The Thrival Innovation and Music Festival is back this September with a BIG lineup, a new location, and free music for all.

Previously held at the Carrie Furnaces in Swissvale, this year’s music festival will take place in Schenley Plaza — and all of the music is free.

In an announcement yesterday, organizers told City Paper they sought to get back to their roots and give back to the community with free performances by the likes of Insomniac DJ and Pittsburgh native, Buku (a.k.a. Robert Balotsky), Beauty Slap, and Title Town. Expect more acts to be announced in the coming weeks.

In addition to the music festival, a two-day Innovation Summit will be held at the Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh, NEXTpittsburgh reports.

Thrival’s theme for 2019 is: By Pittsburgh. For Pittsburgh. For the World.

In other news…

Rep. Guy Reschenthaler missed scathing congressional testimony from comedian Jon Stewart this week in which Stewart derided elected officials for their failure to ensure that a 9/11 victims’ compensation fund never runs out of money. Reschenthaler’s office says he’s on record as supporting the bill Stewart was advocating for. But Stewart, a longtime advocate for 9/11 first responders, said victims deserved more. “Sick and dying, they brought themselves down here to speak to no one – shameful,” Stewart said. The House Judiciary Committee advanced the bill yesterday, and it now heads to the full House. (90.5 WESA / NBC News)

Optional pollution standards are coming to the Ohio River. The Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission recently voted to roll back long-standing pollution controls along the famed waterway. The commission will still maintain its own list of recommended water quality standards, but as of June 6, the commission’s nine member states are free to disregard the rules in favor of their own local regulations. The commission insists the move provides “needed flexibility,” while environmental advocates are sounding the alarm. (NEXTpittsburgh)

Wait … have we all been pronouncing Pittsburgh wrong? According to Robert Thomson, yes. Addressing Pittsburgh City Council on Wednesday, Thomson argued that the founder of Pittsburgh, General John Forbes, was a Scot and would have pronounced Pittsburgh more like “Pittsboro.” Thomson thinks we all should honor that, and he’s asking city officials to take the lead. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

The Three Rivers Arts Festival is in full swing. If you haven’t made it Downtown for the festival yet, do it! Here’s what’s on tap.

• Today: Lucius will perform this evening.
• Friday: Music from Too Many Zooz and Tank and the Bangas, plus poetry from City of Asylum.
• Saturday: More than a dozen performances, including Mandolin Orange.
• Sunday: A dozen shows, including Pittsburgh favorite Joe Grushecky and the Houserockers.

That’s all in addition to the massive artist market, exhibitions, public art, and a DIY creativity zone. Here are a few other things you can’t miss.

• A retrospective of the festival’s 60 years showing how art trends have changed over time (Pittsburgh Magazine)
• A Pittsburgh time capsule (NEXTpittsburgh)
• Rainbow-colored animal sculptures made from flip-flops recovered from the beaches and waterways of Kenya (Pittsburgh City Paper)
• The U.S. premiere of Origami, a mix of dance, aerial work, and trapeze-like choreography (Pittsburgh Current)

Now, let’s all hope for good weather.

🤖 Now through June 17: Who’s shaping Pittsburgh’s tech scene? Highlight their work by nominating them for our Who’s Next award. Nominations are due by 10 a.m. on Monday, June 17.

🍎 June 26: Celebrate The Incline’s Who’s Next: Education class, 19 up-and-comers preparing Pittsburgh for the future, at a happy hour in their honor (Downtown)

If you want/need the cuteness of Toco Toucans in your life — and who among us doesn’t — head to the National Aviary where a pair of the colorful birds are now greeting visitors in a brand new habitat exhibit dubbed the TreeTops.

The birds do not have names yet, but the Aviary staff plans to fix that soon.