Ridiculous & inspired events will surround NFL Draft
Football fans will have a lot of entertainment options to go along with the draft festivities.
By JOSH EWERS
TribLive
The NFL’s offseason is often referred to as silly season. To bear that out, the flagship event — the NFL Draft — is a deluge of high-visibility promotional activations. Ranging from truly helpful and inspired all the way to wild, weird and overly commercialized, they figure to inundate Pittsburgh this week.
Many of them also stand ready to showcase the best in some Pittsburgh organizations. Check out this roundup of some of the latest events that aren’t directly part of the draft or the formalized NFL Draft Experience.
On the goofy side
Jeremiyah Love and Arvell Reese at Raising Cane’s Don’t get us wrong, it’s very nice that the consensus top running back and one of the top defensive players available in the 2026 NFL Draft are making themselves available to young fans in a public way. It just might not be a great idea to cram a potentially large crowd into the admittedly delightful-smelling confines of a Raising Cane’s establishment.
Ohio State Linebacker Arvell Reese and Notre Dame’s Jeremiyah Love are slated to work a shift at the Raising Cane’s location on Fifth Avenue in Oakland from 1 p.m. to 2:15 p.m. Wednesday.
The one-of-a-kind event will start with a press-conference style interview. Both will be available for autographs and photo-ops to carry your social media pages for weeks.
Pop Tarts’ edible mascot ritual Pop-Tarts is bringing something it refers to as its “edible mascot ritual” to the North Shore for a “sacrifice for the fans” before the unfortunate strawberry one is sent to “mouth heaven” by attendees.
All right then. Apparently, this particular Pop Tart is on a journey to become a professional athlete — or something — before it realizes it wants to be eaten instead.
Take part in the mad machinations of the company’s marketing department and get in on photo opportunities with the Pop-Tarts Protein Slammin’ Strawberry mascot and the giant Pop-Tarts Bowl toaster at Nova Place (former Allegheny Center, on North Side) on Friday at 3 p.m.
Great Pennsylvania Mascot Race It’s no pierogi race, but we’ll allow it. Steelers mascot Steely McBeam, Philadelphia Eagles mascot Swoop, Pitt’s Roc the Panther and the Penn State University Nittany Lion will face off in what is sure to be a sweaty 40yard dash in a Visit PA event at Point State Park on Thursday at 4 p.m.
Potentially record-breaking
Former Pitt Panther and Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin — who famously went into cardiac arrest during a live Monday Night Football broadcast in 2023 — is celebrating donating $1 million worth of automated external defibrillators through his Chasing M’s Foundation.
He will do that by hosting an attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the most people to complete CPR training in one hour (organized by The American Heart Association). They’re aiming for 4,000.
The event will take place at Acrisure Stadium at 1 p.m. Friday.
“When I suffered cardiac arrest on the field, professionals who were trained in CPR and had quick access to an AED saved my life,” said Hamlin. “Since then, I’ve made it the mission of my Chasing M’s Foundation to make sure that youth across the nation, and around the world, have the same access to care that I did.”
Helpful Free rides on Sheetz
Sheetz has partnered with Pittsburgh Regional Transit to offer free rides on the Red, Blue and Silver lines of the T and the Monongahela Incline through each day of the draft, Thursday to Saturday. Select trains and stations will feature branded visuals celebrating the city.
As part of the promotion, Sheetz will hold giveaways of plush collectibles, commemorative maps and custom stickers. Less helpfully … Sheetz “Freaks” mascots may join various rides.
Gateway Clipper Shuttle
The Gateway Clipper Fleet is offering a special draft shuttle that will move back and forth from the North Shore to Station Square at $10 per trip. Tickets are available for prepurchase online.
Additionally, as part of the NFL Draft plan, a free shuttle service will transport guests within the NFL Draft Experience footprint on Friday and Saturday.
More details and tickets are available at gatewayclipper.com.
Maker’s Market
A total of 14 local businesses will be spotlighted in a “curated mix of homegrown brands, artisans and makers” on the North Shore from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday. Participating businesses include Brother Andre’s Cafe, Fancypants Popcorn, Good L’oven Cookie Shop, Kim Fox/Worker Bird, Love Pittsburgh, Mi Empanada, Michael’s Manna, Pittsburgh Pottery, Pittsburgh Worsh Company, Sandy Boo Delights, Sarris Candies, Slipfast Adornments, The Pickled Chef and Uncle Jammy’s.
McDonald’s first-job confessional Local McDonald’s operators are celebrating first jobs and the skills they build at 801 Allegheny Ave. from 2 to 6 p.m. Thursday, offering patrons the opportunity to share their first job experience at ordering kiosks in exchange for a $15 gift card. In tandem, participating McDonald’s locations are offering a draft day deal featuring an $8 20-piece McNuggets and fries meal.
