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It feels like we just turned the clocks back, so it’s hard to fathom turning the calendar ahead. If we’re lucky, one of the biggest nights of the year in Pittsburgh will enjoy the same temperate weather that Light Up Night (one of the other biggest nights of the year!) did in November.
One thing’s for sure: It’s the milestone 30th anniversary of First Night so Downtown is the place to be on New Year’s Eve. Free to all, the six-hour, arts-infused celebration on Sunday, Dec. 31 will debut fresh attractions and restore beloved traditions — with tons to see, do and explore both outside and indoors. All the art action is bookended by dramatic Pyrotecnico fireworks displays at 6 p.m. and midnight.
Artists of all disciplines will “lead the way” into 2024 throughout the 14-block Cultural District, which will teem with music, dance, theater, visual art, film, comedy and more.
The festivities kick off with welcoming remarks and the Dollar Bank Children’s Fireworks Display at 6 p.m. At the corner of Liberty Avenue and Stanwix Street above the Highmark Stage, a spectacular show will light up the skyline to launch the biggest party of the year. Perfect for the little ones with an early bedtime.
Here’s how to make the most of the last six hours of 2023.
Interactive experiences & public art
Art does not just hang on the walls at First Night. One of this year’s marquee attractions is the unveiling of “The Firetree Project,” which will light up The Backyard at 8th & Penn, a key site for First Night programming. Looking like a cross between something you’d see at Burning Man or on the set of a sci-fi film, the 24-foot-tall steel sculpture blends immersive experiences and fantastical motifs with pressing ecological themes. Six years in the making, the steel and copper sculpture was designed by local artist Duncan MacDiarmid.
Encouraging visitors to “connect and build a strong future for the planet,” this is one work of art that you are allowed to touch. Viewers will interact with the piece by activating bells within the sculpture. Visitors are also invited to write down wishes, goals and resolutions for 2024 on a slip of paper, then add them to the structure to burn on NYE. The Firetree is open and lit for only one night, so don’t miss this opportunity.
The Backyard is also a great spot to get cozy and nourished with the area’s outdoor heaters and lineup of local food trucks.
Another signature First Night attraction is the beloved New Year’s Eve Parade featuring playful puppets from Studio Capezzuti. Trust us, even people who don’t like parades love this spectacle, which bursts with performance groups and creative elements. Secure your spot for a view along Penn Avenue or dance along with the dynamic figures that have become the city’s mascots for this annual tradition. The parade starts at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center at 8 p.m. and ends after turning right on Sixth Street.
After the jovial parade, attend the ribbon-cutting for Downtown’s Three Sisters Bridges project and the grand reopening of the Clemente Bridge. Join County Executive Rich Fitzgerald on his last day in office, along with the Clemente family, elected officials and the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, near the intersection of Fort Duquesne Boulevard for the official launch of the shimmering new features illuminating the city’s three iconic yellow bridges.
Head to Tito Way to explore “Flashbacks” by Belgrade Raw, a Serbian art collective that uses photography to examine social, urban and political aspects of city life, memory and perception. For more public art, check out “The National Museum,” a temporary project featuring rotating artists at 604 Wood St.
Unwind at the Trust Oasis as you observe the beautiful “Rainbow Fish Story Set.” Created during a partnership between Citiparks and the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, the display is on view outdoors at 133 Seventh St.
Say adios to 2023 and cap off your night at the Future of Pittsburgh Grand Finale. Join the exhilarating countdown to midnight and watch the dramatic raising of the Future of Pittsburgh Ball. As the glowing orb rises 75 feet above the city, join the First Night band and tens of thousands of your new friends to sing “Auld Lang Syne,” while the event’s culminating fireworks display lights our way into January.
Visual art
Warm up with art indoors, when the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s galleries extend their public hours to showcase the newest visual arts offerings and exhibitions.
At Wood Street Galleries, check out “Workflow,” the first institutional solo exhibition by artist Jenson Leonard, exploring Blackness and capitalism. Swing by 820 Liberty Gallery to explore “Anisha Baid: MS User,” and then head to 707 Gallery to see Zach Brown’s exhibition, “Death of a Lunar Cult,” featuring 12 new paintings.
Over at 937 Gallery, see “The Wind Got Up in the Night and Took Our Plans Away,” featuring contemporary photography from Serbia in an exhibit curated by Miroslav Karić and Sladjana Petrović Varagić.
Performing arts
A dynamic lineup of performing arts offerings keeps the pulse of First Night beating, from dance and theater to magic and comedy.
There’s so much to experience on the Highmark Stage, which has a new viewing area that can be entered from the intersection of Liberty Avenue and Stanwix Street. Don’t miss the eye-popping feats of the Zuzu African Acrobats, a Tanzanian troupe whose performances span 2,000 years of East African history. They’ll impress all ages with their jaw-dropping acrobatics, dancing and stunts.
