A How-to Guide to PirateFest 2015

So you’ve decided to go to PirateFest 2015?

Good choice I’d say! If you have never been or don’t know what PirateFest is, it’s where Pittsburghers take to the sea and pillage neighboring cities of their gold and wine. Or it’s the annual convention where the Pittsburgh Pirates players interact with their fans. Personally, I think the former would be super interesting to see.

I’ve been attending PirateFest since I was ten years old and in that time, I’ve seen it grow from a small event where you could get some autographs to a weekend convention inside the mammoth David L. Lawrence Convention Center. In my nearly twenty years of attending PirateFest, I’ve learned a thing or two about how to maximize the fun and make the best use of your time. Today I am going to give you a list of what to do and what not to do at PirateFest.

Do:

Q&A

Go to every question and answer session, whether it’s for the players or management. It’s a cool opportunity to ask people in the organization whatever question you want. It can be a little fluffy at times, but you definitely get a lot of good and interesting questions. It isn’t every day you can ask Neal Huntington or Clint Hurdle questions, so this is a very good event and in my opinion the highlight of PirateFest.

It is also really fun to watch the players answer some of the absurd questions fans come up with. My favorite example from a recent PirateFest is last year, when a fan asked who the best dancer on the team was and for some reason the consensus was Jordy Mercer (though I think they said he was the most unique dancer on the team).

Deal or No Deal

Watch fans play against Pirates’ players in Deal or No Deal. It’s mostly just amusing to watch the fan reaction when they win cool prizes. Personally I find it entertaining to watch the players in a very casual and relaxed environment. I truly believe they’re having more fun than the fans during this event. Deal or no Deal is nowhere near as popular as it was a few years ago, but at PirateFest, it’s one of the more popular events and in my opinion, very fun to watch.

Merchandise

PirateFest is also a great time to pick up some great merchandise for either yourself or as a holiday gift for the fan in your life. You can also find a pretty decent selection of stuff on sale. It’s not much different from going to the Majestic Clubhouse store, but they usually have some special PirateFest items for purchase.

If you don’t want t-shirts or the typical items, there are also a ton of game-worn jerseys, caps, and even bases available. You will find a ton of really cool game-used Pirates’ memorabilia. It can get expensive, but if you’re a collector, it’s a fantastic place to find pretty rare stuff. The hot ticket item in 2014 was the line-up card from Gregory Polanco’s Major League Debut. There is plenty of stuff like that, in addition to all the jerseys and caps you could possibly imagine.

Don’t:

Autograph Lines

This is 100 percent personal preference, but in my opinion, the wait for autographs makes them not worth it. For the more marquee players, you could be waiting upwards of one to two hours. You end up missing a huge chunk of the event and experience while you’re waiting in line. Autographs are wonderful and I see their appeal, but I think there are better and more efficient ways to get them. PirateFest is a fun event to celebrate the Pittsburgh Pirates; it should not be spent waiting in line.

Obviously, if you’re only interested in autographs, then by all means, do what you have to do, since PirateFest is whatever you want it to be. That’s the beauty of the event, but to me, you can get autographs any time of the year during the baseball season, but you can only watch Jared Hughes play Guitar Hero once a year. That’s how I choose to spend my PirateFest weekend, but if you want autographs, you get your autographs and don’t let anyone stop you!

Pay for Convention Center Food

I hope this one doesn’t get me in trouble with anyone, but you’re in downtown Pittsburgh and there are so many amazing restaurants within walking distance. The Convention Center food is fine for a quick snack or for people with way too many young children to realistically walk the streets of downtown, but if you’re alone or with a few people, there is zero reason to pay for food there. Unless it’s freezing outside, take a walk and find one of the delicious eateries and get yourself a fantastic meal at a much better price. I personally recommend Sienna Mercato, Winghart’s Burger and Whiskey Bar, or just go to any Primanti Brothers location.

Obviously these are only my suggestions from my experiences of my years of attending PirateFest, but PirateFest is what you make of it. If you want to wait for an autograph and then grab dinner at the Convention Center, you do it. It’s an amazingly fun event and there is no right or wrong way to experience it.

This is just my how-to guide, but it is by no means infallible or perfect. The only thing that matters is you have fun and do whatever you think is best. If you see a bald, bearded man in a sports coat walking around, it’s me and please feel free to say hello! I would love to meet as many of you as possible. The real highlight of PirateFest is getting to be around as many fans as possible. It’s winter, and we won’t be inside PNC Park for a long time, so PirateFest is really the last chance to be around a large group of Pirates’ fans until Opening Day. That’s really what the event is all about. Pirates’ fans coming together to celebrate their favorite team and have a hell of a lot of fun doing it.

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