UPDATE: What the hell is happening with the 2024 Regatta and why is a guy named Giuseppe involved?

This story was updated Mon., July 15 at 4 p.m.

More details have been brought to light regarding the legitimacy of two websites claiming that the Three Rivers Regatta, a popular annual event that has not been presented since 2018, will return this summer. While one website still raises questions, a major figure associated with the Three Rivers Regatta reached out to Pittsburgh City Paper to claim ownership of the other.

John R. Bonassi, chairman of the Three Rivers Regatta Board of Directors, the body that has owned the official naming rights of the event since 1978, says they have been working with a company to bring the riverfront festival back. He explains that they tried to stage the Regatta this year but were unable to secure a major sponsor to get it off the ground.

The board launched the Regatta website, which features a promotional video by Riverside Productions Inc., a local company hired to manage the event. Bonassi admits that the 2024 date prominently featured on the website was supposed to be changed to 2025 after the board failed to obtain the resources necessary to present the event this year.

"We just could not get a title sponsor, which is critically important," he says, adding that, beyond financing, the board "had many of the moving parts under wraps."

The event date has since been updated to 2025.

To pull the 2025 Regatta off, Bonassi says they would need to bring in a sponsor like EQT, a local private equity that produced previous Regattas, including the last one in 2018.

Bonassi says he had no knowledge of the Giuseppe's Pizzeria website until the day the original CP story was published and that the website has no affiliation with the Regatta board.

"I have no idea where this guy is coming from with this website," Bonassi says.

When asked if the board reached out to Giuseppe's Pizza about taking the website down, Bonassi replied, "We have not. It has been referred to our attorney."

Giuseppe's has not returned CP's requests for comment.

Bonassi says the Pittsburgh Three Rivers Regatta "is the largest inland Regatta in the nation" and estimates that previous Regattas, which featured entertainment ranging from powerboat races to sand sculptures, usually drew "300,000 to 500,000 spectators over three days."

To keep the Regatta free and accessible to the public, as it has been in the past, Bonassi says they would need $550,000-750,000 to cover total costs for the event, including those related to "entertainment, fireworks, security, police coverage, insurance, park usage fees and 'green' clean up."

Bonassi, who has served on the Regatta board for 30 years, says he and his fellow board members "feel confident there will be 2025 Pittsburgh Three Rivers Rivers Regatta," adding that they "plan to retain a firm" to assist them with "identifying and securing sponsors."

"Signing on quality sponsors has always been a major challenge," says Bonassi. "The availability of corporate and foundation revenues, the economy, politics, and security issues all impact the funding of the Regatta."

Despite some challenges, Bonassi expresses confidence in Riverside Productions Inc., a company owned by Chahine and Michael Boulos, who Bonassi says has provided food services for "virtually every festival in Pittsburgh," including the Three Rivers Art Festival, Picklesburgh, and, for 40 years, the Pittsburgh Three Rivers Regatta.

As for when they hope to retain a major sponsor, Bonassi says, "Ideally April 2025 or before."

See the original story below:

The Three Rivers Regatta was once a treasured tradition in Pittsburgh. This was before a shady management company and COVID culminated to put the beloved summer festival, which originally launched in 1978, on hold. Even as other annual festivities, including the Three Rivers Arts Festival and Anthrocon, have returned to Downtown, the Regatta has yet to re-emerge.

Those recently Googling the Regatta may have rejoiced at the sight of a new website featuring what looks like an official logo and promises to provide 2024 dates and other details. Delving further would lead users to a page on the website for Giuseppe's Pizzeria, a local pizza chain claiming some involvement with coordinating the next Regatta.

The lack of event dates or other information at such a late point in the summer raises questions about the legitimacy of these websites, which also feature sign-ups for vendors, sponsors, and volunteers. Previous Regattas usually took place in August (the last Regatta in 2018 ran from Aug. 3-5), and were backed by major sponsors like EQT.

The Giuseppe's webpage claims that the Regatta will be combined with the Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival "for an unforgettable celebration" that includes "thrilling boat races along with world-class jazz performances." That detail would seem to shed some light on dates for the 2024 Regatta, given that the Jazz Festival is set to take place from Sept. 19-22 at the August Wilson African American Cultural Center.

However, Carolyn McClair, the public relations contact for the August Wilson Center, told Pittsburgh City Paper via email that "our President Janis Burley said there is no collaboration or 'combining for an unforgettable celebration' between the PIJF and the Regatta."

Adding to the confusion is a "Contact Information" section that calls the event "Giuseppe's Pizzeria Regatta 2024."

City Paper reached out to Giuseppe's by phone and email and filled out a contact form on the Regatta website asking for more details about the event. Neither has responded.

Also unclear is whether or not these websites are soliciting fees from potential vendors applying to appear at what's being promoted as the 2024 Three Rivers Regatta.

The questionable websites harken back to shady dealings that led to the last-minute cancellation of the 2019 Regatta. According to a September 2019 CP story, LionHeart Event Group, a former Pittsburgh-based company in charge of organizing the Regatta, failed to acquire insurance and the necessary permits for the event. As a result, the Regatta board and local law enforcement "quickly launched investigations of potential criminal wrongdoings on the part of LionHeart," which filed for bankruptcy with "between $500,000 and $1 million in liabilities."
CP reached out to city and county officials about whether or not permits and other required documents were filed for the 2024 Regatta. Brent Wasko, the public information officer for the Allegheny County Department of Public Works, wrote in an email that "DPW would only receive a permit request if a county-owned bridge or road was going to be used, and we have not received any permit requests for this. In the past, Point State Park, the North Shore, and the rivers (obviously) were used for this event. So, I assume the City of Pittsburgh, [Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources], and the Coast Guard were involved."

Abigail Gardner, the director of communications for Allegheny County, also replied that they "haven’t received any permit requests at the County level."

The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources manages Point State Park, where the Regatta once took place. While neither website explicitly states that the Regatta will return to Point State Park, some of the promotional imagery depicts boats in and around the waterways Downtown, implying that the location will be used.

However, Wesley Robinson, press secretary for the DCNR, tells CP that no permits are being processed to host the Regatta at the park. "We're not aware of the event at all," says Robinson.

CP also reached out to the office of Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey but has yet to receive a response.

This story will be updated as further details come to light.