At the Trust Arts Education Center at 805-807 Liberty Ave., watch dazzling Japanese sword dancing performed by Tadashi, and enjoy original music and poetry with the Alumni Theater Company.
Throughout the Cultural District, be on the lookout for O’Ryan the O’Mazing. Pittsburgh’s very own 10-foot-tall clown can do it all: walk on stilts, perform tricks and yes, totally amaze audiences with his juggling, physical comedy and audience participation.
For a mind-bending twist on New Year’s Eve, head to the Liberty Magic storefront to experience close-up tricks by Mr. Messado and the Harmon Brothers.
What’s in store for 2024? Make a beeline for the Benedum Center to sit for personalized tarot card readings with Elizabeth Kivowitz, Crystal Noel Jalil, Amber and Pamela.
At The Backyard at 8th & Penn, see how The Starry Messenger blends circus arts, creativity and S.T.E.A.M. learning experiences into an unforgettable show.
Live music
Who will be Pittsburgh’s next Christina Aguilera or Jackie Evancho? See the winner of this year’s Williams SING-OFF Competition perform on the Highmark Stage at 6:05 p.m. Then, this year’s finalists will showcase their vocal talents together at The Backyard at 8th & Penn during a group performance at 7 p.m. Special guest judge was local artist, INEZ, last year’s First Night headliner.
Ready to rock? At 7:30 p.m. at The Backyard at 8th & Penn, hear your favorite rock ‘n’ roll hits performed by budding young musicians from the School of Rock South Hills.
At 8:30 p.m., Pittsburgh’s Flow Band will deliver reggae, tropical, soul and world music vibes to heat up a late December night.
The grooves will flow over at the gorgeously renovated Greer Cabaret Theater Lounge when legendary jazz and funk bassist Dwayne Dolphin performs at 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.
First Night kicks into high gear when Pittsburgh native Lyndsey Smith brings her NoLa sounds back home for just one night as the Highmark Stage headliner. Dubbed “The Goddaughter of Soul,” the award-winning powerhouse vocalist follows in the footsteps of icons like Etta James, Chaka Khan, Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder and Whitney Houston.
Hands-on fun
Looking for more hands-on fun for the kiddos or some creative ways to spend NYE as a family?
Revelers are in luck because after being closed for two years on First Night, Fifth Avenue Place is reopening with hands-on activations.
Swing by the tower at the corner of Liberty and Fifth avenues for all-ages creative fun from 6 to 10 p.m. Send messages into outer space and create cosmic art with the Moonshot Museum and make your own rainbow fish crafts with the Children’s and Bridge Theater Series. Design holiday creations with the Pittsburgh Center for Arts & Media and join the Boy Scouts of America’s Laurel Highlands Council to participate in themed activities.
Celebrate the Year of the Dragon with the Trust Arts Education Department. Teaching artists will teach kids to make their very own dragon glasses. Giggles the Clown will be on hand to twist, shape and construct “one-of-a-kind inflation creations” for kids to take home as First Night keepsakes.
An added attraction for families this year is the Highmark Holiday Block Party & Allegheny Health Network Family Zone at the intersection of Penn Avenue and Seventh Street across from the Benedum Center.
Over at the Byham Theater, First Nighters can build their own constructions in the Steel City LUG Glow Zone from 6 to 10 p.m.
If movies are more your speed, head to the Harris Theater to watch pioneering animation films made by Max and Dave Fleischer in the 1930s. Follow the adventures of enduring cartoon characters Betty Boop, Popeye and Koko the Clown.
Guided tours
Go behind the curtain to see where the action happens through the Cultural District. From 6:30 to 10:30 p.m., join guided tours of Downtown venues such as the Benedum Center for the Performing Arts at 237 Seventh St. and the Byham Theater at 101 Sixth St.
Volunteer
Want to ring in the New Year by lending a hand? Volunteers of all ages and abilities are essential to the success of First Night. Help the event’s operations run smoothly, provide visitors with the information they need … and enjoy special perks, of course. Volunteers can help for just a few of hours or commit for the entire night. Sign up by Dec. 21.
First Night Friends
For the ultimate way to ring in the New Year, make the most of the party and get the VIP treatment by becoming a First Night Friend. This year, there are even more offerings for VIPers to enjoy in the exclusive O’Reilly Theater Lounge. Enjoy tarot card readings, face painting, balloon art, entertainments and family activities. Back by popular demand is the signature hot cocoa bar, plus scrumptious food options. First Night Friends can pick up their VIP package at the Box Office at Theater Square on New Year’s Eve.
Restrooms
Indoor restrooms will be available at the Benedum Center, Byham Theater, Trust Arts Education Center and Fifth Avenue Place. Portable restrooms will be located at the Highmark Stage and The Backyard at 8th & Penn.
Parking
If you’re not taking the T or bus, the Cultural Trust recommends using the handy ParkPGH app to get real-time parking space availability for select garages located in the Cultural District, Central Business District and North Shore.
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