East Carson Street on Pittsburgh’s South Side will be closed off to cars, people under 21 years old and anyone who has previously committed a crime in the space as part of a new plan aimed at replacing what can be a chaotic late weekend evening in the bar-filled corridor with what’s being dubbed the South Side Street Fest.

The street fest will fill East Carson Street on Friday and Saturday nights from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. between 12th and 18th streets. During that time, people entering must pass through metal detectors and IDs will be scanned to verify that individuals are at least 21 and that they aren’t on a list of people not allowed to enter. 

“Pittsburghers love the South Side,” said Peter Margittai, president of the Southside Chamber of Commerce. “And they want to come back. They’re just scared, and this is giving them a great reason to come back. It’s going to be fun, it’s going to be safe.”

The plan was revealed at a community meeting on Thursday involving Pittsburgh Public Safety, the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, the South Side Community Action Network, and the Chamber of Commerce. 

The Southside Hospitality Partnership is the official sponsor of the festival, which is scheduled to begin on June 20 and will run on Fridays and Saturday nights until Sept. 12.

Compared to the restrictions placed on Market Square, which banned children from entering that space, this plan is being done in closer conjunction with city police, a public safety spokesperson said. 

“We want to change the behavior down here,” Zone 3 Police Commander Jeff Abraham said. “In 2026, we’ve seized 62 firearms, illegal firearms down here, and we’re just trying to get those type of bad actors to stop coming to East Carson Street.” 

Road closures will start at 9 p.m. At that time, people inside the footprint will either be given wristbands or be asked to re-enter at the security entry points. Residents will be able to park their cars on side streets, but if they are on East Carson Street, they’ll have to go. 

“It’s a really exciting plan for the South Side,” said John DeMauro, a member of the South Side Hospitality Partnership and owner of South Side businesses. “This plan really provides structure and expectation for people coming to East Carson Street, but it’s also going to provide things to do.”

They’ve already had discussions, he said, about activating storefronts outside during the festival. 

“So, for instance, at my storefront, I’ll be selling food outside,” DeMauro said. “We want to implement some music on the street, we want to implement some art on the street.”

As for open-container rules, people won’t be allowed to bring their beers outside of bars onto the street. They will be allowed to purchase beers from designated tents in the street. Those beers will be priced at a “premium,” one of the speakers during the informational meeting on Thursday said. 

“You’re going to be safe when you come to East Carson Street, you’re going to be able to enjoy yourself, you’re going to be able to have fun, like many people have for the past 30 years,” DeMauro said. 

Rosemarie Berman of the Southside Community Action Network was tasked with taking the questions of those in attendance and posing them to officials. 

“People are concerned about what if I live on Carson Street. How do I get to my place? How are we going to handle people on the side streets? And I think they addressed all those concerns pretty much this evening,” Berman said. 

Asked if people thought the plan would work, she said that people are optimistic. She added that people expect bumps in the road early, but in the end, it will evolve into something “wonderful.”

“I don’t think it’s perfect, but I don’t think anyone really does. But it’s a really good plan,” said Margittai. 

Hours before the second show of his two-night stint in Pittsburgh on June 6, Morgan Wallen canceled his show due to bad weather, a decision he said he and his team made after consulting Pittsburgh officials.

The storm that caused the cancellation ended up hitting Western Pennsylvania but left the city unscathed. Since the decision, Wallen has received backlash from fans and Pittsburgh Mayor Corey O’Connor, who claims Wallen’s team did not contact city officials before the decision to cancel the show.

“After talking with local officials and my team, there is no choice but to cancel tonight’s show due to severe adverse weather conditions expected throughout the rest of the day and night,” Wallen said in his post. “Safety for my fans and crew is the highest priority.”

The “I’m The Problem” singer added that tickets would be refunded.

Why exactly did Morgan Wallen cancel his Pittsburgh show?

Wallen canceled his show due to weather, but the storm he and his team believed would impact his concert ended up moving away from the city.

While the storm didn’t hit Pittsburgh, thousands of people across Western Pennsylvania lost power over the weekend due to high winds, severe storms, tornadoes and flash flooding on June 6, according to Action 4 News.

Fans also speculated that weather had nothing to do with the decision but instead had to do with Wallen throwing a security guard’s phone into the crowd the night before on June 5.

How did Morgan Wallen respond to the backlash?

Responding to the rumors and disgruntled fans, Wallen posted an Instagram story on June 6.

“I’ve been seeing a lot of nonsense about me that is simply not true, and I just wanted to clear the air,” Wallen started in his story post, reported by USA TODAY.  “I think my true fans know that that’s not how I operate in general, but I had to say it.”

“This morning, my team walked on my bus, told me that they had been consulting with local officials, and that I should cancel my show in Pittsburgh (Saturday night),” he continued. “And I said, ‘Why?’ They said that there was gonna be strong winds in the area, and I said, ‘OK.’ So that’s what I did.”