Making Pittsburgh
Thrival Innovation + Music Festival gears up
for an amazing fifth year.
By Nicole Tafe
C
elebrating its fifth year, the Thrival
Innovation + Music Festival is gearing
up for what promises to be another year of
spectacular events.
The Thrival Innovation + Music Festival is
an annual, Pittsburgh-based event featuring
multiple days of innovation-focused
programming capped by a two-day outdoor live
music experience.
The festival started in 2013 as an initiative of
Ascender (known then as Thrill Mill), and was
founded by CEO Bobby Zappala, Chairman
Luke Skurman and a group of their friends. The
original concept started even further back—
almost 10 years ago—when this group held
a neighborhood barbecue that served as an
informal party for young Pittsburghers, raising
funds for local startup companies.
This yearly block party eventually
transformed into a nonprofit, now called
Ascender, a “start/build” hub that offers
an incubator program for early-stage
entrepreneurs, co-working space and free
community programs—and Thrival. Ascender
produces Thrival as the organization’s flagship
initiative that promotes and celebrates
Pittsburgh’s innovation and creative ecosystems.
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It has two parts: Thrival Innovation and Thrival
Music.
“Thrival is a Pittsburgh creation,” says
director Dan Law. “It has grown and scaled over
the years with the support of Pittsburghers, and
it now welcomes attendees from over 30 states
and multiple countries.”
This year’s Thrival Innovation will be held
in Pittsburgh’s East End on Sept. 27 and 28
at the Ace Hotel, Kelly Strayhorn Theater,
Bakery Square and the Carnegie Museum of
Art. Thrival Innovation will feature two full
days of programming and events centered on
“Intelligence: Humans X Tech,” focusing on the
relationship between humans and technology.
Thrival Music will be held at Carrie Furnaces
on Sept. 29 and 30. “The Carrie Furnaces
site is special for Thrival Music because the
space literally represents the physical and
philosophical transformation of our entire
region,” explains Law. “The furnaces no
longer produce hot metal, but the facility now
contributes to new economic growth and
creativity. Carrie remains a significant element
of our culture and we’re proud to partner with
Rivers of Steel, the nonprofit dedicated to
preserving the site.”
Thrival Music has always been cross-genre
and eclectic. The approach is to avoid having
the festival serve one particular audience or
taste. Each year, audiences hear a mixture
of sounds and orchestration — from hip-
hop to electronic, alt-indie, funk and more.
“Additionally, Thrival Music has always grabbed
a lot of attention because, simply put, it’s a lot
of fun and really cool,” notes Law. “On the site,
attendees can check out vendors, interactive
activities, food trucks, tours inside the Carrie
Furnaces and more.”
Thrival involves hundreds of people and
dozens of organizations all working together
toward a common goal. Whether it’s local and
regional government partners, universities,
community groups, startups, corporate
sponsors, musicians, innovators or the many
volunteers who offer their time and skills,
Thrival partners all bring something unique to
the table that helps the festival succeed year in
and year out.
Thrival Innovation + Music Festival has seen
a lot of great change over the past five years,
with the size and scale of Thrival Music as the
most obvious difference. The festival had over
14,000 attendees last year, compared to 1,500+