Britsburgh to return with music, food and remembrance for late Prince Philip

When the seventh annual Britsburgh festival kicks off next month, it will begin with a celebration of the life of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.

“We felt it is so important to commemorate his life,” Britsburgh president Robert Charlesworth said of Queen Elizabeth’s husband, who died in April at 99. “He was a gracious gentleman, often controversial. But the good outweighs his idiosyncrasies.”

Britsburgh is produced by British-American Connections Pittsburgh, which holds year-round programs and events about British history, tradition and culture.

The event in honor of Prince Philip begins at 3 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 6 (Labor Day) at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Highland Park. As part of the program Jon Tyillian, the assistant organist from Calvary Episcopal Church, will perform music associated with the prince’s life, from hymns sung at his wedding to “Pomp and Circumstance.”

The festival continues through Sunday, Sept. 12, with 10 more events, ranging from a Downtown Pittsburgh tour to Shakespeare in the park to a concert and car cruise. A special beer has been brewed to celebrate Britsburgh.

Last year’s event was held virtually and drew 1,000 participants, said Charlesworth, a director at KPMG who lives in Bridgeville. This year it will be a hybrid format with CDC coronavirus guidelines observed throughout.

“We haven’t forgotten there is a deadly virus out there.” Charlesworth said in a statement. “We want everyone to be safe, so we are following CDC guidelines as a minimum, with certain events requiring a vaccination to attend. My personal message to unvaccinated doubters is please speak to your doctor about your concerns and get your covid-19 vaccination today!”

East End Brewing Co. in Larimer will release the “Tony Knipling Cask” at 6 p.m. on Sept. 7. Brewed with British and American pale malt, crystal malt, roasted barley, fuggle hops and treacle syrup, the light ale is low in alcohol (5.2% ABV) and named in honor of the Pittsburgh craft-beer advocate who died in 2017. The night’s menu will feature British-inspired pizza and a ploughman’s lunch (cheese, bread, chutney), and British music will be played.

“We have been partnering with East End for a number of years,” said Charlesworth. “This beer is really, really good.”

The Downtown tour will be held from 10:30 a.m. to noon on Sept. 8 with the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation. Karen Cahall, retired education coordinator from PHLF, will lead the 90-minute walk that starts at Katz Plaza at the corner of Seventh Street and Penn Avenue. She will discuss the city’s abundance of Scottish street names, Andrew Carnegie’s Scottish heritage and other British connections.

To finish out the festival on Sept. 12, The British Invasion, a 1960s British rock tribute band from Ohio, will perform at 1 p.m. at Settlers Cabin Park in Robinson. “They are fantastic,” said Charlesworth. Before the performance, there will be food trucks and a car cruise. British and American automobile owners are invited to bring their vehicles.

A complete list of events can be found here.