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Our
Turn.
Three days. Two sides of the river. The biggest event this city has ever hosted — starting Thursday night at 8.
| April 23–25 · North Shore · Point State Park · Downtown |
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01
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A Word From Tim
We've been ready for this for 150 years.
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This weekend isn't happening to Pittsburgh. It's happening because of Pittsburgh. The rivers. The bridges. The absurd density of NFL talent this region has produced — Marino, Montana, Kelly, Namath, Ditka, Dorsett, Donald, Cowher — every single one of them from within an hour of where the stage is standing.
The NFL didn't pick Pittsburgh because they had a free weekend. They picked it because no other city has this story to tell. You cannot have the Draft here without the Draft becoming about here.
I live here. I work here. I know how this city moves on a big weekend. What follows is the useful version of the guide — the one I'd send a friend. Not the corporate one.
looks like.
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68
Football fields of footprint
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$31M
New Arts Landing park
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$15M
Market Square rebuild
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6
Lombardis on display
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1st
Draft split across a river
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$0
Cost of admission
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02
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The Schedule
Three days.
Seven rounds. One city, wide open. |
| Thursday · 04.23 | 8:00 PM ET |
Draft Experience opens at noon. First pick at 8. KELS handles the anthem. This is peak chaos — the loudest night, the hardest to move through, the one most people will be posting from. Come with a plan and a charged phone.
| Friday · 04.24 | 7:00 PM ET |
Wiz Khalifa and Bret Michaels at the Draft Theater before Round 2. Thursday is peak chaos; Friday is the sweet spot — same energy, room to breathe. Meanwhile across the city: Ice Spice, Nelly, Steve Aoki, 2 Chainz all playing other venues.
| Saturday · 04.25 | 12:00 PM ET |
Experience opens at 9 AM. Picks at noon. Kane Brown closes the weekend after the final selection. Cleanest day for a full-day plan. If you've got kids, this is your day.
Namath. Ditka. Dorsett.
Donald. Cowher.
All from here."
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03
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Step One (Non-Negotiable)
Register before
you leave the house. |
Admission is free. But every adult needs to register through NFL OnePass to get a QR code for entry. No paper tickets. No just showing up.
Beyond entry: real-time capacity updates, maps, autograph signing schedules, alerts. Worth downloading for the weekend alone. Register users also get entered to win a trip to Super Bowl LXI.
Register at NFL.com/DraftAccess →
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🏈
NFL OnePass
Entry QR, maps, autograph times, capacity alerts
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🅿️
ParkPGH
Live garage availability as you drive into downtown
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🚇
Ready2Ride
PRT fares, 7-day Draft Pass, T schedules
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04
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Top Questions, Answered
The five things
everyone's asking. |
Yes, it's free — but every adult needs to register for a digital QR code through NFL OnePass at NFL.com/DraftAccess. No registration, no entry. Kids don't need one. No smartphone? Fan Services will do on-site registration for you.
Don't aim for close. Aim for easy exit. Smart move: park in a Downtown or Station Square garage and take the T or Gateway Clipper to the North Shore. Multiple road closures will be in effect — the Golden Triangle will be a mess to drive out of Thursday night.
Use ParkPGH.org for live garage availability (updates every 30 seconds). Pre-book on ParkWhiz before you leave. Restrictions will be strictly enforced — towing is happening.
Also check the road closures guide before you leave the house. Multiple closure phases are in effect.
Three ways, all free:
Friday is the sweet spot. Thursday Round 1 is wall-to-wall. Saturday is family-friendly and relaxed. Friday — Round 2–3 energy with Wiz and Bret, slightly more room to move — is the local's pick for best balance of experience and breathing room.
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05
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Moving Around
Park once.
Let the city carry you. |
| Full Transit Guide → | NFL Transport Info → |
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06
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Brand New Downtown
Pittsburgh didn't just say yes.
It rebuilt itself. |
Two brand-new civic spaces open this month. The Draft is their debut. If you haven't been downtown in a while, you're walking into a different city than the one you remember.
Brand new $31 million, four-acre civic space on 8th Street in the Cultural District. A year ago: a parking garage and an old Goodyear facility. Today: downtown Pittsburgh's first public playground, local art installations, a performance space, sweeping views of the Allegheny and two of the Three Sisters Bridges.
Draft weekend: the Pitt Block Party runs here April 23–25, 9 AM to 6 PM. Immersive Pitt Football museum, interactive Draft showcase, a celebration of this region's absurd NFL pipeline.
The heart of Downtown reopens April 22 — the day before Round 1 — after a $15M renovation. Expanded greenery, new performance pavilion, flexible event spaces. Draft week gets a dedicated PicksBURGH stage with live entertainment and a Steelers-themed bar.
to say.
The city. The food. The skyline. The museums. The football history.
There was no clean way to fit it all in one issue — so we didn’t.
The rest of the guide continues in Part 2.
Continue to Part 2 →