Event Details
There's so much to see and do at Hothouse this year! Learn more using the links below:
- Tickets
- Getting There & Map
- Music & Entertainment
- Showcase
- Refreshments
- Silent Auction
- Location &
Event Architecture - Note to Guests
Tickets
Hothouse is a party that benefits The Sprout Fund. Doors open at 7pm for VIP ticket holders and 9pm for all others.
General Admission includes the main party from 9:00pm to 12:00am, complimentary food from Pittsburgh favorites, and complimentary beer, wine, and spirits (sold for $50 at the door/$25 college students)
VIP Admission includes a reception from 7:00pm to 9:00pm catered by big Catering, Sprout goodie bag with Hothouse T-Shirt, complimentary valet parking, and admission to main party (sold for $150)
Getting There & Map
Hothouse is being held on the upper floors of the historic Union Trust Building in Downtown Pittsburgh. Guests will find the Main Party Entrance on Oliver Avenue between Grant Street and William Penn Place. Click here for a map and directions.
The Sprout Fund encourages the use of public transportation and bicycles. Valet Parking is also available. Other parking is readily available at several nearby Pittsburgh Parking Authority garages.
Valet Parking: Valet drop-off is at the Main Party Entrance on Oliver Avenue. Parking is included for VIP ticket holders; just show your ticket to the valet attendant. Parking is $10 for all others. Oliver Avenue will be closed to regular traffic between Grant Street and William Penn Place.
Public Transportation: Downtown is easily accessible by most Port Authority bus lines. Busses with nearby stops include the 51 line from the South Side, the 71 line from Oakland, or the 61 and 77 lines out of the East End.
Bicycle: Or, you can bike your way to Hothouse and leave your ride with Bike Pittsburgh’s complimentary bike valet at the corner of Grant and Oliver.
Music & Entertainment
Foyer Stage
VIP guests are welcomed to Hothouse by the sophisticated sounds of some of Pittsburgh’s freshest young composers and chamber musicians including original works by Alia Musica at 7pm followed by new arrangements of familiar tunes by the Marcus Kim Trio.
Great Hall Main Stage
A full evening of musical entertainment awaits in the plush surroundings of the Union Trusts’ impressive theatre. Here you will find an evolving selection of performers that begins with the charm of the River City Six brass band. Following this, Ben Opie leads The Braxton Project, a hand-picked jazz quartet through the work of renowned composer Anthony Braxton. After the angular jazz carries out the remainder of the VIP reception, local independent psych-rock outfit Harangue blows the doors off as the main party begins. Next, to get party goers in the dancing mood, Zafira Dance Company offers a new take on old-timey vaudeville and belly-dancing burlesque. The evening only gets hotter as Pittsburgh-rooted Hip Hop phenomenon Hands Down fires it up. Closing the evening with a blast, DJ Selecta takes party-goers through the roof of the Union Trust right up until midnight.
11th Floor Lounges
Taking the stairs up from the glass-canopied 10th floor atria, guests find an eclectic aural experience around each corner.
In the Jazz Lounge, Interval with J.Malls & the Musicians of Wylie Avenue will bring sophisticated jazz from a host of Pittsburgh’s best emerging and veteran artists to make this lounge as hip as Wylie Avenue back in the day.
In the Eclectic Lounge, Joy Ike brings pop, jazz, and soul, all in one bowl. Hear Assembly’s electro-pop characterized by sophisticated harmony, odd rhythms, poetic lyrics, and abstract detours. Then Grackles flock in on black wings to bring the night to a close.
In the Dance Lounge, Lucid Music rolls out with the good old hip hop while Keeb$ and Pandemic keep the beats flowing for your dancing pleasure.
Showcase
Exiting the elevator banks on the 10th floor, guests arrive in the midst of an exciting showcase of nearly 50 projects supported by Sprout’s Seed Award, Public Art, Engage Pittsburgh and Pittsburgh 250 Community Connections programs.
No matter how you choose to begin exploring all that Hothouse has to offer this year, be sure not to miss some of these highlights:
From green-themed innovation to urban exploration, from art in the public realm to outdoor recreation, explore public spaces in new ways with a tour of several project rooms on the 10th floor.
Start the night off with a neighborly welcome by visiting the Won’t You Be My Neighbor? Days room where you’ll find a re-creation of Mr. Rogers’ famous living room set and keep on the look out for a Speedy Delivery from Mr. McFeely himself!
