Carnegie Mellon University
April 11, 2013

Media Advisory: Carnegie Mellon Spring Carnival Set for April 18–20

Several Oakland-area Roads To Close for Moving Booths to the Midway and Sweepstakes Buggy Races; Please Note Traffic Alert Below

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

Spring CarnivalEvent: Carnegie Mellon University will hold its annual Spring Carnival & Reunion Weekend April 18–20. The events listed below are free and open to the public.

This year's opening ceremony at 3 p.m., Thursday, April 18 on the “Midway,” will include remarks by Carnegie Mellon President Jared L. Cohon and a performance by CMU's Kiltie Band. Student organizations are building and hosting booths focused on the theme “Fractured Fairytales.” The booths, often reaching two stories in height, include “Snow White and the Seven Giants,” “Humpty Dumpty Trauma Ward,” “Moby Dick: Revenge of the Space-Whale” and “Rapunzel’s Enchanted Adventure.”

The Sweepstakes buggy races will be held Friday and Saturday mornings, April 19–20. If inclement weather causes the cancellation of the Friday and Saturday competitions, races will be held Sunday, April 21. 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 organizations cmuTV and WRCT 88.3-FM will stream live event coverage from their websites.

The Activities Board Spring Concert, which begins at 8 p.m., Friday, April 19 on the lawn in front of the Hamerschlag Hall, will feature rapper Lupe Fiasco and conclude with a fireworks show. 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 19, and Saturday, April 20. Carnival activities will be held from 3 to 11 p.m. on Thursday, April 18; 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Friday, April 19; and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday, April 20.  The concert begins at 8 p.m., Friday, April 19, with fireworks commencing at approximately 10:30 p.m.

Where: Spring Carnival activities will take place in the Morewood Gardens parking lot, across Forbes Avenue 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 Hamerschlag Hall.

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 12, to allow students to transport their booths to the Spring Carnival Midway.
 
Margaret Morrison Street, Tech Street, Frew Street, Circuit Road and Schenley Drive (Panther Hollow and Schenley bridges included) will be closed from 5 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Friday, April 19, and Saturday, April 20. Pittsburgh Police and Carnegie Mellon Police will be present during the races to help monitor traffic. 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 21, during the same time frame.

Phipps Conservatory will remain open during normal hours. Due to road closures, visitors will need to 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 10 p.m. Friday, April 19. Parking is available for $7 (cash only) at the Bob O’Connor Golf Course at Schenley Park, 5370 Schenley Drive, and a shuttle service will be provided to and from campus. Free parking will be available in the East Campus Garage on a first-come, first-served basis on Saturday, April 20. More parking information is available on CMU’s Alumni Association website.

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