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 website heralding the Regatta’s 2024 return. Delving further into a Google search leads to a page on a website for Giuseppe's Pizzeria, a local pizza chain claiming some involvement with coordinating the next Regatta.
When Pittsburgh City Paper looked into the legitimacy of these websites, it resulted in a bizarre but ultimately fruitful investigation revealing a possible resurrection of an event worthy of the Regatta’s legacy.
While the Giuseppe's Pizzeria website still raises questions, a major figure associated with the Regatta reached out to 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 firm that produced previous Regattas, including the last one in 2018.
Bonassi says he had no knowledge of the Giuseppe's Pizzeria website until after CP ran its story about it in July 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. He adds that, while they had originally referred the Giuseppe's website to their attorney about taking it down, Bonassi says they “opted not to contact Giuseppe’s.”
The questionable website harkens 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."
The Giuseppe's webpage — which, at the time this article was written, was still up — 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 CP via email that "our President Janis Burley said there is no collaboration or 'combining for an unforgettable celebration' between the PIJF and the Regatta." Additionally, county and state officials confirmed that permits and other required documents needed to host the Regatta had not been submitted.
Adding to the confusion around the Giuseppe's website is what looks to be AI-generated artwork featuring a colorful river scene and Regatta banner — the telltale signs of its origins range from blatant misspellings to laughably mutated subjects, including a boater with oars for legs.
Giuseppe's has not returned CP's multiple 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 the 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.
Bonassi says a recent meeting with a consulting firm went “very well,” adding, “The consultant presented the Regatta with a partnership proposal that is being carefully reviewed by Regatta leadership.”
As for when they hope to retain a major sponsor, Bonassi says, "Ideally April 2025 or before."
