Pittsburgh Holiday Events

Light Up Night

Nov. 23, 2024

This annual celebration is the official kickoff of Pittsburgh's Holiday celebration. Experience a full night of vibrant activities and events, including concerts from national and local artists, extraordinary firework displays, family activities, the seasonal opening of Pittsburgh's winter attractions, the spectacular illumination of the Golden Triangle and more!

The Peoples Gas Holiday Market™

Nov. 22-Dec. 24, 2024 (closed Thanksgiving)

Downtown Pittsburgh is festive and fun at the annual Peoples Gas Holiday Market™ where you can browse outdoor wooden chalets brimming with unique gifts and holiday experiences filled with international flair and local charm. Enjoy live music as you stroll through an illuminated Market Square, and don't forget to stop by for a visit with Santa himself!

The UPMC Rink at PPG Place

Nov. 15, 2024-Jan. 5, 2025

Create smiles and memories when you skate at The UPMC Rink at PPG Place. Since 2001, this rink has been a staple attraction in Downtown Pittsburgh during the holidays.

Meet the Man in Red

2024 Dates TBD

What’s a holiday celebration without meeting the man of the hour, Santa Claus? Bring the kids and their wish lists to visit with Santa in-person at his festive house in Heinz Hall Courtyard, thanks to BNY Mellon! Once again, families have the wonderful option for their young ones to visit with either a Black or White Santa. Just let Santa’s helpers know who you prefer!

Handmade Arcade Holiday Market

Dec. 6 (Happy Hour) and Dec. 7 (Main Event), 2024

Shop one-of-a-kind handmade products from 250+ talented makers and artists at the largest holiday market in the region at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center at Handmade Arcade! This free market goes from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. on Dec. 7, but Friday Night happy hour and Saturday early bird tickets are available if you want to shop early and avoid the crowds.

The Pittsburgh Crèche

Light Up Night (Nov. 23, 2024) through Epiphany

Venture from Market Square across town to the U.S. Steel Tower and visit The Pittsburgh Crèche, the world's only approved replica of the Vatican's Nativity Scene.

Holiday KidsPlay Selfie Garden

Throughout the Season

2024 Details TBA. Enjoy a family pitstop at the Heinz Hall Courtyard as it transforms into a child’s television dreamland for the holidays. Explore colorful backdrops and life-sized standees of popular characters from Fred Rogers Productions’ beloved children’s shows and other PBS favorites, including Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, Peg + Cat and Odd Squad.

Highmark First Night Pittsburgh

Dec. 31, 2024-Jan. 1, 2025

Pittsburgh's signature New Year's celebration, Highmark First Night Pittsburgh, takes place in the Cultural District with a variety of family-friendly activities and, of course, fireworks!

Holiday Magic! Winter Flower Show and Light Garden

Nov. 16, 2024-Jan. 5, 2025

Phipps' glowing gardens are back and bigger, brighter and more breathtaking than ever! Their 2024 show, Holiday Magic!, features a Winter Flower Show of holiday trees, 21 varieties of poinsettias, orchids, and amaryllis, while the Winter Light Garden wows guests including tens of thousands of lights, glowing tunnels and illuminated panes of glass. With a new theme of Enchantment, stroll through a forest of fantasy and be on the lookout for mystical creatures.

Welcome This Winter! at the Carnegie Museum of Art

Carnegie Trees: Wintry Days & Frosty Nights

2024 Dates TBD

Since 1961, the annual installation and decoration of the Carnegie Trees has kicked off the holiday season at the museum. The Hall of Architecture will be transformed into a winter wonderland featuring towering Fraser fir trees lit to perfection and trimmed with glistening snow, gingerbread, baubles and more.

Neapolitan Presepio

2024 Dates TBD

See an elaborate panorama of live in 18th-century Naples and view the nativity scene recreated with miniature figures. The museum has carried on this centuries-old tradition since 1957.

GLOWLAND

Nov. 22 - Dec. 14, 2024

Pittsburgh's Oakland neighborhood will be aglow for a month long winter festival with art installations, live music and lights throughout. GLOWLAND will be anchored by Impulse, an interactive and family friendly art installation of playable seesaws that create sound and light in ever-changing compositions.

Kennywood's Holiday Lights

Nov. 15, 2024 through Jan. 1, 2025 (closed on Christmas)

Make your season sparkle at Kennywood’s Holiday Lights. Bring your family and celebrate the return of this Pittsburgh classic. Take a stroll among more than two million twinkling lights and marvel at the tallest Christmas tree in the state. Savor the flavors of new festive foods and holiday drinks. Plus, there are rides for the kids and special entertainment for all. The holidays shine brighter than ever at the 11th anniversary of Kennywood’s Holiday Lights. Come make it part of your tradition select nights starting Nov. 15!

