and sign their marriage certificate.
Coordinating such an event in the midst of controlled chaos required some help from friends, whom Erica says “told everyone in the direct area of where we were what was about to happen.”
“They surrounded us, protecting us from the pit,” says Erica. “As soon as we notified them of the plan, they went as far as reaching out to the venue and bands to make them aware or at least try to get their attention. Our good friend Michael ‘Doc’ Daugherty wrote the nuptials that could not have been more perfect! We had only expected a quick ‘do you and do you,’ and then [to] get pulverized in the pit!”
Erica says the publicity they received for the stunt has been “completely overwhelming.”
“We never in a million years thought it would get the attention it has,” she says. “We honestly just wanted something that is ‘us’ and fun! Heavy metal music is at the core of who we are.”
Christopher adds, “The support and generosity from friends and family to the venue itself, it has just been epic! To be fans of Loudwire, Metal Injection, and even Revolver for heavy metal news and then to see them put articles out on our event was wild!” •
KARAOKE • MILLVALE
Pittsburgh City Paper presentsKaraoke Kabaret. 7-10 p.m. The Funhouse at Mr. Smalls, 400 Lincoln Ave., 2nd Floor, Millvale. $20 in advance, $25 at the door. pghcitypaper.com
EXHIBITION • OAKLAND
Summer Flower Show: Jungle Quest. 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Continues through Sept. 21. Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens. One Schenley Dr., Oakland. Included with regular admission. phipps.conservatory.org
Grand Opening: Outdoor Discovery Space and Sensory Nature Trail 10 a.m.-12 p.m. Frick Environmental Center. 2005 Beechwood Blvd., Squirrel Hill. Free. pittsburghparks.org
FILM • LAWRENCEVILLE
Mommie Dearest. 8:45 p.m. Row House Cinema. 4115 Butler St., Lawrenceville. $12.50. rowhousecinemas.com
MUSIC • MILLVALE
PHOTO: COURTESY OF PARAMOUNT PICTURES Mommie Dearest at Row House Cinema
Front Porch Theatricals presents Baby 8 p.m. Continues through Sun., May 25. New Hazlett Theater. Six Allegheny Square East, North Side. $29-49. newhazletttheater.org
Mashup artist Girl Talk put Pittsburgh on the EDM map, but his talents extended beyond spinning existing music into new material. In 2014, he teamed up with Freeway for Broken Ankles, an EP described by Pitchfork as one of the rapper’s best solo projects. Celebrate the 10th anniversary vinyl release of Broken Ankles when The Government Center hosts a meet-and-greet with the artists. 3 p.m. 715 East St., North Side. Free. thegovernmentcenter.com
I Made It! Night Market 4-8 p.m. The Block Northway. 8013 McKnight Rd., Ross Township. Free. imadeitmarket.com
The summer music season kicks o with a series of free concerts, comedy, and other live performances in Millvale. The Millvale Music Fest presents over 300 acts across 28 stages throughout the borough, including at Harold’s Haunt, Mr. Smalls, Grist House, and many others. The two-day event also showcases spoken word performers, visual artists, food trucks, and more. Showtimes vary. Continues through Sat., May 17. Multiple locations. Millvale. Free. millvalemusic.org
Sweetwater Blooms Market 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
Sweetwater Center for the Arts. 200 Broad St., Sewickley. Free. sweetwaterartcenter.org
folkLAB presents folkFEST 1-7 p.m.
Prevention Point marks 30 years of promoting harm reduction in western Pennsylvania with a big fundraising bash at the WBU Event Venue. Break out your best grunge gear or preppy skirt set for Party Like It’s 1995, a night of food, drinks, dancing, and other activities celebrating the year the organization launched. Proceeds benefit Prevention Point’s e orts to lessen drugrelated deaths in the Pittsburgh region. 5-10 p.m. 1958 Varley St., Spring Hill. $5-1,000. pppgh.org/events
Alumni Theater Company presents The Rose That Grew From Concrete 7 p.m. Continues through Sun., May 18. Alumni Theater Company. 6601 Hamilton Ave., Larimer. $12-18. alumnitheatercompany.org
OPERA • OAKLAND
Resonance Works presents Anna Bolena. 8 p.m. Continues on Sun., May 18. Charity Randall Theatre. 4301 Forbes Ave., Oakland. $25-60. resonanceworks.org
Continues through Sun., May 18. The Historic Pump House and Water Tower. 880 E. Waterfront Dr., Munhall. Free. folklab.net
Video Artist Conclave: A Weekend Expo of Video Synthesis and Video Artists. 2-8 p.m. Continues through Sun., May 18. Tech25. 112 Saint Joseph St., Mt. Oliver. Free. Registration required. tech25.org
Out of Hand: Pure Imagination. 6:30-10:30 p.m. Contemporary Craft. 5645 Butler St., Lawrenceville. $75-1,000. contemporarycraft.org
Wheatus and Punchline. 8 p.m. Doors at 7 p.m. Thunderbird Music Hall. 4053 Butler St., Lawrenceville. $22.50 in advance, $30 at the door. thunderbirdmusichall.com
THU., MAY 15
FESTIVAL • OAKLAND
Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Celebration. 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Carnegie Museums of Art and Natural History. 4400 Forbes Ave., Oakland. Included with regular admission. carnegiemuseums.org/aapi
