Pittsburgh Blues Festival

The Pittsburgh Blues and Roots Festival is an American music festival that features local and nationally renowned blues musicians in performance in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is one of the region's "marquee annual concerts."

History
The inaugural event took place at the Riverplex at Sandcastle Waterpark, and since then has been held at Hartwood Acres Park and at the Iron City Brewing Company factory.

Proceeds from the event benefit charity. The Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank had been the recipient of the proceeds until 2017 when Band Together Pittsburgh, a local nonprofit that teaches those on the autism spectrum all about playing, writing, recording and even DJing music. It offers programs throughout the year to help those on the spectrum learn the magic of music. It is now held yearly at The Shriners Pavilion in Cheswick, Pennsylvania and is held over two days in the summer.

There was no festival in 2020.

Previous acts
Many musicians have previously performed at the Pittsburgh Blues Festival: Koko Taylor, Taj Mahal, John Mayall, Gatemouth Brown, Devon Allman, Bernard Allison, Guy Davis, and Robert Cray.

Kidzone
The kidzone is a fairly new attraction of the Pittsburgh Blues Festival. Thanks to a few of the event's many sponsors, the Kidzone tent at the festival accommodates a wide range of children activities including story-telling, face painting, musical presentations, and crafts. The kidzone also provides healthy snacks.