“IF YOU BELIEVE
IN THE POWER
OF NEW IDEAS
AND CREATIVITY,
THEN THRIVAL
IS FOR YOU.”
Thrival Music has always been cross-genre and eclectic. The
approach is to avoid having the festival serve one particular
audience or taste. Each year, audiences hear a mixture of sounds
and orchestration — from hip-hop to electronic, alt-indie, funk
and more. “Additionally, Thrival Music has always grabbed a
lot of attention because, simply put, it’s a lot of fun and really
cool,” notes Law. “On the site, attendees can check out vendors,
interactive activities, food trucks, tours inside the Carrie
Furnaces and more.”
Thrival involves hundreds of people and dozens of
organizations all working together toward a common goal.
Whether it’s local and regional government partners, universities,
community groups, startups, corporate sponsors, musicians,
innovators or the many volunteers who offer their time and skills,
Thrival partners all bring something unique to the table that
helps the festival succeed year in and year out.
Thrival Innovation + Music Festival has seen a lot of great
change over the past five years, with the size and scale of Thrival
Music as the most obvious difference. The festival had over
14,000 attendees last year, compared to 1,500+ attendees when
it started in 2013. There were four music acts in the first year, and
nearly 20 acts will be featured in 2017. The acts also continue to
get bigger and bigger. This year, the festival’s headliners are Wiz
Khalifa, Logic, Carnage, GRiZ and Two Door Cinema Club, with
Kyle, Kiiara, TokiMonsta and more.
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For Thrival Innovation, the first (and only) programs in
2013 were thought talks and demos prior to the music. It was
only a few hours long. Now, Thrival Innovation is two days,
and will host dozens of national and international technology
and innovation leaders, with over 15 programs and events.
The “marquee” Thrival Innovation event will be hosted at the
Carnegie Museum of Art on Thursday, Sept. 28, where the entire
museum will feature an array of interactive, artificial intelligence-
inspired exhibits and demos, as well as keynote talks.
The proceeds from Thrival (tickets, sponsorships, food/
beverage sales) go to support Ascender and its mission. Each
year, the size of the festival grows—and so does
the budget—but whatever remaining funds
subsidize the incubator program, community
events and nonprofit operations.
“If you believe in the power of new ideas and
creativity, then Thrival is for you,” says Law. “As
a rule, we are always open to new partners and
collaborators. Each year, there are new faces and
new organizations helping make Thrival a reality.”
For more information, visit thrivalfestival.com.
Follow Thrival on Facebook, Twitter and
Instagram. To learn more about Ascender and its
mission, visit ascenderpgh.com. n