MARKET • LAWRENCEVILLE
Bazaar Bazaar Spring Market 12-6 p.m. Spirit. 242 51st St., Lawrenceville. Free. All ages. spiritpgh.com
DANCE • UPTOWN
Duo Junction with Bodiography Contemporary Ballet. 1 p.m. Duquesne University-PNC Recital Hall. 408 Magee St., Uptown. Free. theater.bodiography.com
FILM • OAKMONT
Pittsburgh Silent Film Society and Festival presents Blotto and The Music Box 2 p.m. Doors at 1 p.m. The Oaks Theater. 310 Allegheny River Blvd., Oakmont. $20. theoakstheater.com
MON., MAY 19
FILM • OAKLAND
Carnegie Museum of Art Film Series presents Here or There (1) 7-9 p.m. Carnegie Museum of Art. 4400 Forbes Ave., Oakland. $8-10. carnegieart.org
SPORTS • TROY HILL
Pickleball Clinics. 9-10:30 a.m. Continues through Sept. 18. Washington’s Landing-Herr’s Island. 204 Waterfront Dr., Troy Hill. $14.58. Registration required. pittsburghpa.gov
MUSIC • NORTH SHORE
Mayday Parade with Microwave,
Grayscale, and Like Roses 6 p.m. Stage AE. 400 North Shore Dr., North Shore. $40-99. promowestlive.com
LIT • NORTH SIDE
Building Empathy Through Literature with Colum McCann. 6:30-7:30 p.m. Foerster Student Service Center Auditorium. 839 Ridge Ave. SSC 360, North Side. Free. Registration required. cityofasylum.org
MUSIC • MCKEES ROCKS
Parliament Funkadelic with George Clinton 8 p.m. Doors at 7 p.m. Roxian Theatre. 425 Chartiers Ave., McKees Rocks. roxiantheatre.com/shows
WED.,
FILM • ALLENTOWN
Bad Movie Bingo: R.O.T.O.R. 7:30 p.m. Doors at 5 p.m. Bottlerocket Social Hall. 1226 Arlington Ave., Allentown. $5. bottlerocketpgh.com
NOTICE
NAME CHANGE
NAME CHANGE
ESTATE OF WISNIEWSKI, BARBARA ANN, DECEASED OF PITTSBURGH, PA No. 022502782 of 2025.
Raymond Wisniewski
Extr.
135 Bella Vista Ct.
Murrysville, PA 15668
IN The Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania: NO. GD-25-003090, In re petition Antonio Danyel Jordan, change of name to Antoine Danyel Jordan. To all persons interested: Notice is hereby given that an order of said Court authorized the filing of said petition and fixed the Wednesday, May 28th, 2025, at 9:30 a.m, as the time and the Motions Room, City-County Building, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, as the place for a hearing, when and where all persons may show cause, if any they have, why said name should not be changed as prayed for
IN The Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania: NO. GD-25-3435, In re petition of Stephanie Ann Minton for change of name to Helena Mihrimah Minton. To all persons interested: Notice is hereby given that an order of said Court authorized the filing of said petition and fixed the Wednesday, June 4th, 2025, at 9:30 a.m, as the time and the Motions Room, City-County Building, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, as the place for a hearing, when and where all persons may show cause, if any they have, why said name should not be changed as prayed for
IN The Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania: NO. GD-25-2321, In re petition of Ginger Lee Pellecchia for change of name to Ginger Lee Harr. To all persons interested: Notice is hereby given that an order of said Court authorized the filing of said petition and fixed the Wednesday, May 21st, 2025, at 9:30 a.m, as the time and the Motions Room, City-County Building, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, as the place for a hearing, when and where all persons may show cause, if any they have, why said name should not be changed as prayed for.
Robb. D. Bunde, Esquire Attorney for Petitioner. 223 Fourth Avenue, Suite 500, Pittsburgh, PA 15222
IN The Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania: NO. GD-25-002025, In re petition of Jay Dillon Palamides for change of name to Jay Dillon Hohman. To all persons interested: Notice is hereby given that an order of said Court authorized the filing of said petition and fixed the Wednesday, May 21st, 2025, at 9:30 a.m, as the time and the Motions Room, City-County Building, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, as the place for a hearing, when and where all persons may show cause, if any they have, why said name should not be changed as prayed for.
Robb. D. Bunde, Esquire Attorney for Petitioner.
223 Fourth Avenue, Suite 500, Pittsburgh, PA 15222
IN The Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania: NO. GD-25-004004, In re petition of Theanita Marie Spruce for change of name to Theanita Marie Cafardi. To all persons interested: Notice is hereby given that an order of said Court authorized the filing of said petition and fixed the Wednesday, June 11th, 2025, at 9:30 a.m, as the time and the Motions Room, City-County Building, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, as the place for a hearing, when and where all persons may show cause, if any they have, why said name should not be changed as prayed for
and Engineering Services for Central Kitchen Renovation and Re-Equipping
request to LFornataro1@pghschools.org, at no charge. Mandatory Pre-Proposal meeting at 10:00 a.m. D/EST on 20 May 2025.