ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd sˈɛvənti sˈɪks, wˌɪtʃ wʌz bˈoʊθ ðə twˈɛntiəθ ˌænɪvˈɜːsɚɹi ʌvðə pˈɪtsbɜːɡ fˈoʊk fˈɛstɪvəl ænd ðə jˈɪɹ ɪnwˌɪtʃ ðə juːnˈaɪɾᵻd stˈeɪts baɪsəntˈɛnɪəl wʌz sˈɛləbɹˌeɪɾᵻd, nˈuːzpeɪpɚz əkɹˌɑːs ðə kˈʌntɹi ɹᵻpˈoːɹɾᵻd ðæt pˈɪtsbɜːɡz ˈænjuːəl mˌʌltɪkˈʌltʃɚɹəl ᵻvˈɛnt hæd bɪkˌʌm wˈʌn ʌv ɪts nˈeɪʃənz lˈɑːɹdʒɪst aʊtdˈoːɹ fˈɛstɪvəlz.
In 1976, which was both the twentieth anniversary of the Pittsburgh Folk Festival and the year in which the United States Bicentennial was celebrated, newspapers across the country reported that Pittsburgh's annual multicultural event had become one of its nation's largest outdoor festivals.