With the last glow of the summer sun and the transition to crisp, golden days, Pittsburgh really shines in September ✨Celebrate the change of seasons at festivals, markets, art fairs, and more.
Honor Harvest Season at Fairs & Workshops
Find the goodness growing in Mt. Oliver at the Hilltop Harvest Festival, or honor the importance of crops used by freedom seekers at Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy’s Freedom Harvest Celebration — both Sept. 6.
On Sept. 13, the Pittsburgh County Fair is all about handmade, homegrown, and fermented fun. Head to Allegheny Commons to try an activity like indigo dying and sorghum pressing, or bring your best submission for the apple pie bake-off and tomato contest.
Fig Fest, Sept. 14 at Robin Hill Park in Moon Township, celebrates this revered fruit's place in Italian culture with a day of food, entertainment, and ancestral gardening education. Expect olive curing, wine making, cooking demos, Italian card games, and more.
Close out the month with a Fall Harvest Workshop Sept. 27 with PGH Candle at Simmons Farm, including fall-themed candle making, hay rides, apple picking, and pumpkin painting.
Looking for more fall and harvest celebrations? We have you covered with a MASSIVE list of festivities in the Pittsburgh area.
This year, the Art Book Fair is expanding into the mezzanine! (Francesca Dabecco / City Cast Pittsburgh)
Find Your New Favorite Read at a Book Fair
Looking for a new coffee table book? Find zines, photography books, and more at the Pittsburgh Art Book Fair Sept. 20-21, where 80+ local, national, and international exhibitors will gather at the Carnegie Museum of Art. You could spend all day parsing through the pages of artists and publishers in the Hall of Sculpture.
Read on: Bottlerocket Social Hall is teaming up with local indie bookstores for Bottlerocket Book Fair Sept. 20. The dive bar will turn into a literary salon with author readings, tarot, typewriter poetry, and candle sellers.
Row House Cinema in Lawrenceville is a local hub for indie films and festivals. (Francesca Dabecco / City Cast Pittsburgh)
Catch a Flick at a Film Fest or Indie Screening
Pittsburgh is full of action in September. Pittsburgh Sound and Image is playing "important but seldom-screened" 16 mm documentaries by local filmmaker Sheila Chamovitz at Glitterbox Theater Sept. 4 as part of their “Essential Pittsburgh” series.
Reel Abilities Film Festival runs Sept. 4-6 at the Pittsburgh Playhouse, showcasing stories and art by people with disabilities; the festival continues virtually through Sept. 11.
Pitt students are showing a collection of international films around the city for their annual Screenshot festival, Sept. 20-28. Expect everything from Japanese horror to stories about immigrant laborers and family lineage.
Here for some old-school, black-and-white flicks? The Pittsburgh Silent Film Festival is displaying this bygone cinematic technique Sept. 28 - Oct 5 — but with a musical twist. Some of these 1920s films will be accompanied by live performances from Pittsburgh artists.
Channel your inner nebby neighbor on September tours. (Francesca Dabecco / City Cast Pittsburgh)
Porch Hop & See Inside Stylish Homes
Step inside beautifully restored rowhouses and courtyards on the Mexican War Streets home and garden tour Sept. 7 — some of the homes date back to the late 1800s!
The borough of Churchill, just east of Pittsburgh, is showing off its array of Midcentury Modern homes September 12-14. Start the weekend with a special soiree and fundraiser, then see the neat designs of houses built between the 1950s and 1970s.
On September 13, Dormont Borough is inviting neighbors to gather on porches for the first-ever Porchmont — it’s like trick-or-treating meets a house tour meets a block party. Look forward to drinks and snacks, lawn games, and jam sessions.
More than 50 neighborhoods participated in the 2024 Pittsburgh Garbage Olympics. (Francesca Dabecco / City Cast Pittsburgh)
Redd Up With the Pittsburgh Garbage Olympics
Join your neighborhood team and compete to see which community can pick up the most trash in the Pittsburgh Garbage Olympics Sept. 13. This city-wide cleanup day is all about doing good and rallying with your neighbors. Here’s how to participate.
