Marathon, Eric Church, 'Newsies,' Top Pittsburgh Weekend Events

PITTSBURGH, PA - It’s not just a grueling 26.2-mile race involving tens of thousands of participants. The Dick’s Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon is one of the city’s biggest events, with a variety of running-related activities staged over the course of the entire weekend.

The marathon itself will occur Sunday morning and city sidewalks will be lined with people cheering on the runners. Festivals are planned in each of the 14 neighborhoods along the course: North Shore, West End, South Side, Oakland, Shadyside, Point Breeze, Homewood, East Liberty, Highland Park, Friendship, Bloomfield, Uptown, the Strip District and Downtown.

After the race, there’s the traditional post-marathon bash at the Wigle Whiskey Barrelhouse on the North Side. It’s open to everyone, but runners who bring their bib will get a free (and well-earned) Bloody Mary.

Other weekend highlights:

• Eric Church, May 3-4, 8 p.m., PPG Paints Arena.

Church's 2019 Double Down Tour will see the country superstart perform six albums worth of material - including last year's "Desperate Man" - over two very different nights of music.
The three-time Country Music Association and six-time Academy of Country Music Award winner has been lauded by the likes of Rolling Stone Magazine for performing on back-to-back nights in each city on the tour.

• “Disney's Newsies," May 2-4, 7:30 p.m., May 5, 2 p.m., Byham Theater, Downtown.

The classic production features the talented performers of Pittsburgh Musical Theater. Join Jack Kelly and his band of newsboys as they rally to take a stand for what's right on the streets of turn-of-the century New York City.

• Pirates vs. Oakland Athletics, May 3-4, 7:05 p.m.; May 5, 1:35 p.m., PNC Park.

The few Pirates who aren’t on the injured list return home after what charitably could be called a fairly disastrous stretch in which they plummeted from first place to near last place in the National League Central. The weekend promotions include Free Shirt Friday, Jameson Taillon Bobblehead and Fireworks Night on Saturday and Water Bottle Day on Sunday.

Taco Takeover, May 5, 1 p.m. to 8 p.m., Millvale Riverfront Park.

After you've worked up an appetite by running in the marathon, celebrate Cinco de Mayo with a food truck festival. Twenty of Pittsburgh's premier eateries will offer their best take on tacos and there also will be live local music, lawn games, beer and ample bike parking. Admission is free, although you'll probably drop some coinage on all of the tasty vittles for sale.