The PVGP is launching back-to-back parties in Schenley Park, leading right into Race Weekend. The August 1 Garden Party is a brand-new event at the famous Phipps Botanical Gardens, featuring cars inside the greenhouse for the first time ever! The next night, the Grand Prix drivers pilot their race cars from the track and journey into Oakland and the University of Pittsburgh for a reception at the Frick Fine Arts Building. These events include the “Exhibitions of Speed” Paddock, featuring Ragtime Racers and Vintage Indy.
The Grand Prix has planted the seeds for a fabulous new event at Phipps Conservatory & Botanical Gardens alongside the race track! The party will feature a variety of exceptional cars, including a representation of MINIs and microcars from the Lane Motor Museum, focusing on the small and unusual cars within the Conservatory.
THURSDAY, AUGUST 1, FROM 6:30 – 10:30 PM
The Phipps Conservatory will be open to the public until 6:00, so our party begins with Happy Hour at the outdoor Phipps Garden at 6:30 pm. Guests can visit the “Exhibition of Speed” paddock of Ragtime Racers and Vintage Indy. Ragtime Racers is a collection of 100-year-old race cars driven at speed by their drivers, dressed in period overalls, leather helmets and goggles. Vintage Indy is returning to Pittsburgh with its incredible collection of race cars that competed at the Indianapolis 500. Both groups will be on the track all weekend.
This Garden Party will feature hors d’oeuvres, palate-pleasing food stations, wine, Helltown Beer and bar cocktails throughout one of the nation’s oldest and largest Victorian greenhouses. It promises to be an elegant and entertaining evening sponsored by UBS Walnut Wealth Management. Tickets are $295 each, with proceeds benefitting our charities. GET MORE DETAILS
PURCHASE GARDEN PARTY TICKETS HERE
The PVGP is gearing up for the newly announced “Evening of Speed” Race car parade and reception. This unique experience allows fans to meet the racers and their crews in a social atmosphere on Schenley Drive, stretching from Phipps down to Schenley Plaza.
FRIDAY, AUGUST 2, FROM 4:00 – 9:00 PM
The Driver Reception is shifting from Squirrel Hill to the Frick Fine Arts Building in Oakland. The event features a parade and display of the vintage race cars that will compete over the weekend. There will also be displays, meet and greets, and insightful presentations, all set against the backdrop of the historic Frick Fine Arts Building beside Schenley Plaza. All activities outside are free and open to the public. Parking is available on Flagstaff Hill.
-
Grand Marshal Bill Warner presents “Photography Then and Now” on the Emerald Lawn.
4:00 pm – Frick Fine Arts: GT 40 display moves onto Lawn
- 4:30 pm – Flagstaff Hill: Parking opens for Ticketed Guests
- 5:00 pm – 6:00pm – Meet & Greet of Vintage Indy and Ragtime Racers
- 5:00 pm – Frick Fine Arts: Opens to Ticketed Guests
- 5:15 pm – Frick Fine Arts: Helltown Beer, Wine and soft drinks
- 5:30 pm – Paddock: Race cars parade to the Frick Fine Arts Building
- 5:30 pm – Emerald Lawn Tent: Interviews of Pitt and CMU FSAE students
- 6:00 pm – 6:15 pm Frick Fine Arts: Bill Warner Opening Remarks
- 6:15 pm – Frick Fine Arts: Food is available
- 7:00 pm – Emerald Lawn Tent: Bill Warner “Photography Then and Now”
- 8:30 pm – Race Cars head back to the paddock before nightfall.
- 9:00 pm event concludes
The parade and all events are free and open to the public. A limited number of tickets are available to attend the exclusive reception inside the Frick Fine Arts Building. GET MORE DETAILS
PURCHASE EVENING OF SPEED RECEPTION TICKETS HERE
About the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix
Founded in 1983, the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix Motorsport Festival features two weekends of racing action. The first weekend is the PVGP Historics at Pittsburgh International Race Complex. The second weekend is racing through a 2.33-mile road course set on the streets of Schenley Park. Between our race weekends, we stage car shows, parties, road rallies, a black-tie formal, a new Garden Party at Phipps and a Driver Reception. The PVGP is driven by 1,200 volunteers dedicated to staging the country’s largest and longest-running vintage race event. It is also a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization with a mission to provide residential care, treatment and support for people with autism and intellectual/developmental disabilities – donating $6.7 million.
Contacts
Dan DelBianco 412 559-3500