At the Allegheny Market House, visitors will be transported back to a classic market experience that creates community through cuisine. Take a break at the Wild Waterways Conservancy campsite for campfire stories and photo slideshows of Exploring Western Pennsylvania’s Wild Waterways.
Walk through an indoor garden to learn about different strategies for reclaiming vacant lots, from cultivating vegetable crops for local markets to establishing a new community park, Grow Pittsburgh, GTECH Strategies and New Rising Sun bring the green.
Step into the deepLocal phone booths and find out how to use your mobile phone to explore your environment and meet new people. Stop in across the hall to get a glimpse of some of your favorite Pittsburgh Signs from across the region and make a sign for yourself.
Get into the flow of things by visiting the Allegheny CleanWays presentation of Flow Fest, an interactive exhibition of life on our Three Rivers, then find out the best places to play and paddle by visiting Venture Outdoors and Friends of the Riverfront. If that’s not enough outdoor activity, check out the Youghtoberfest innertube-toss game or give the Wheel-of-Health-Fortune a spin for a chance to win free tickets to the first ever Allegheny County Walkers Fest this fall.
Consider the evolving visual style of the MLK Community Mural Project and meet some of the people behind this initiative. Learn about Sprout Public Art’s process for creating community murals and take in the details of large-scale Gigapan mural prints. Or check out the Trail Towns Public Art Program’s regional initiative to spruce things up in six towns along the Great Allegheny Passage. Even more art is on display from the Three Rivers Community Art Gallery including their installation Water(Re)Cycle.
From art in the public realm to the intimacy of the artists’ studio, Unsmoke Systems presents a multimedia show including projections, a gallery hanging, and catalogue profiling each of the 7 artists in residence at this Braddock enclave.
Witness the sights and sounds of Pittsburgh on the silver screen. See the latest installment of East of Liberty, an ongoing documentary series about the historical and contemporary changes facing the East Liberty neighborhood, and talk with filmmaker Chris Ivey. Contribute your own story to Greetings from Pittsburgh: Neighborhood Narratives, a participatory film project that gathers personal stories about life in our fair city.
Try your hand at the sustainability games of Creative Reuse where everyday discards find new life.
Become part of the action by participating in one of Dr. Sketchy’s tongue-in-cheek burlesque drawing sessions or observe the techniques of The Academy of the South Side live painting demonstration and Citywide Salon showcase. Experience a test of flow by the Emcees of Rhyme Calisthenics as they spin The Wheel of Skills in this hip hop competition. Or become entranced by the Vaudeville Carnivale strobe-light performance by the Zafira Dance Company.
Find your way to the oral history wing where documentarians from In Sisterhood: the Women’s Movement in Pittsburgh, The August Wilson Center, and The Community 2.0 Challenge will be conducting interviews, gathering new stories, recording the collective memory and rediscovering community identity.
Keep history alive and celebrate our city’s Pride and Progress with Pittsburgh 250.
Take in the message of testify artist Vanessa German as she confronts community violence with powerful performance in an intimate setting. Donning devices to amplify their Heartbeats, guests can become part of the performance, part of the story.
Re-live your college days in the Mentor-2-Mentor dorm room and find out how Strong Women Strong Girls is helping young women find opportunities for professional development in mentoring relationships with local leading ladies. Just down the hall, you can step inside a life-sized issue of The Original and add your own images and words to this life and culture magazine for the student set.
Take a load off in the Shoe Scuffing room where Sprout-supported artist Jennifer Gooch of One Cold Hand fame will turn your lame white sneakers into über-hip kicks.
Get an exclusive look at art with historic weight as the Industrial Arts Co-operative presents models of their monumental endeavor of steel, the long-awaited South Side Works Sculpture. Across the hall, Fe gallery presents an advanced sneak preview of their upcoming regional exhibition In the Making: 250 Years, 250 Artists, showcasing the work of southwestern Pennsylvania artists through the years. Challenge yourself to create your own work of art within the limitations set by Passports: Art of Diversity where you can try your hand at illustration while wearing a blindfold.
Make your way to the 11th floor for a pick-me-up at the Foster Care Coffee House Tour where you can learn about the rewarding experience of being a foster parent from Family Services of Western Pennsylvania.
Finally, be transported back to the early Twentieth Century by a theatrical adaptation of Thomas Bell’s landmark novel of industry and labor, Out of this Furnace, with short performances in the Unseam’d Shakespeare Company Theatre.
