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 Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. 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 A motorboat, speedboat or powerboat is a boat that is exclusively powered by an engine. Some motorboats are fitted with inboard engines, others have an outboard motor installed on the rear, containing the internal combustion engine, the gea ...

race held in the United States.Michael Machosky, Regatta revs up for return of Grand Prix racing, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, 2008-06-29, accessdate=2009-03-01
/ref> 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,Tim O'Brien, 1.5 Million Head To The River For Pittsburgh's Three Rivers Regatta, Amusement Business, 1999-08-23, accessdate=2009-03-01
/ref> drawing tens of thousands of fans along the

Allegheny River The Allegheny River ( ) is a long headwater stream of the Ohio River in western Pennsylvania and New York (state), New York. The Allegheny River runs from its headwaters just below the middle of Pennsylvania's northern border northwesterly into ...

. 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 Speed was an American sports-oriented cable and satellite television network that was owned by the Fox Sports Media Group division of 21st Century Fox. The network was dedicated to motorsports programming, including auto racing, as well as aut ...

. 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

Three Rivers Regatta Declaration of Independence (3)

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 A dragon boat is a human-powered watercraft originating from the Pearl River Delta region of China's southern Guangdong Province. These were made of teak, but in other parts of China, different kinds of wood are used. It is one of a family of t ...

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.

1988 Accident

On August 7, 1988, one of the Formula 1 boats went out of control and crashed into a crowd near

Three Rivers Stadium Three Rivers Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from 1970 to 2000. It was home to the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball (MLB) and the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). Built ...

. A 7-year-old boy was killed, and 24 were injured. The accident was captured on live TV during the broadcast of a

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...

and

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...

baseball game from a blimp above the stadium.

Results

1979

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

Smithfield Street Bridge The Smithfield Street Bridge is a lenticular truss bridge crossing the Monongahela River in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. The bridge was designed by Gustav Lindenthal, the engineer who later designed the Hell Gate Bridge in New York City. The S ...

2008

Cancellations

On July 30, 2019, board members of the Three Rivers Regatta announced that the Regatta, scheduled for August 2nd to 4th 2019, would not be held, citing the failure of the event's promoter to obtain necessary permits and insurance, as well as the money it still owed from earlier Regattas to, among others, the state of Pennsylvania for the use of Point State Park, and both the city of Pittsburgh and the Allegheny County Sheriff's Office for providing security. Bankruptcy hearings for the event's promoter continued into 2020, and the Regatta was also cancelled for 2020 and 2021.

References

External links

Pittsburgh Three Rivers Regatta

F1 ChampBoat Series
{{Pittsburgh sports Motorboat races Sports in Pittsburgh Festivals in Pittsburgh Recurring sporting events established in 1977 Tourist attractions in Pittsburgh