by Ashley G. Woodson, For New Pittsburgh Courier
The 5th Annual Hill District Arts Festival was presented by ACH Clear Pathways, which took place over the weekend of July 23–26, 2026, centering around the 1800 block of Centre Avenue in Pittsburgh.
Tyian Battle is the Founder/Executive Director of ACH Clear Pathways. The community-wide celebration featured over 30 local arts and vendor booths, food trucks, and free outdoor concerts.
The festival kicked off on Thursday, July 23, with a stand-up performance by comedian Joe Torry at the Elsie H. Hillman Auditorium, which was transformed into “The Hill District Laugh Lounge.”
The weekend featured two major headlining free concerts on Centre Avenue. The legendary funk and R&B group Rose Royce performed on Saturday, July 25, while the iconic Hip-Hop artist Scarface closed out the festival on Sunday, July 26.
DJ Blakk Steel and DJ Selecta kept the crowd on their feet in between acts.
HIP-HOP ICON SCARFACE (PHOTOS BY ASHLEY G. WOODSON)
ICONIC R&B GROUP ROSE ROYCE
