Your family guide to Pittsburgh Three Rivers Regatta
WHAT: 40th-anniversary celebration of the EQT Pittsburgh Three Rivers Regatta, the largest inland regatta in the nation, featuring US Formula 1 powerboat races, jet ski stunt shows, Red Bull Flugtag, Anything That Floats competition, Lighted Boat Parade, 90-foot Ferris Wheel, live music performances, and fireworks. Click here for the complete schedule and map.
WHEN: Aug. 4-6
WHERE: Point State Park and riverfronts along the North Shore and Monongahela River.
WHY BRING THE KIDS: Beyond the visual entertainment throughout the weekend, this year’s regatta offers more hands-on activities for kids than ever before, says Regatta director Derek Weber. All are free, except where noted. For example:
AAA Travel to the Beach Kids Korner
AAA will be “putting the beach within reach” by creating a temporary seashore and beach along the Monongahela River side of the Point State Park Riverwalk during the Regatta. There will be plenty of beach toys and sand for kids to create sand castles while parents take a break.
Kids can make a Wave Bottle to take home at the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh’s space in the Kids Korner. They can design a boat from a noodle float and participate in Noodle Boat Races using different materials to capture wind power.
STEM Activities
The Allegheny County Library Association will have plenty of fun activities in the Kids Zone, including Sink or Float, which will give kids an opportunity to make predictions as to whether an item will sink or float and test them in a bowl of water. Children will learn about buoyancy in this STEM experiment.
In the Float My Boat station, kids can build a boat from tinfoil and predict how many pennies it can hold before it sinks.
From 1-5 p.m. Aug. 5, there will be “Fun with Doodlebots.” Pop-up story times featuring water-related tales will take place throughout the weekend in the ACLA tent.
Venture Outdoors
Venture Outdoors will be helping kids to create fish crafts and go geocaching on an outdoor treasure hunt throughout the park using a handheld global positioning system (GPS).
Allegheny Land Trust
At the Allegheny Land Trust tent, kids can try their hand at some “minute to win it” water challenges. They can explore river-related careers and learn more about how the Land Trust helps people save local land. This activity is supported by RiverWorks Discovery and the Port of Pittsburgh Commission.
Regatta Monster Mural
Kids are invited to make their mark on a 20-foot-wide Regatta-themed coloring page mural located in the Kids Zone.
Bike Helmet Fittings
Free multi-sport or bike helmet giveaways and fittings for kids from noon-3 p.m. Aug. 5 will be provided by Kohl’s Hard Helmet Program at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC. The helmets come in a variety of sizes and will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis.
Lost Creek Mining
Kids can pan for real gemstones in a mining sluice channeling a continuous stream of water through a wooden trough and take their treasures home. Each miner receives a cage necklace in which they can place their favorite gem. Fee charged.
