Massive concrete blocks and metal framing — accentuated by a sprawling red carpet — are taking over Pittsburgh’s Point State Park for the NFL Draft.
Forklifts were shuttling heavy equipment Monday, while workers continued erecting giant tents and a stage. Steelers Country, the team’s official fan hub, is taking shape at the Point as construction crews continue preparing the site for the event.
Football enthusiasts arriving at the park entrance in front of the Wyndham Grand Pittsburgh hotel, starting Thursday, will be met with a giant bright blue entrance gate that reads “NFL Draft Experience.”
Just beyond the gate, fans will be greeted by the confluence of the Allegheny, Monongahela and Ohio rivers, the picturesque fountain at the Point, and a sweeping view of Acrisure Stadium across the water — a backdrop that puts Pittsburgh’s landscape front and center for the showcase event.
The 12,000-square-foot interactive space at the park will be free to attend, with items for sale at concessions and merchandise areas.
All of the vendors at Point State Park are local and will keep 100% of their revenue, said Nicki Ewell, vice president of global events for the NFL.
Live Fresh Juicery is one of the local vendors with a stand at Point State Park.
For Catey Gilliam, who co-owns the business with her husband, Brett, the draft will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Live Fresh Juicery was selected through the NFL Source Program.
“We are very excited … we’re both huge Steelers fans, and my husband has been a lifelong football fan,” said Gilliam, 33, of Swisshelm Park. “It’s definitely a big honor.”
The Live Fresh stand at the Point will have a limited version of the usual menu, offering cold-pressed juices and build-your-own açai bowls. “I always tell people we’re what you see is what you get — no added sugars or preservatives, 100% juice,” she said.
With hundreds of thousands of fans expected to attend the NFL Draft, she’s unsure what to expect.
“Obviously as a small business, you have to weigh everything,” Gilliam said, as Live Fresh doesn’t want to turn customers away. “We’ve done everything we can to prepare, stock up and increase our inventory, access to additional freezer and refrigeration space.
“The most nerve-wracking thing in my mind is the logistics,” she said, noting the traffic situation.
The three days of the draft could give Live Fresh record-breaking business, Gilliam said.
“I feel like we’re as equipped as we can be, but I do have excited nerves,” she said.
Ewell, the NFL executive, said crews have been in Point State Park for about 10 days in the process of constructing the draft site there, which will also have viewing screens to watch the draft itself. “We can’t wait to open our doors,” she said.
The park has been locked down for safety purposes. “We have a lot of gear coming in — a lot of heavy equipment,” she said, with thousands of crew members setting everything up across the draft footprint.
Fan experiences at Steelers Country at the Point will include:
- Steelers Nation Unite Bar: A global Steelers-themed bar experience with rotating locations from Steelers bars around the world
- Immersive Fan Cave: A 1970s-inspired Pittsburgh basement, recreating the look and feel of a classic Steelers fan’s home
- Six Super Bowl Rings Display: Larger-than-life replicas
- Steelers legends and current player Q&As
- Live draft coverage
- Daily entertainment on the Steelers Country stage, including the Steelers Draft Countdown Show from 7-8 p.m. Thursday, 6-7 p.m. Friday
- Terrible Towel Art Piece: A custom art installation
- Yard games and photo opportunities
- Merchandise trailer
Fans will also be able to view Super Bowl trophies on display in a tent there.
“You’re going to see lots of players, Steelers legends and players from all across the National Football League — they’re going to be included in the NFL OnePass app,” Ewell said. “If you want to get free player autographs, come to the Point.”
Prospects will be at the Point from around 4-6:30 p.m. Thursday walking the red carpet, which is being set up in front of the fountain area. Seventeen of them will be in the Pittsburgh area starting Wednesday, Ewell said, with the potential for more.
The red carpet will function as a fan photo opportunity on Friday and Saturday afterward, and there will also be a fashion show there on Friday afternoon — featuring the Kiya Tomlin Collection.
Getting around
To enter Point State Park, fans must present their unique QR code that’s mandatory for entry and generated through the NFL OnePass app. They will also need to follow a clear bag policy to enter through security.
For people planning on experiencing the full draft footprint, they should allot around 30 minutes to walk between the NFL Draft sites on Pittsburgh’s North Shore and in Point State Park, according to the NFL.
The main walking route across the Allegheny River will be the Roberto Clemente Bridge, which will be closed to vehicle traffic.
The pedestrian walkway across the Fort Duquesne Bridge will be closed. Based on the high number of people attending the draft, who will be walking in both directions between the North Shore and Point State Park, officials determined the bridge’s walkway would not be safe.
“The reason why we’re not using the pedestrian bridge is it’s just going to be so dense of a crowd it’s just not safe to use … hopefully, it feels a little bit less than that,” Ewell said of the 30-minute walk. “That walk really does allow engagement through all of Downtown.”
There will be ADA mobility assistance to get back and forth between the two sites, according to Ewell.
Also, on Friday and Saturday, the Gateway Clipper will be shuttling people back and forth from the North Shore and Point State Park throughout the day. It will not run on Thursday, Ewell said, because it will be used to shuttle prospects and their families back and forth for the Red Carpet.
Through the NFL OnePass app, there are fan maps now available for people to plan out their days ahead of time, Ewell said. Specific times for the Gateway Clipper shuttle will be on there as well.
Despite the logistical challenge of shuttling people across the river — splitting the NFL Draft footprint in two — Ewell said the league has handled similar setups before. In Nashville, for example, the stage and theater were on Broadway while the fan experience was held at Nissan Stadium.
“The reason why we’re here is because there was so much demand, and we needed space for all of our partners, we needed space for the Steelers — we just ran out of space,” she said. “There’s so much demand from our partners to activate; this is second only to the Super Bowl.”
After working with partners across Pennsylvania, Ewell said the NFL wanted to showcase the “crown jewel” that is Point State Park and its fountain.
“This is fan behavior — everybody knows to come to the Point,” she said. “We honestly had so much demand that we had to expand into this location.
“We just outgrew the North Shore, which is a really good problem.”
The following concessions will be available at Point State Park:
- The Roaming Bean
- Patti’s Pastries
- Secretos de mis Abuelos
- Street Fries
- Vitalia Wood Fired Oven
- Live Fresh Juicery
- Remo’s Catering
- P’s Bird Wagon
- The Point Tavern