A retro new activity is coming to Downtown Pittsburgh’s Market Square this month.
Skate the Square will offer people a chance to roller skate in the newly renovated square, starting Thursday and continuing through May 25.
The Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership on Tuesday announced plans for the event, which will be one of the first major activations in Market Square since its $15 million facelift. The improvements were unveiled the day before the 2026 NFL Draft came to Pittsburgh, bringing throngs of football fans to the space for music, vendors and photo opportunities.
“Skate the Square is exactly what the new Market Square was built for,” Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership President and CEO Jeremy Waldrup said in a news release. “With the modernization, we’ve created a more flexible, accessible space that can handle everything from everyday use to new activations like this. It’s a great example of how the Square can keep evolving as a go-to gathering place Downtown.”
Guests can roller skate, check out a full-service bar and listen to music from a rotating lineup of live DJs, including DJ Colt, DJ Magic Mike, DJ Kristyles, DJ Scooter and DJ Fuzzy.
The Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership is teaming up with nonprofit PGH SK8, which emphasizes accessible roller-skating spaces and programs, for the event.
“Skating is alive and thriving in the city of Pittsburgh,” PGH SK8 Collaborative President Rico Delorean Rucker said. “This project showcases the utility of multiuse public spaces.”
Skate the Square will allow people to rent skates for $17 for a 75-minute rental. It will launch from 4 p.m. until 10 p.m. Thursday. After that, hours are:
- Fridays: 4 p.m. until 10 p.m.
- Saturdays and Sundays: noon until 10 p.m.
- Mondays through Wednesdays: 4 p.m. until 10 p.m.
- Thursdays: 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. until 10 p.m.
Children under age 18 must be accompanied by an adult at all times.
Pittsburgh officials recently implemented a new policy that requires minors have adult supervision in the square during certain hours.