Refreshments
Bring your appetite and sample food and drink selections from nearly 30 of Pittsburgh’s favorite restaurants, cafes, bakeries, and breweries including VIP food service by big Catering, fine foods from Six Penn Kitchen, brillobox, and Double Wide Grill, haute cuisine from Girasole and Seviche, deserts from Coco’s, Dozen, and Vanilla Pastry Studio, coffee by Starbucks, beer from Penn Brewery and spirits by Boyd & Blair and Diageo North America. Food vendors at Hothouse include:
- All in Good Taste Productions
- B&M Catering
- big Catering
- Bigelow Grille
- Bites & Brews
- brillobox
- Buffalo Blues
- Coco’s Cupcakes
- Diageo North America
- Double Wide Grill
- Dozen Cupcakes & Bake Shop
- East End Food Co-op
- The Elbow Room
- Enrico Biscotti Company Ristorante
- Girasole
- GIVE Water
- Gypsy Cafe
- The Harris Grill, A Café
- Jones Soda
- La Prima Espresso Company
- Mercurio’s Mulberry Creamery
- Mon Aimee Chocolat
- The Pennsylvania Brewing Company
- Pennsylvania Pure Distilleries LLC
- Radisson Hotel Pittsburgh
- Red Room Café
- Seviche
- Six Penn Kitchen
- Sonoma Grille
- Southern Wine & Spirits
- Starbucks Coffee Company
- Vanilla Pastry Studio
- Whole Foods Market Pittsburgh
Silent Auction
Once again, Hothouse brings guests one of Pittsburgh’s most diverse selections of more than 50 silent auction items. Guests will find a broad array of tempting (and affordable) items—choose among the dozen or so donated works of fine art, Penguins or Pirates tickets, yoga classes or bus passes. This year you can bid to have a custom gelato flavor named after you at Shadyside’s Mercurio’s Mulberry Creamery. Sweets not for you? How about a private tour of The Carnegie International with curator Douglas Fogle or a tour of vodka sponsor Boyd & Blair’s Pittsburgh-based distillery. Bid on items from
- All Star Limousine
- Boyd & Blair Potato Vodka
- Bricolage
- Mike Budai
- The Capital Grille
- Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh
- Carnegie Museum of Art
- Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh
- Carnegie Science Center
- Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh
- City Theatre
- Dance Alloy
- Dozen Bake Shop
- Encyclopedia Destructica
- Eons Fashion Antique
- Friendship Development Associates
- Giant Eagle/Get Go
- David Grim
- Hiptique
- Idealist Coach
- International Poetry Forum
- Larrimor’s
- Rob Larson
- Lawrenceville Hospitality House Tour
- Littlearth Productions
- Abby Mendelson
- Mercurio’s Mulberry Creamery
- Mexican War Streets Society
- David Montano
- Burton Morris
- NCJW’s Designer Days Boutique
- Christine O’Toole
- Oxford Development Company
- Pavement
- Pittsburgh Ballet Theater
- Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership
- Pittsburgh Glass Center
- Pittsburgh Irish & Classical Center
- Pittsburgh Laser Wash
- Pittsburgh Opera
- Pittsburgh Public Theater
- Pittsburgh Steelers
- Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
- Port Authority of Allegheny County
- Quantum Theater
- Riverside Design Group
- Saks Fifth Avenue
- Schoolhouse Yoga
- Sugar Boutique
- Josh Tonies
- Trek Bicycle Store of Pittsburgh
- Venture Outdoors
- Nic Vincent
- Flynne Wecht
- William Penn Tavern
- August Wilson Center
- WYEP 91.3 FM
Location & Event Architecture
The Union Trust Building, built in 1915, looms over the 500 block of Grant Street between 5th and Oliver Avenues. The ornate façade and mansard roof stand in stark contrast to its more modern towering neighbor, One Mellon Center.
Thommy Conroy & James Maszle, Event Architecture, are our Hothouse impresarios. We can’t wait to see what they’ll make of the exquisite grandeur of the Union Trust!
Hothouse features lighting design and technical direction by Rob Long and Doug McDermott of Clear Story Creative
Hothouse marketing design was created by Brian Holderman.
Note to Guests
Please bring a valid photo ID displaying your date of birth for age verification. All food and beverages at this event are complimentary. Certain event areas have limited handicapped accessibility.