Gametime for Pittsburgh: 2026 NFL Draft

2026 is going to be an exciting time for events in Pittsburgh, PA. The NFL Draft will be held in Pittsburgh from April 23 to April 25, 2026. It will utilize both Acrisure Stadium in the North Shore and Point State Park. Events will also be held at the Heinz History Center in the Strip District.

The NFL draft is expected to be the largest visitor event in the city’s history, with hundreds of thousands of people expected to attend.

When Pittsburgh’s bid was submitted, it was projected anywhere from 200,000 to 300,000 people might attend. The 2024 draft in downtown Detroit set a new attendance record with more than 775,000 fans for the three-day event, which was expected to generate more than $160 million in economic impact at hotels, bars, restaurants and retail stores. Estimates now for Pittsburgh are between 550 – 700,000 people attending.

More than a year before the NFL draft arrives in Pittsburgh, the local tourism sector is in full preparation mode — driven by the hope that the event could positively impact the city for years to come. The draft is helping to nudge local projects. The city is embarking on a 10-year, $600 million plan to revamp Downtown, and several projects aim to be completed before the draft, including the $31 million Arts Landing project in Downtown that intends to transform the Eighth Street corridor along the Allegheny River.

The NFL’s director of Event Location Strategy and Planning, Ashley Hamilton, says the league must figure out how to seamlessly connect events on the North Shore and in Point State Park. It’s the first time that a draft perimeter has spanned a river.

Details have yet to be finalized on how the NFL will split its events between the two locations that make up its official draft footprint or how the league will ensure a smooth experience for fans traveling from place to place.

Local businesses will be able to apply to be vendors for the three-day event, which will include pop-ups beyond the North Shore and Point State Park. Details have not been released. The NFL is encouraging additional events before and during the draft — fan festivals, pop-up shops and other events run by local businesses adjacent to the main events run by the league. That presents a lot of opportunity for businesses.
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It’s Gametime for Pittsburgh as the draft can help the city attract even more large-scale events. Hosting a successful major event will prove the city is capable of meeting the demands of other future significant attractions.

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