Calliope, Pittsburgh Folk Music Society, is hosting a day long celebration of folk music. The festival will take over Mellon Park in Shadyside from Noon to 10pm on Saturday, July 12. Lots of music acts, 2 stages and a children’s tent. All this is free. Calliope held their first music festival in 1977, it has long been called the Smokey City Music Festival. Since Pittsburgh has greened up its act this years music festival is named Rootz – The Green City Music Festival.
The festival will kick off with a performance by bagpiper and Calliope founder George Balderose and will continue throughout the day, with performances by a variety of regional artists in styles from bluegrass and American traditional to singer-songwriters and blues. Concerts will take place on the main stage in Mellon Park and on the newly constructed pavilion at the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts. The festival will also include a children’s tent and a silk-screening station, where festival-goers can print their own Calliope t-shirts using eco-friendly recycled t-shirts.
