The 2022 Festival of Combustion features live music throughout the day and evening from local and regional artists along with tethered hot air balloon rides with views over the beautiful Monongahela Valley! (weather permitting) The evening festivities also include flame performances, an evening iron pour, a host of arts activities, and a one-of-a-kind fireworks display over the Carrie Blast Furnaces National Historic Landmark beginning at dusk.
Live Music All Day and Night
The 2022 Festival of Combustion will showcase rotating musicians on a single main stage located in the festival grounds. Featured bands include Bindley Hardware Company, The Moon My Twin and World II.
The Moon My Twin
Alternative rockers The Moon My Twin will finish off the evening accompanied by an encore performance with Steel Town Fire.
7:00 – 8:15 p.m.
Bindley Hardware Company
Don’t miss Pittsburgh’s own Bindley Hardware Company and their mix of alt-country and folk-inspired tunes.
4:15 – 5:45 p.m.
World 2
Local rockers World 2 will kick off the day’s festivities with their blend of heavy steel city rock and roll.
2:00 – 3:15 p.m.
Hot Air Balloon Rides
5:00 – 8:00 p.m. – Weather Dependent
For the first time ever, visitors to the Festival of Combustion can see the Monongahela Valley like never before, far above the Carrie Blast Furnaces in the basket of a hot air balloon! Pending good weather, tethered rides will be offered between 5:00 and 8:00 P.M. (This timeframe is required by the balloon provider based on the safest weather conditions.) Additional fees apply.
Flaming Art Feature: Fine With This
5:30 – 9:00 p.m.
This year’s Flaming Art Feature entitled Fine With This was created by artists Kay Dart, Taylor Hokanson, and Stephen Lee. Inspired in equal measure by meme culture and global calamity, Fine With This consists of a series of monumental, cast iron letters that spell out the title of the work. Fine With This is perpetually aflame, but the audience can command it to exude great bursts of fire and interact with it as a campfire. Indeed, the work is designed to be experienced casually, promoting a conversation about armchair activism, community and the ways in which our culture can have a concrete impact on real world events. Visitors can take part in the conversation by roasting marshmallow s’mores over the flames.
Cost: $2 suggested donation for s’mores
Flame Performances
5:30 p.m.
Flame performances return this year featuring talented performers from Steel Town Fire! Guests will enjoy live fire breathing, fire spinning, and dancing throughout the evening; and daytime attractions include festival-themed stilt walkers created by Lovely Lady Lydia Artistry.
Performance Iron Pour
6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Sparks will fly after dark at the Festival of Combustion! Iron performers will create colorful flames and exciting visual effects by pouring molten iron into solid ice and other reaction molds. Enjoy some of the region’s best music and watch the iron glow in the night like hot lava.
Fireworks over the Carrie Blast Furnaces!
8:30 p.m.
Don’t miss the rocket’s red glare burst over the Carrie Blast Furnaces! Stick around with the kiddos for an early evening fireworks display at 8:30 p.m. and send the 2022 Festival of Combustion out with a real bang!
Learn more about the events
such as tours, workshops, and festivals happening at each unique attraction.
