Sunrise lit up PNC Park before the 2021 home opener. (Post-Gazette)
Laura Malt Schneiderman
lschneiderman@post-gazette.com
April 6, 2023
Heading for PNC Park for the Pirates’ home opener against the Chicago White Sox at 4:12 p.m. Friday April 7? Or just planning to visit the park sometime during the season? Remember to plan ahead.
If you want coverage during the game, chat after the game, analysis and insight, see the Post-Gazette’s Pirates coverage.
Meanwhile, get in the mood for Pirates action with these recent stories:
Schedule
Pick the game you want to see with the Pirates’ season schedule.
Want to see some fireworks? A drone skylight show? Bring your dog to the park? This promotional schedule will tell you what games will offer them. Fireworks will light up the sky after six games this season, including a “Skyblast Fireworks Extravaganza” on Aug. 26 that will include music playing during the show.
Bobblehead giveaways will feature infielder Oneil Cruz, third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes and Pittsburgh local and 2022 All-Star David Bednar.
Tickets and other costs to see the Pirates will still leave extra change in your pocket.
Fans cross the Andy Warhol Bridge to see the home opener on April 12, 2022. (Post-Gazette)
Parking
The Roberto Clemente Bridge (Sixth Street Bridge) is still closed for construction and won't reopen until after the season. Fans who park Downtown and walk across Clemente Bridge should walk on the Andy Warhol Bridge (Seventh Street Bridge) instead. Fans who typically drive across the Clemente Bridge to park on the North Shore should use the Andy Warhol (Seventh Street) or Rachel Carson (Ninth Street) bridges instead.
See the MLB's PNC Parking Information for a list of lots, rates, and directions to the park.
Fans enter PNC Park last year for the first time after a two-year pandemic shutdown. (Post-Gazette)
Park don’ts
Small bags
The Pirates limit fans to one soft-sided bag apiece no bigger than 16 inches by 16 inches by 8 inches. All bags are subject to search.
No cash
The park accepts only credit and debit cards, Apple and Google Pay. Reverse ATMs at sections 119 and 319 will convert cash to a prepaid Mastercard.
No screenshots
The team encourages fans to buy tickets on their mobile devices. However, mobile screenshots of tickets will no longer be accepted.
Last year saw the addition of an exhibit on Roberto Clemente in the Jim Beam Left Field Lounge. (Post-Gazette)
Changes
New scoreboard
The left field scoreboard is more than twice the size of the previous one.
Self-ordering kiosks
In Pop's Plaza, fans can place food orders at self-ordering kiosks.
Fans line up at concession stands during last year's home opener. (Post-Gazette)
The Pirates and Aramark have partnered with local chefs on new food concessions on the Riverwalk and in the arcade under the left field bleachers. These include Cannonball Burger, inspired by Station in Bloomfield; Chicken on the Hill, inspired by Coop de Ville in the Strip District; and Deli Dogs, inspired by Smallman Street Deli.
Post-Gazette food editor Gretchen McKay previewed the ballpark menu. And Hal B. Klein picked the top five restaurant options near PNC Park.
Outside the park, two new restaurants opened their doors on the North Shore: the Voodoo Brewery at 337 N. Shore Drive and Shorty's Pins x Pints, 353 N. Shore Drive.
Fans can find tasty offerings further afield, too. See the PG's Eat Pittsburgh listings for Deutschtown, Downtown and the Strip District.
Sylvia Ronquillo, left, senior aviculturist at the National Aviary, talks about the birds in the Tropical Rainforest exhibit during a feeding session last year. (Post-Gazette)
The city's North Side offers plenty for visitors to see and do. Among the offerings:
For a historic trip Downtown, see Point State Park, with its Revolutionary War Forth Pitt blockhouse, Fort Pitt Museum, recreated portions of the English Fort Pitt and the outlines of the previous French Fort Duquesne.