An all new Holiday Kidsplay offering kids multiple free activities will be unveiled the weekend of Light Up Night. Local bands as well as more well-known musicians such as Jamie Lynn Spears and Cobra Starship will be performing in this year’s festivities. The Holiday Market in Market Square is also set to return this year.
There will be over thirty attractions Downtown as the city begins the 2014 holiday season.
“We can’t wait to see you on Friday, Nov. 21 for fireworks, tree lightings, live entertainment, reindeer, ice sculptures, window unveilings and so much more,” said Jeremy Waldrup, President and CEO of Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership, on Nov. 5 at the Light Up Night press conference.
Light Up Night is a family friendly event starting at 12 p.m. to kick off the holiday season. It is host to a number of different activities including performances by various musical guests, tree lightings, sleigh rides, and even a visit by Santa Claus.
“A new weekend series of free family activities… will occur downtown from noon to 5 p.m. every Saturday and Sunday from Nov. 22 through Dec. 23,” said Dan Onorato, executive vice president of public policy, chief government relations and community affairs officer for Highmark at the conference at Fifth Avenue Place.
This will all take place on the 800 block of Liberty Avenue in the Cultural Trust. It was made to allow children and their parents to come Downtown to celebrate the season without the need of a schedule. These activities will be going on with a continuous schedule so as to make it easier to squeeze into a busy day.
“We especially wanted to create an area where parents and their children can more often interact with engaging content at their leisure with minimal scheduling, and activities that can accommodate the ages and attention spans of a wide range of children,’ Onorato said.
These activities start with improv workshops and games from The Arcade Comedy Theater. The Trust Arts Education Center will have an arts and crafts area, as well as book readings including books that are being featured in upcoming productions.
Short holiday films will be shown at the Harris Theater for the Kidsplay and Point Park will be included on two of those days. On Dec. 7 and 14, students from Point Park University’s Conservatory of Performing Arts (COPA) will be singing holiday songs between the films.
“On Light Up Night, the Clemente Bridge will transform into the new BNY Mellon New Music Stage,” said Vince Sands, the Chair of BNY Mellon in Pennsylvania at the conference.
Multiple different performers will be at Light Up Night this year, with names ranging from national groups to local bands. When Macy’s unveils its new holiday window display at 6 p.m., Jamie Lynn Spears will be on the Smithfield Street Stage performing. Throughout the night, different local artists including Grand Piano, Donora, and Jeff Jimerson will be performing in different parts of town. At 8:30 p.m., Cobra Starship will take the BNY Mellon New Music Stage.
Starting on Light Up Night up and remaining open until Christmas Eve, the family favorite Holiday Market will be back in Market Square.
“Folks had an idea that we could continue all that excitement from that single event, which is Light Up Night, and prolong it through the holiday” said Morgan O’Brien, President and CEO of Peoples Natural Gas.
The Holiday Market is a one stop shop for all of your holiday shopping needs. The stands at the market are offering fine items from as far away as Asia and Africa. Everyone will be able to see various performances throughout the season as well as pay a visit to Santa.
“You get a keepsake photo of yourself with Santa… the charge for doing that, getting the keepsake photo, is to make a contribution to the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank,” Morgan O’Brien said.
Light Up Night has become a holiday tradition in Pittsburgh and will continue to be one into the future. The Holiday Market has now become part of that tradition and the Holiday KidsPlay may follow suit.
