Grab your bike and head to OpenStreetsPGH, check out the Greater Pittsburgh Festival of Books or hear some great tunes at Pittonkatonk — here's what to do in Pittsburgh this weekend.
Bicycling
From 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Sun., May 12, the season’s first OpenStreetsPGH welcomes bikers, skaters, pedestrians to a car-free two-mile route between Downtown and South Side, with fitness classes, kids’ activities and more.
Dance
Venerable Connecticut-based troupe MOMIX tours the world with its blend of illusion, acrobatics and playful dance. This weekend, MOMIX returns to Pittsburgh with its newest show, “ALICE,” inspired by “Alice in Wonderland,” complete with Caterpillar, mad queen, multiple White Rabbits and more. Two performances at the Byham Theater round out the Pittsburgh Dance Council season on Fri., May 10, and Sat., May 11.
Words
The Greater Pittsburgh Festival of Books returns for its third year, with a full day of talks, readings and workshops Sat., May 11, at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. Nearly 100 authors and poets from Pittsburgh and beyond will present, including Sebastian Junger, Ross Gay, Eloisa James and Pittsburgh-based talents like Clare Beams, Sharon G. Flake, Lori Jakiela and Damon Young. Admission is free but registration is recommended.
Visual Art
The Carnegie Museum of Art opens “Widening the Lens: Photography, Ecology, and the Contemporary Landscape.” The sprawling show includes some 100 works by 19 artists from around the world, ranging from traditional images to immersive installations. But this isn’t conventional nature photography: The works in this show look critically at “the past, present and possible futures” of human interaction with the environment. “Widening the Lens” opens Sat., May 11, with a day of talks, readings and performances. A companion podcast hosted by art collector Venus Williams (yes, that Venus Williams) — debuts June 26.
Music
One of Pittsburgh’s signature spring music events is back as the Pittonkatonk May Day festival turns 11. The free, day-long celebration outdoors at Schenley Park’s Veteran’s Pavilion leans toward brass bands and other percussion-and-horn-driven styles. Local acts include stalwarts like the May Day Marching Band, Timbeleza and 1Hood Media. The visiting groups originating internationally include El Laberinto Del Coco (Puerto Rico); Polky (Poland/Canada); La Perla (Colombia); and Jupiter & Okwess (Congo). The picnic-style atmosphere, complete with food and beverage trucks, runs 1 p.m. till late.
Words
Novelist Jesmyn Ward visits on the heels of “Let Us Descend,” her critically acclaimed story of a young enslaved woman in the antebellum South. Ward is a two-time National Book Award-winner, for “Sing, Unburied, Sing,” and “Salvage the Bones.” Her Mon., May 11, talk at Carnegie Music Hall caps Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures’ current Ten Evenings season.
