Pittsburgh Three Rivers Regatta facts for kids

View of the 2002 Pittsburgh Three Rivers Regatta.

The Pittsburgh Three Rivers Regatta, named for the confluence of the Allegheny, Monongahela and Ohio Rivers at Pittsburgh, is an annual motorboat and river festival held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The festival was first held in 1978 and is often host to an F1 ChampBoat Series race. The F1 race, originally held in 1982, was the first F1 power boat race held in the United States. 2008 saw the return of F1 Power Boat racing at the Pittsburgh Regatta after a two-year hiatus following the 2005 festival. The festival had been scheduled to coincide with the July 4th holiday, however 2016 saw a return to the Regatta being held prior in early August, as it traditionally was prior to 2004. The festival is the largest inland regatta in the United States, drawing tens of thousands of fans along the Allegheny River. The F1 race course consists of a 4-pin 1.25 (2 km) course. In 2008, the Pittsburgh regatta F1 ChampBoat race was nationally broadcast on the Speed Channel.

The Regatta is the annual continuation of the original speed boat and paddle wheeler races of the "Pittsburgh Welcome Week Regatta" held annually starting on May 21, 1949 and through the mid-1950s.

Festival

Festival crowd at Point State Park with the downtown Pittsburgh skyline in the background

Artists working on an annual sand sculpture for the Regatta

The race corresponds to a three-day festival in downtown Pittsburgh consisting of variety of events including free concerts, food vendors, aerial competitions, various water sports, dragon boat races, and the July Fourth fireworks display for the City of Pittsburgh. Over 1.5 million people are estimated to have attended some aspect of the regatta events every year.

Results

1979

Held August 11 & 12 and hosted the "Mid-America Sternwheeler Race" with finishing line being the Smithfield Street Bridge.

2008