Pittsburgh unveils plans for Light Up Night Saturday
Pittsburgh will ring in the holiday season Saturday with a Light Up Night celebration that includes the lighting of the city’s official holiday tree, four hours of music and the unveiling of the city’s annual gingerbread house display.
The city will light its 107th annual Christmas tree — a 40-foot evergreen that is adorning the portico of the City-County Building on Grant Street — on Saturday as part of the Highmark Light Up Night festivities.
The tree lighting tradition dates back to 1915, when the city put up a tree at the construction site of the City-County Building.
The Blue Spruce was donated from Guardian Angels Parish’s campus in Springdale. It will be decorated with hundreds of ornaments, including Pittsburgh’s coat of arms designed by Wendell August Forge and 90 ornaments bearing the name of each city neighborhood.
The tree lighting includes fireworks and a light show from 5 p.m. till 5:20 p.m.
The Light Up Night festivities also include four hours of live music along Grant Street outside of the City-County Building.
Related:
• Pittsburgh's official holiday tree hails from Springdale
• Pittsburgh accepting gingerbread house entries for annual holiday display
The schedule includes Ben & Friends at 4 p.m., River City Brass at 5:30 p.m., the Salvation Army Band at 6:30 p.m. and 7:45 p.m. and the Capa Jazz Band Quartet at 7 p.m.
Another light show is scheduled for 8 p.m. at the City-County Building.
The 20th annual gingerbread house display will be unveiled in the City-County Building lobby at 4 p.m.
“The annual Gingerbread House Display and Competition is an iconic Pittsburgh tradition and I am thankful that it is returning to the City-County Building this year,” Mayor Ed Gainey said. “Community celebrations like this showcase the vibrancy of our city and create a safe and welcoming space for Pittsburghers to celebrate the holiday season.”
Hundreds of gingerbread displays created by individuals, families and groups will remain on display through Jan. 6.
Julia Felton is a TribLive reporter covering Pittsburgh City Hall and other news in and around Pittsburgh. A La Roche University graduate, she joined the Trib in 2020. She can be reached at jfelton@triblive.com.
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