Cool
Wiz Khalifa and Bret Michaels While neither artist is overly relevant in the pop-culture zeitgeist these days, there’s no denying both rapper Wiz Khalifa and hair metal figurehead Bret Michaels are two of the more iconic musical figures to have ever emerged from the region. They’ll perform for free around 5:15 p.m. on Friday at the Draft Theater next to Acrisure Stadium. Country artist Kane Brown will perform after the draft’s conclusion on Saturday.
Nelly, Steve Aoki and 2 Chainz Turn-of the-millennium rap sensation Nelly will perform at Shorty’s on the North Shore at 8 p.m. on Thursday. He’ll be preceded there by EDM legend Steve Aoki Wednesday at 8 p.m. and followed by hilariously lyrical rapper 2 Chainz at 8 p.m. on Friday.
Each artist will be pulling double duty at Shorty’s and at the Plaza on the North Shore on the weekend.
Nelly will perform in concert at the Plaza at 6 p.m. Wednesday, with Aoki following at noon on Thursday and 2 Chainz at 6 p.m. on Saturday.
Topps Collector Celebration Day Rub elbows with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, Steeler legends James Harrison and Joey Porter Sr. and Gov. Josh Shapiro at Acrisure Stadium from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at Topps Collector Celebration Day, a family- friendly, on-field fan experience marking the return of Topps to the football trading card game.
It promises to transform the field into an immersive hub for collectors and fans.
Fans can RSVP here. The first 1,000 receive a free pack of Topps Chrome Football while supplies last.
Additional prizes include hobby boxes, signed memorabilia, premium NFL gear and exclusive behind-the-scenes draft experiences.
Free showings of “The Football Town” at Kamin Science Center “The Football Town” will be up for view for free for draft attendees on a first-come, first-served basis at the North Shore’s Kamin Science Center in the Rangos Giant Cinema.
The first-ever immersive format documentary produced by NFL Films centers on the football culture and tradition of the Steelers and Western Pennsylvania from Pop Warner and up and features the words of some of the teams all-time greats. It will show on Thursday and Friday at 1 p.m., 2:30 p.m., 4 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. and Saturday at 10 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m.
The PicksBurgh Music Crawl This activation will bring live music to more than a dozen food and music spots across the Steel City beginning at 4:45 p.m. on Market Square. It features performances by DJ Arie Cole, NASH-V.ILL, Big Jus, Steeltown Horns and more. See a full schedule here.
Pitt Block Party
Each day of the draft from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., the University of Pittsburgh is hosting a Block Party featuring DJ sets, live bands, live TV and radio remotes, Pitt football autographs signings and food at the new Arts Landing Downtown. Check out the full schedule here.
Inspired
‘NFL Dads’ panel
On Thursday from 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m., Sports Mom University and the 360 Sports Moms Network will host the fathers of Micah Parsons, Jalen Ramsey and Brandin Echols at Point Park University’s 200 Lawrence Hall for a discussion on how sports create opportunities, on fatherhood and on parenting an high-level athlete. The event will feature a free lunch and conclude with a Q&A session.
Live painting and Pat Tillman Foundation donation matching Drafted in 1998 by the Arizona Cardinals alongside late U.S. military veteran and NFL player Pat Tillman (killed in the line of duty), Zack Walz will join Tillman Scholar and Marine Corps veteran Margo Darragh on stage to announce pick No. 226 in her hometown.
Ahead of the pick, Pittsburgh artist Cody Sabol will paint a live portrait of Tillman inside the NFL Draft Experience.
As part of the promotion, Amazon Global Military Affairs is matching donations to the Pat Tillman Foundation up to $22,600 through April 29. Donate here.
August Wilson Draft Week Experience
Visual arts, music, pop-up shopping, handcrafted beverages and the Pro Football Hall of Fame memorabilia found at the “HBCU: Fields of Dreams to Pro Football Hall of Fame exhibit” are on tap for this celebration of Historically Black Colleges and Universities hosted at Downtown’s August Wilson African American Cultural Center through Sunday.
Catholic Charities’ Hope Totes Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Pittsburgh, The Red Door Ministry and Our Lady of Hope Parish in Bethel Park are hoping to aid the city’s homeless population on Wednesday by distributing takeaway Hope Totes containing “several days worth” of non-perishable food items from Catholic Charities’ Downtown location at 111 Boulevard of the Allies (while supplies last). The event runs from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Snacks and Smiles
The Children’s Home of Pittsburgh, NFL Alumni Association and Convoy of Hope are partnering for a free snack distribution event at the Children’s Home of Pittsburgh on Penn Avenue in Bloomfield on Friday from 2 until 6 p.m. Attendees will be able to fill one to two grocery bags with non-perishable food and drink items.
UPMC Children’s Hospital’s draft week events Former Steelers defensive end Brett Keisel will be on hand for UPMC Children’s Hospital’s two days of celebratory activities at the hospital just for patients and their families. Specifically, he’ll take part in a “Game Day Tailgate” from 10 a.m. to noon on Thursday, where there will be video games, board games, and card games for patients and families. He’ll also visit patients bedside on the day.
On Friday, a “Football Frenzy” event will feature football-themed activities from 10 a.m. to noon.
