Carnegie Mellon University
April 12, 2012

Media Advisory: Carnegie Mellon Spring Carnival Set for April 19-21

Several Oakland-area Roads To Close; Please Note Traffic Alert Below

Contact: Abby Simmons / 412-268-4290 / abbysimmons@cmu.edu

Carnival LogoEvent: Carnegie Mellon University will hold its annual Spring Carnival & Reunion Weekend April 19-21. The events listed below are free and open to the public.

This year's opening ceremony, set for 3 p.m., Thursday, April 19 on the "Midway," will include remarks by Carnegie Mellon President Jared L. Cohon and a performance by CMU's Kiltie Band. Student organizations will build and host booths focused on the theme "As Seen on TV." The booths, often reaching two stories in height, include "Shark Week," "MythBusters," "The Price is Right," "SpongeBob SquarePants" and "Looney Tunes."

The Sweepstakes Buggy Races will be held Friday and Saturday mornings, April 20-21. If inclement weather causes the cancellation of the Friday and Saturday competitions, races will be held Sunday, April 22, during the same time frame. Buggies are aerodynamic pushcarts designed and built by student organizations. Each buggy holds a driver that steers and maneuvers around a 4,400-foot course. Just an inch off the ground, the buggies reach speeds of nearly 35 miles per hour. Each team includes five students who push a buggy in a relay-style race up hills and to the finish line. Student media organizations cmuTV and WRCT 88.3-FM will stream live event coverage from their websites.

The Activities Board Spring Concert, which begins at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, April 21 on the lawn in front of the College of Fine Arts and Hunt Library, will conclude with a fireworks show. Pittsburgh-based indie rock band Donora will open the concert, with electropop band Passion Pit as the headlining act. The outdoor concert does not require a ticket or wristband. In the event of inclement weather, the concert will move to Wiegand Gym in CMU's University Center, and a wristband will be required for admission. All wristbands for the indoor location have been distributed.

More information is available at http://springcarnival.org and http://www.cmu.edu/alumni.

When: Buggy races will be held from 8 a.m. to noon on Friday, April 20, and 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday, April 21. Carnival activities will be held 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Thursday, April 19; 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Friday, April 20; and 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday, April 21. The concert begins at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, with fireworks commencing at approximately 10 p.m.

Where: Spring Carnival activities will take place in the Morewood Gardens parking lot, across the street from Cyert and Hamburg halls. Buggy races will be held on Tech and Frew streets, and Schenley Drive. Concert and fireworks spectators will gather on the lawn in front of the College of Fine Arts and Hunt Library.

Traffic Alert: The City of Pittsburgh has granted permits to close several Oakland-area roads during Carnegie Mellon's Spring Carnival and Sweepstakes Buggy Races. Forbes and Morewood avenues will be closed near the campus intermittently from 6 to 11 p.m. Friday, April 13, to allow students to transport their booths to the Spring Carnival Midway.
 
Margaret Morrison Street, Tech Street, Frew Street and Schenley Drive will be closed from 5 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Friday, April 20 and Saturday, April 21. Vehicles cannot be parked on these streets after 8 p.m. on the days before the races. Both the City of Pittsburgh Police and Carnegie Mellon Police will be present during the races to help monitor traffic. Access to the streets will be blocked beginning at 5 a.m. in the following locations: Schenley Park by the golf course, Schenley Park at Serpentine Drive, Margaret Morrison Street and Forbes Avenue, Panther Hollow Bridge and Schenley Bridge. Roads will reopen by 12:30 p.m. If inclement weather causes the cancellation of the Friday and Saturday competitions, races will be held Sunday, April 22, during the same time frame.

Vehicles will have access to Phipps Conservatory from the streets off Forbes Avenue. Visitors will park on the streets by the Carnegie Library and the surrounding area. City of Pittsburgh Police stationed at barricades will give bus drivers instructions for passenger unloading.

On-campus parking will not be available to non-permit holders and campus visitors from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, April 20. Parking for these individuals is available on the sixth floor of the Bakery Square parking garage at 6425 Penn Ave., and a shuttle service will be provided to and from campus. Parking will be available on campus throughout the rest of the weekend. More parking information is available on CMU's Alumni Association website.

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