From fountain dances to live tunes at TRAF

Three Rivers Arts Festival June 1-17 Downtown Pittsburgh

Much-anticipated cameos… Three Rivers Arts Festival June 1-17 Downtown Pittsburgh

Much-anticipated cameos by the sun mark the arrival of summer in Pittsburgh, and the city is celebrating by showcasing its local talent in the fields of visual art, music, dance and theater. The Three Rivers Arts Festival runs June 1 through June 17 and features live music by local musicians, dance performances and an Artists Market for ‘Burgh residents to peruse.

Most events, concerts included, are free to the public, as the Three Rivers Arts Festival aims to connect the Pittsburgh community to the city’s budding arts scene.

Today at noon and again at 12:40 p.m., check out “splash!,” a dance performance choreographed by Artistic Director Beth Corning of the Dance Alloy Theater. Performed in and around the PPG place fountain, “splash!” bills itself as an “urban water ballet” and sets its flowing motions to music spanning the ages from medieval to modern.

Later tonight, Lotus fuses funk, rock and soul into its trademark improv jams at 7:30 p.m. in Market Square. Lotus is no stranger to the touring scene, bringing its all-instrumental compositions from city to city since its formation in 1999. Vibes, Lotus’ 2002 release, put these funk-rockers on the map and 2004’s Nomad helped bolster the band’s fan base.

To enjoy an array of hand-crafted jewelry, sculpture and paintings, among other artistic media, head over to the Duquesne Light Artists Market at Gateway Center Plaza. The Artists Market allows more than 350 independent artists to display their work in tents across the plaza and generates more than $2 million in sales annually, often cited by its attendees as the highlight of the festival.

The Three Rivers Arts Festival opens daily at noon and runs until 9:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and 8 p.m. on Sundays.