Carnegie Mellon University
April 18, 2017

Media Advisory: Carnegie Mellon Celebrates Spring Carnival

Several Oakland-area roads to close; Please note traffic alert below

By Abby Simmons

Buggy Races

Event: Carnegie Mellon University’s annual Spring Carnival is set for April 20–22. Many events are free and open to the public, and a full schedule is available online. Follow the weekend on social media with #CMUcarnival.

Highlights include:

Spring Carnival Booths
3 to 11 p.m. on Thursday, April 20
10 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Friday, April 21, and Saturday, April 22
Located on the College of Fine Arts parking lot and lawn

The opening ceremony at 3 p.m. Thursday, April 20, on the Midway will include remarks by Spring Carnival Committee Chair Amalia Martinez, Associate Vice President and Dean of Student Affairs Gina Casalegno, and performances by the CMU Pipe and Kiltie bands. More than 20 student organizations are building booths with a “Time Hop” theme, including “Flintstones,” “’80s Hair Bands,” “Star Wars” and “Math in Ancient Greece.”

Sweepstakes Buggy Races
8 a.m. to noon on Friday, April 20, and Saturday, April 21
Held on Tech and Frew streets, and Schenley Drive

Buggies are aerodynamic pushcarts designed and built by student organizations. Each team includes five students who push the buggy in a relay-style race while a driver steers around the 4,400-foot course. Just an inch off the ground, buggies also roll freely reaching speeds of nearly 35 miles per hour. Student organizations cmuTV and WRCT 88.3-FM will broadcast the event on their websites.

Mobot Races
Noon, Friday, April 21
Outdoors, next to Wean Hall

The School of Computer Science challenges members of the CMU community to create and race small, autonomous vehicles (“MObile roBOTs”) along a slalom-style course.

Traffic Alert:

The City of Pittsburgh has granted permits to close several Oakland-area roads during CMU’s Spring Carnival and Sweepstakes buggy races.

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 1:30 p.m. Friday, April 21, and Saturday, April 22. Both City of Pittsburgh Police and Carnegie Mellon Police will be present during the races to help monitor traffic. Roads will re-open by 1:30 p.m. If inclement weather causes the cancellation of the Friday and Saturday competitions, races will be held Sunday, April 23, 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 Carnegie Library and the surrounding area. City of Pittsburgh Police stationed at barricades will give bus drivers instructions for passenger unloading.

Parking: On-campus parking will be limited for non-permit holders and campus visitors, April 17–21. Additional parking will be available free of charge from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday, April 21 at the Bob O’Connor Golf Course at Schenley Park, 5370 Schenley Dr., 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 22. More parking information is available on CMU’s Alumni Association website.