Officials detail safety plans for busy Labor Day weekend
The Pittsburgh Department of Public Safety is preparing for a busy weekend in the city, starting Thursday with the Pitt Panthers’ rivalry football game against the West Virginia Mountaineers.
The Backyard Brawl, returning to the North Shore for the teams’ first matchup in 11 years, is expected to draw as many as 70,000 spectators when it kicks off at 7 p.m. Thursday.
Road closures in the entertainment district will be similar to Steelers games, public safety officials said Wednesday, and fans can expect to see police cycle units assisting with traffic control.
Expecting crowds of tailgaters for the game — tickets for which sold out in 15 minutes — police said they would be “highly visible” around tailgating lots and inside the stadium. State and Pittsburgh police will have horse-mounted units in the area.
“It is great to have the game return here to Pittsburgh,” Public Safety Director Lee Schmidt said in a statement. “We want fans to enjoy the game while also staying safe. There will be zero tolerance for unruly behavior.”
Zone 6 Cmdr. Cristyn Zett, who will be the incident commander at Acrisure Stadium during the Backyard Brawl game, said units from county police and Pitt police will also be assisting.
She said she could not give an exact number of officers who will be in the area, but she said police will not tolerate unruly behavior.
“Whatever we get called to, or whatever we see, we’re going to address,” Cmdr. Zett said. “This is not an event, with this number of people, that we can allow people to, you know, just run rampant through the streets, for lack of a better term. It’s going to be a really festive atmosphere.”
The collaboration between law enforcement agencies was not due to staffing issues with the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, she said, but because collaboration is required for an event as big as the Backyard Brawl. Police will also be patrolling for potentially unruly crowds in
Oakland and the South Side.
Cmdr. Zett also encouraged spectators to take public transportation if possible. Otherwise, fans driving into the city or the North Shore for the game may want to give themselves ample time to account for traffic and finding parking.
Public Safety officials said fire crews and EMS units will be on site for all events over Labor Day weekend, which include the beginning of Rib Fest on Thursday, a free Clarks concert on Friday outside Acrisure Stadium and a concert from the Shins at Stage AE on Saturday.
The Pirates also return to the North Shore on Friday night to begin a series against the Toronto Blue Jays.
The busy holiday weekend also features the Labor Day parade, scheduled to start at 10 a.m. Monday. One of the largest in the country, the parade is expected to feature an appearance from President Joe Biden, alongside local and national labor leaders.