All eyes are on Downtown Pittsburgh as the city gears up to host its biggest event yet. “We are ‘redding up’ the city. We’re getting it ready for a lot of friends to come over, so we’re expecting several hundred thousand people down here, and we want to make sure they love this city as much as we do,” said Jeremy Waldrup, the president and CEO of Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership. PDP hosted its annual meeting Thursday evening, 49 days ahead of the NFL Draft. April 23 is the first day of the event, but it’s also a fast-approaching deadline for major downtown projects currently in progress, like the “relaunch” of Market Square.Waldrup said the new and improved space between Fifth Avenue and PPG Place will be unveiled just one day before the draft. “We’ll have a ribbon cutting ceremony and some live music, and then we’ll be ready for a summer full of activities,” Waldrup told Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 reporter Jordan Cioppa. One of those activities includes roller-skating when “Skate in the Square” debuts in May. The announcement was one of several that came out of the meeting. The crowd of more than 400 people was also updated on a project spearheaded by Pittsburgh Cultural Trust called Arts Landing. The four-acre civic space in the Cultural District will include a lawn, a stage, art, and downtown’s first public playground. “Yes, it will open in time for the NFL Draft. But more importantly, it’s going to be here for the rest of our lives and for future generations,” said Pittsburgh Cultural Trust President and CEO Kendra Whitlock Ingram. Looking back on 2025, PDP said Downtown Pittsburgh hosted more than 350 events and welcomed 24 new ground-floor businesses. Residential occupancy hit a five-year high at 93.8% – contributing to a long-term goal of having more than 15,000 residents in the Golden Triangle. With three priorities in mind – Core, Activation, and Transformation — the PDP is planning for a flourishing future in Downtown Pittsburgh, well beyond the draft. To read the PDP’s full annual report, click here.

PITTSBURGH —

All eyes are on Downtown Pittsburgh as the city gears up to host its biggest event yet.

“We are ‘redding up’ the city. We’re getting it ready for a lot of friends to come over, so we’re expecting several hundred thousand people down here, and we want to make sure they love this city as much as we do,” said Jeremy Waldrup, the president and CEO of Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership.

PDP hosted its annual meeting Thursday evening, 49 days ahead of the NFL Draft. April 23 is the first day of the event, but it’s also a fast-approaching deadline for major downtown projects currently in progress, like the “relaunch” of Market Square.

Waldrup said the new and improved space between Fifth Avenue and PPG Place will be unveiled just one day before the draft.

“We’ll have a ribbon cutting ceremony and some live music, and then we’ll be ready for a summer full of activities,” Waldrup told Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 reporter Jordan Cioppa.

One of those activities includes roller-skating when “Skate in the Square” debuts in May. The announcement was one of several that came out of the meeting.

The crowd of more than 400 people was also updated on a project spearheaded by Pittsburgh Cultural Trust called Arts Landing.

The four-acre civic space in the Cultural District will include a lawn, a stage, art, and downtown’s first public playground.

“Yes, it will open in time for the NFL Draft. But more importantly, it’s going to be here for the rest of our lives and for future generations,” said Pittsburgh Cultural Trust President and CEO Kendra Whitlock Ingram.

Looking back on 2025, PDP said Downtown Pittsburgh hosted more than 350 events and welcomed 24 new ground-floor businesses. Residential occupancy hit a five-year high at 93.8% – contributing to a long-term goal of having more than 15,000 residents in the Golden Triangle.

With three priorities in mind – Core, Activation, and Transformation — the PDP is planning for a flourishing future in Downtown Pittsburgh, well beyond the draft.

To read the PDP’s full annual report, click here.