The Black History Mural in Homewood by artist Kyle Holbrook. (Francesca Dabecco / City Cast Pittsburgh)
Find Community at Cultural Celebrations
September is the start of Oktoberfest season, a German beer and folk festival tradition — but Pittsburgh has tons of other cultural celebrations on the calendar, too.
Dig into a traditional Irish breakfast, listen to Celtic music, browse makers and artists, watch cooking demos, and more at the Pittsburgh Irish Festival at Carrie Blast Furnaces Sept. 5-7.
The same weekend, Our Lady of Victory in Beechview is hosting its annual Lebanese Festival, featuring eats like grilled lamb, falafel, hummus, grape leaves, walnut baklava, and apricot rolls.
Mellon Park will be bustling with tasty cuisine and captivating performances when the Pittsburgh Chinese Cultural Festival takes over Sept. 13. Expect opera, dancing, martial arts, games, and more.
The beauty, power, and diversity of Pittsburgh’s Latinx communities will be center stage at the Latin American Art Festival Sept. 20. Head to Atithi Studios in Sharpsburg for food, music, dance, art, and more.
The month closes out with Mavuno in Sewickley Sept. 27. This annual Sweetwater Center for the Arts festival shuts down part of Walnut Street to celebrate local BIPOC artists. Browse local vendors, enjoy live music, grab food truck grub, and cheers at the beer garden.
Find local crafters and vintage sellers popping up around Pittsburgh. (Francesca Dabecco / City Cast Pittsburgh)
Shop From Local Makers & Sellers
It’s more fun to shop when you’re keeping your dollars local. Check out nature-inspired wares and plants at Phipps’ Botanical Boutique Sept. 5-7. Find vintage clothing and home decor at Neighborhood Flea Sept. 7 & 14 and South Hills Vintage Fest Sept. 21. Shop as the sun goes down at Garfield Night Market Sept. 5 or Bellevue Night Market Sept. 18. And end the month with the two-day Mt. Lebanon Artists' Market Sept. 27-28.
Stop in more than 20 unique studios on the Pittsburgh Pottery Tour. (Francesca Dabecco / City Cast Pittsburgh)
Get Artsy at Festivals & Tours
There’s a way to admire art every weekend this month. Start with A Fair in the Park Sept. 5-7, a fine art and craft festival in Mellon Park, or Dormont’s Art in the Park Sept. 6, where artists create large-scale installations, experiential art, photography, paintings, and performances.
On Sept. 13, take a hands-on tour of graffiti at the historic Carrie Blast Furnaces (and learn the necessary skills to try it out for yourself); enjoy art demos, workshops and more at the Carnegie Arts Walk; or revel in a day full of art, music, and food at the Polish Hill Arts Fest.
Ceramic fans will love seeing inside studios across the city on the Pittsburgh Pottery Tour, Sept. 20-21. Map your stops and look for demonstrations and hands-on activities.
Wrap up an artsy month on Sept. 26 with Art on Fire, the Pittsburgh Glass Center’s annual celebration and auction of more than 150 glass works. Or spend three days creating and celebrating at Fresh Air (Art in Recovery) Sept. 26-28 with Teetotal Initiative.
Looking for more jazz? Check out Con Alma, pictured above, and these bars and clubs. (Francesca Dabecco / City Cast Pittsburgh)
Groove at the Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival
Pittsburgh has a rich jazz legacy that still rings through the city today. If you love smooth tunes, check out the International Jazz Festival Sept. 18-21, Downtown. Outdoor concerts are free along Liberty Ave., and there’s an open StrEAT Festival on Smithfield Street — but you’ll want to snag tickets for other events like A Taste of Jazz Party.
It’s a brew-tiful day in the neighborhood during Pittsburgh Coffee Week. (Francesca Dabecco / City Cast Pittsburgh)
See What the Buzz is About at Coffee Week
Ready to fill up your fall cup at Pittsburgh Coffee Week? From Sept. 28 to Oct. 4, find limited-time drink specials across the Burgh, sip and shop at the special farmers market (location TBD), cheer on your favorite baristas at the Bloom Battles Competition, and snag tickets to exclusive tastings and events all week long. The full event lineup is coming soon.
