Everything You Need to Know for Pittsburgh Light Up Night 2018

It’s one of the best nights of the year – Pittsburgh Light Up Night!

It may be hard to believe, but the holiday season is upon us again!

Festivities in the ‘burgh don’t officially start until the annual Light Up Night celebration, which happens Downtown on the Friday before Thanksgiving.

This year, Light Up Night is happening on Friday, November 16 – and there is a lot going on. We’ve got everything you need to know listed below. Happy Holidays!

Going to Light Up Night? We want to see! Be sure to tag all of your pictures with #goodfoodpgh and @goodfoodpgh!

Everything You Need to Know for Pittsburgh Light Up Night 2018:

Where is Light Up Night happening?

Light Up Night is happening all over Downtown! There are activities everywhere from the U.S. Steel Tower, to Point State Park. Just head Downtown and walk around – it’s impossible to miss the action.

When is the tree lighting?

There are many tree lightings happening throughout the day on November 16th. The schedule is below.

12:00 p.m. U.S. Steel Tower Dedication of the Crèche
4:30 p.m. Allegheny County Courthouse Tree & Tower Lighting – County Courthouse Courtyard
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. BNY Mellon Season of Lights Countdown
7:00 p.m. Highmark Tree Lighting with Rooftop Fireworks & Laser Show

When does Santa arrive?

Santa will arrive at 5:45 P.M. at One Oxford Centre to flip the switch for the Oxford tree lighting.

Where is the music?

There are four stages of live music scattered across downtown. A map can be found here.

The stages include:
Comcast Main Stage, located at Ft Duquesne Boulevard and Ninth Street
BNY Mellon New Music Stage, located at Ft. Duquesne Boulevard and Sixth Street
Bank of America Rockin’ Blues Stage, located at Stanwix Street and Penn Avenue
EQT Jazzmasters Stage, located in EQT Plaza on Liberty Avenue

Performances begin at 5:30 P.M. and run until 10:00 P.M. A full schedule can be found here.

A few musical highlights include:
Jeff Jimerson and Airborne  – 6:00 p.m. at the Bank of America Rockin’ Blues Stage
Joe Grushecky and The Houserockers – 7:30 p.m at the Bank of America Rockin’ Blues Stage
Elley Duhé – 9:00 p.m. at the BNY Mellon New Music Stage
A Great Big World – 8:00 p.m. at the Comcast Main Stage

What food is being served?

There will be food vendors all over Downtown!

One of the main places to find food is along Fort Duquesne Boulevard. Vendors include:
Simon’s Concessions Gyros
Le’s Oriental
Fabulous Homemade Cookies
Gosia’s Pierogies
Pittsburgh Smokehouse
Edgar’s Best Tacos
Millie’s Homemade Ice cream

Another popular spot for food is Penn Avenue at Stanwix Street. There will several food trucks lined up at this location, including:
Curly Tail Coffee
The Coop Chicken and Waffles
Pittsburgh Sandwich Society
BRGR
Bulldawgs
Revival Chili
Nakama Food Truck
Blue Sparrow
Hoshi

There will also be a limited number of food vendors in Market Square and EQT Plaza.

Where are the free horse drawn carriage rides?

Rides leave from One Oxford Centre between 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. Enjoy a free ride around the block in a beautiful horse-drawn carriage. Pick up happens on Fourth Avenue, and the last ride is at 8:45 p.m.

Where are Santa’s reindeer?

Santa’s reindeer will be in One Oxford Centre from 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. There will also be free indoor activities for children, including: face painting, balloon art, temporary tattoos, a selfie station, live music by Scott and Rosanna, and caricatures.

Is the PPG Ice Skating Rink Open?

Yes! Downtown’s only outdoor skating rink will be open from 11:00 a.m. – Midnight on Light Up Night.  Magic Ice USA is donating $1 of each skate admission to the American Cancer Society.

Will the Peoples Gas Holiday Market be open?

The annual holiday market in Market Square kicks off on Light Up Night and runs until December 23. Stroll through this classic European-style market pick up your holiday gifts. A full schedule of vendors and market events can be found online.

When are the fireworks?

The BNY Mellon Fireworks Finale will happen along Ft Duquesne Boulevard at 10:00 p.m. Launched from the Allegheny River, there will be a spectacular display by Zambelli Fireworks, synchronized to holiday tunes.

Anything else I shouldn’t miss?

– Robert Morris University Island Sports Center’s Figure Skating Academy will open the festivities with a holiday skating show from 4:45 – 5:00 p.m. at PPG Place

– The East End Kids will perform at  5:00 p.m. at PPG Place American Cancer Society’s Tribute of Light/Plaza Tree Lighting

– Stop by Heinz Hall for free Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra Performances featuring holiday classics, happening at 6:30, 7:15, 8:05 p.m.

– Head to the City County Building between 5:00 – 9:00 p.m. to tour some unique spots in the famed building while it is decorated for the holiday season.

What is your favorite part of Light Up Night? Let us know in the comments below!