Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership Welcomes A Brilliant Holiday Season Overflowing With Five Full Weeks Of Free Fun And Fabulous Shopping
57th Annual Comcast Light Up Night® includes 5 stages of free, live music and many free, family activities Peoples Gas Holiday Market™ Transforms Market Square into Holiday Shopping Village with Santa House 5 Holiday Pop Ups bring experiences to Downtown that cannot be enjoyed anywhere else Free Rides to Holiday Hotspots on Fifth Avenue Place Holly Trolley every Saturday and Sunday Holiday Kidsplay Offering Free Family Activities Every Holiday Weekend Free Saturday Parking Starting November 25 Bonus Day of Free Parking, Free Activities and Free Carriage & Trolley Rides on Black Friday, the Biggest Shopping Day of the Year
Schedule of Comcast Light Up Night® Events:
Official Tree Lighting and Ceremonies
11:30 a.m. Allegheny County Courthouse Tower & Tree Lighting
12:00 p.m. U.S. Steel Tower Dedication of the Crèche
5:00 p.m. City County Building tree Lighting
5:30 p.m. PPG Plaza Tree Lighting
5:45 p.m. One Oxford Centre Tree Lighting
5:45 p.m. Santa Lights BNY Mellon Season of Lights in Market Square
7:00 p.m. Highmark Unity Tree Lighting with Rooftop Fireworks
One Oxford Centre
5:45 p.m. Annual Tree Lighting and Santa’s Arrival - Join One Oxford Centre for the official lighting of their 30- foot Christmas tree and welcome Santa Claus! Santa will be on hand to hear children’s holiday wishes.
6:00 – 9:00 p.m. Free Horse Drawn Carriage Rides - Take a ride around the block in a beautiful horse drawn carriage. Pick up will be on Fourth Avenue. (Last ride at 8:45 p.m.)
6:00 – 9:00 p.m. Santa’s Reindeer and Free Activities - Santa’s faithful reindeer are ready to greet you in the outdoor plaza. Enjoy free indoor activities for children such as face painting, balloon art, sand art and caricatures.
PPG Place
The MassMutual Pittsburgh Ice Rink is open until midnight on Light Up Night®.
4:45 – 5:00 p.m. Robert Morris University Island Sports Figure Skating - Kick off the holiday season with an onice interpretation of Polar Express.
5:00 – 5:30 p.m. East End Kids - This talented group kicks off the evening’s festivities with a dazzling performance.
5:30 - 6:00 p.m. American Cancer Society’s Tribute of Light/Plaza Tree Lighting - The Plaza will glow as more than 300 people carry hand-held Tribute of Light memorials, dedicated to someone touched by cancer. The ceremony culminates with the lighting of the breathtaking 65-foot Plaza Christmas tree. All proceeds benefit The American Cancer Society.
Comcast will offer free interactive attractions and entertainment as part of the evening’s festivities:
· At the XFINITY Experience on The Andy Warhol Bridge and Ft. Duquesne Boulevard, people can try a winter sports virtual reality experience, warm up with a free cup of cocoa, take advantage of a charging station for cell phones and use a winter sleigh backdrop to make their own electronic holiday cards.
· At various locations Downtown, Comcast’s Street Team will have special giveaways including fun holiday gifts (while supplies last).
· The Street Team will also capture images of the crowd enjoying the festivities that will be shared via social media and displayed on video screens in multiple locations. People can submit their own pictures or messages by posting images with the hashtag #LUN2017.
Other key highlights for Comcast Light Up Night® include:
Ft Duquesne Boulevard Pedestrian Promenade
In addition to the Comcast Main Stage, The BNY Mellon New Music Stage and the Xfinity Experience, Ft. Duquesne Boulevard between 6th and 9th Streets will be a pedestrian promenade, filled with tasty food, vendors, and unique experiences. It’s also the perfect spot to view the fantastic
BNY Mellon Fireworks Finale
BNY Mellon Fireworks Finale Beginning at 9:38 don’t miss one of Pittsburgh’s most spectacular displays by the first family of pyrotechnics, Zambelli Fireworks, synchronized to a brand new, live holiday broadcast on Q92-9. Spectator viewing will be best on Ft. Duquesne Boulevard between Sixth and Ninth Streets.
Peoples Gas Holiday Market™ (please see Peoples Gas Holiday Market™ full press release)
The Peoples Gas Holiday Market™ will open with an expanded diversity of special gifts and every half hour Market Square will be transformed by the musically synchronized BNY Mellon Season of Lights, which kicks off with Santa flipping the switch at 5:45 p.m. This dazzling light display will alternate with performances of holiday tunes by local acapella group, the Chromatics Quartet.
Tree Lightings and Ceremonies
A full slate of seven official tree lightings and ceremonies begins at 11:15 a.m. with the lighting of the tree at the CityCounty Building and concludes at 7:00 p.m. with the lighting of Highmark Unity Tree followed by rooftop fireworks. Additionally, many of Downtown’s signature buildings and businesses, including Fifth Avenue Place, One Oxford Centre and PPG Place, will host a packed Comcast Light Up Night® schedule of music and family activities.
Free Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra Concerts
The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra will open the doors to Heinz Hall for several, free, mini-concerts on Comcast Light Up Night®. Beginning at 7:00 p.m. guests are invited to enjoy holiday classics including selections from Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite, as well as Leroy Anderson’s Holiday Classic, Sleigh Ride. The mini concerts will last about 30 minutes and visitors may pop in at any time.
City Hall Tours
In honor of the building’s 100th Anniversary, the City of Pittsburgh is proud to open the doors of the historic CityCounty Building (414 Grant Street) to the public, allowing a unique behind the scenes look at the seat of Pittsburgh’s government when decorated in its holiday best! Visitors are invited to stop by on Comcast Light Up Night®, Friday, November 17 from 5:00 – 9:00 p.m. and on Saturday, November 18 from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Guests will have the opportunity to visit the Council Chamber, the rarely opened Pittsburgh Government Vault, the Hall of Mayor’s, and the Office of the Mayor - the second home to every Pittsburgh chief executive for 100 years! Lastly, visitors will enjoy Pittsburgh’s Official Christmas Tree featuring hundreds of larger than life ornaments, including Pittsburgh’s Coat of Arms designed by Wendell August, and 90 distinct ornaments, crafted by local technology firm HackPittsburgh, bearing the name of each of Pittsburgh's beloved neighborhoods.
Blast! Party
One way visitors can take their Comcast Light Up Night® celebration to the next level is to attend Blast! The VIP Party. Hosted by Comcast and thrown by the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership, the event will be held for the first time in the upper lobby of the U.S. Steel Tower. As an added bonus, guests will have the rare opportunity to go ON the roof of the Steel Building (weather permitting) for this ticketed event featuring signature cocktails, fine foods, desserts, and entertainment! Also, with ticket purchase, guests will receive special viewing access for the BNY Mellon Firework finale. To learn more about the event and to purchase tickets, visit DowntownPittsburgh.com/Holidays.
DowntownPittsburgh.Com/Holidays
As a helpful resource for the anticipated crowds, the PDP has a comprehensive website www.DowntownPittsburgh.com/Holiday that provides an overview of the events and activities occurring throughout Downtown Pittsburgh this holiday season including schedules and maps for Light Up Night®, the Peoples Gas Holiday Market™, Downtown shopping, cultural performances and special weekend activities. The PDP also produces a weekly Holiday Season e-newsletter to keep everyone current with the latest holiday updates. To receive this e-newsletter, visit http://www.downtownpittsburgh.com/subscribe.
