After more than a year of planning and hype that’s built to a crescendo in recent weeks, elected leaders gathered Monday afternoon at Pittsburgh International Airport to officially kick off 2026 NFL Draft Week.
Pittsburgh Mayor O’Connor, flanked by a bevy of public servants, called the upcoming draft “historic” for the Steel City, which is hosting the three-day event this year after it drew record-breaking crowds to Detroit and Green Bay.
Cutting the requisite ribbon at the Findlay airport’s new terminal — part of a $1.7 billion modernization project in the works for nearly seven years — felt apropos, the mayor said.
“This is a huge event for all of us — and it starts right here when you land,” said O’Connor, as he stood in front of a draft display near the airport’s international arrivals gate. “This is a historic week for all of us.”
Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato called the upcoming draft “the largest event that we have ever hosted as a region.”
Jerad Bachar, president and CEO of Visit Pittsburgh, the region’s tourism machine, was on hand as the city’s promoter-in-chief.
“This is a chance for us to show the world what we already know: Pittsburgh is bold …. and it’s always forging on,” Bachar said. “We’re ready. Pittsburgh is ready.”
Visit Pittsburgh has predicted the draft will draw upwards of 500,000 fans and generate an economic impact in the range of $120 million to $213 million. Others question the depth of the event’s financial impact.
Officials could not cite a reason why the 2026 NFL Draft display was set up in the international arrivals area. The display, covered in eye-popping shades of teal and canary yellow, was modelled after the gigantic pseudo-stadium awaiting attendees in Pittsburgh’s North Shore neighborhood.
It remains unclear how many people will fly to Pittsburgh for the draft, whose free activities will also be staged in Point State Park.
Bachar told TribLive he estimates about 60% of those attending will come from within Pennsylvania.
When Green Bay hosted the 2025 NFL Draft, nearly 70% of those attending lived in Wisconsin, an economic impact studied showed. Fewer than a quarter of attendees stayed in the area overnight.
Officials in Pittsburgh are preparing for big crowds. Most city hotels were fully booked more than a month ago — with a handful of rooms expected to fetch around $2,000 a night.
But other data send mixed signals. Chad Wise, founder of the vacation rental agency HostWise Stays, said just 40% of the company’s inventory of short-term rentals had been booked for the draft so far.
Some officials proclaimed crowds are already pouring in, though airport spokesman Bob Kerlik said he wouldn’t know how many passengers flew into Pittsburgh until month’s end.
Some airlines, such as Delta, have added flights into Pittsburgh to accommodate the anticipated hordes, he said.
The airport, prepping for travelers, also is boosting the number of volunteers and customer service staff working this week, Kerlik said. He could not cite specific figures.
“I think it’s going to exceed what we see on Thanksgiving weekend — I really do,” said Rhonda Johnson, a customer experience agent for the airport.
There’s no lack of fanfare.
Multiple business will set up displays and pop-up shops around the airport’s international arrivals wing this week, Kerlik said. They include Pittsburgh Brewing Company and Dick’s Sporting Goods; radio station 93.7 The Fan also will broadcast live from the space Wednesday morning.
Daniel Rooney III, a vice president for the Pittsburgh Steelers and son of current team president Art Rooney II, also turned out to the airport for Monday’s ribbon cutting.
McLaughlin Distillery wasted little time trying to capitalize on the expected onslaught. The Sewickley-area business Monday was handing out free samples and selling bottles to passersby in the arrivals space. Rows of specialty bourbons, small-batch whiskeys and flavored moonshine filled their table. One beverage — a creamy limoncello — was particularly popular.
“Our hope is to get the name out there. We want people to get familiar with our product,” distiller Jeff Russell, 57, of Sewickley, told TribLive. “You’ve got a little over half a million people expected to come into town — and this is one of the first things they’ll see.”
It was not, however, one of the first things Sabrina Perri saw.
The Mount Washington woman ended a 10-day trip to Florida by steering her mother, Rosa, and 21-month-old daughter, Viola, toward the airport’s iconic statue of Steelers star Franco Harris. A selfie was mandatory: three generations of Steelers fans.