Community leaders say the South Side needs a new image, so the plan this summer is to launch South Side Street Fest, a series of block parties on Carson Street.Business owners, residents and civic leaders want to create a new vibe and image of the South Side for weekends this summer. Members of the South Side Hospitality Partnership are leading the effort.“We want to create an exciting event that the South Side Street Fest is. We want it to be safe, we want to invite people to come down, we want to have a unique experience, we want to include entertainment and vending,” said John DeMauro, of the South Side Hospitality Partnership.The events would be held Friday and Saturday nights, with Carson Street being closed to vehicular traffic between 12th and 18th streets from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m.Looking for more news in your area | Subscribe to the WTAE YouTube ChannelStreet Fest is an attempt to eliminate the shootings, fights and rowdy crowd behavior that have plagued the neighborhood in recent years.“This is a huge new image for the South Side. We’ve been just hammered since COVID, and we lost a lot of businesses. Crime spiked. We’ve been working really, really hard to kind of turn the narrative around, and finally, this is something where it’s not just a weekend, it’s not just a couple of weekends, it’s the entire summer,” said Peter Margittai, of South Side Chamber of Commerce.Organizers are planning for June 20 for the first Street Fest. Details with Pittsburgh Public Safety and permits still have to be worked out.“We do want to talk to the community. The community has pushed for this. Now we’re in the process of looking at permitting and going through the process that we usually do when anyone wants to have a special event,” Mayor Corey O’Connor said.Download the WTAE app to stay connected with breaking news. Sign up for our email newsletters to get breaking news in your inbox.

PITTSBURGH —

Community leaders say the South Side needs a new image, so the plan this summer is to launch South Side Street Fest, a series of block parties on Carson Street.

Business owners, residents and civic leaders want to create a new vibe and image of the South Side for weekends this summer. Members of the South Side Hospitality Partnership are leading the effort.

“We want to create an exciting event that the South Side Street Fest is. We want it to be safe, we want to invite people to come down, we want to have a unique experience, we want to include entertainment and vending,” said John DeMauro, of the South Side Hospitality Partnership.

The events would be held Friday and Saturday nights, with Carson Street being closed to vehicular traffic between 12th and 18th streets from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m.

Looking for more news in your area | Subscribe to the WTAE YouTube Channel

Street Fest is an attempt to eliminate the shootings, fights and rowdy crowd behavior that have plagued the neighborhood in recent years.

“This is a huge new image for the South Side. We’ve been just hammered since COVID, and we lost a lot of businesses. Crime spiked. We’ve been working really, really hard to kind of turn the narrative around, and finally, this is something where it’s not just a weekend, it’s not just a couple of weekends, it’s the entire summer,” said Peter Margittai, of South Side Chamber of Commerce.

Organizers are planning for June 20 for the first Street Fest. Details with Pittsburgh Public Safety and permits still have to be worked out.

“We do want to talk to the community. The community has pushed for this. Now we’re in the process of looking at permitting and going through the process that we usually do when anyone wants to have a special event,” Mayor Corey O’Connor said.

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