Dazzling Nights

Nov. 29 - Dec. 31, 2024

Pittsburgh Botanic Gardens promises to immerse you in the wonder of the holidays for their Dazzling Nights event, perfect for families, friends and date nights. Have fun stepping on interactive lights, explore a forest of light and fog and journey through a 70' tunnel of light on before taking a photo to remember at their towering tree.

Wild Illuminations: A Holiday Lantern Experience

Nov. 15, 2024-Jan. 12, 2025

The Pittsburgh Zoo transforms into a winter wonderland with a frosty reimagining of their treasured lantern festival with Wild Illuminations: A Holiday Lantern Experience. Expect colossal Christmas-themed lanterns, a secret forest, mystical dream tunnel and more in this walk-through and drive-through experience.

Holiday Happenings at the National Aviary

Nov. 30-Dec. 30, 2024 (Select Dates)

Spend your holidays at the National Aviary! Enjoy family-fun activities during Season’s Greetings Saturdays, festively-decorated Holiday Brunches in The Garden Room and late nights with the birds during Holiday Lights and Late Nights! Don’t forget to stop in the Gift Shop or visit the online store for that perfect present.

Nationality Rooms Holiday Open House

Nov. 17, 2024, noon-4 p.m.

The Nationality and Heritage Rooms in the Cathedral of Learning will be decorated for the holiday season again in 2024! Guests can explore the traditions of each culture, make traditional crafts, watch cultural demonstrations and even see St. Nicholas! This event is free, but gifts and foods will be available for purchase.

The Lawrenceville Cookie Tour

Dec. 14 & 15, 2024, noon-5 p.m.

Holiday shopping has never been so fun (and so filling). This free event, now in its 27th year, allows shoppers to sample fresh, homemade cookies as they find incredible gifts for everyone on their list. Make sure to hop on the event trolley as it makes stops throughout Lawrenceville and Penn Avenue.

Poinsettias and Pointe Shoes

Nov. 25-26, 2024

This performance by the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre is the unofficial kickoff to the holiday season as they bring the magic of The Nutcracker to the historic glasshouse at Phipps Conservatory. Tickets include admission to their Winter Flower Show and Light Garden.

The Wickhams: Christmas at Pemberley

Nov. 30-Dec. 22, 2024

City Theatre Mainstage celebrates the beloved characters of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice in a companion piece to last season’s Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley. As the events of Miss Bennett unfold upstairs, the house staff below have their own holiday scandals as they gather for Christmas at Pemberley.

Who's Holiday!

Nov.27-Dec. 22, 2024 (select dates)

Leave the kids at home for this one. This R-rated show by Greer Cabaret Theater joins Cindy-Lou Who, now a grown-up, for a night of cocktails, cursing and fun.

Handel's Messiah

Dec. 7, 2024

Experience the majesty of Handel’s Messiah with conductor Manfred Honeck, the Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh and your Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.

A Christmas Story: The Play

Dec. 4-Dec. 22, 2024 (select dates)

Experience the play version of Ralphie Parker's misadventures through all the trials and tribulations of a family holiday in A Christmas Story. Just don't try licking any lamp posts before or after the show.

The Nutcracker with the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre

Dec. 6-27, 2024 (select dates)

Snow settles across the city as a wonderful adventure begins in PBT’s The Nutcracker. Join Marie, her Nutcracker prince and the Sugar Plum Fairy on a journey into the Land of Enchantment. Five fanciful scenes, more than 150 unique costumes and Tchaikovsky’s enduring score make The Nutcracker a can’t-miss holiday tradition.

A Lyrical Christmas Carol

Dec. 18-22, 2024

Pittsburgh Musical Theater's rendition of Scrooge's journey from humbug to changed person, adapted by Ken & Jane Gargaro and performed at the Gargaro Theater.

Highmark Holiday Pops

Dec. 13-22, 2024 (select dates)

Share Pittsburgh’s favorite holiday musical tradition with family, and thrill to the spectacle of the season with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra's Highmark Holiday Pops. It’s a sparkling celebration of carols, classics, sing-alongs and more! And yes, Virginia, there will be a Santa Claus!

Sensory-Friendly Concert: Holiday Pops

Dec. 14, 2024

Family-friendly, welcoming performance of Holiday Pops especially designed for those with sensory sensitivities and those on the autism spectrum.

Sensory-Friendly The Nutcracker

Dec. 15, 2024

Sensory-friendly performance of The Nutcracker by the Pittsburgh Ballet Theater with a relaxed atmosphere and accommodations such as lower sound levels and raised house lighting to create a safe and welcoming theater experience.

Holiday Brass Spectacular

Dec. 17, 2024

Join the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra for this annual one-night-only tradition! Usher in the holiday season with music from Baroque favorites to new arrangements of beloved holiday classics.

Pittsburgh Jazz Orchestra Holiday Concert

Dec. 13, 2024

The Pittsburgh Jazz Orchestra performs new treatments of holiday classics and collaborates with some of the greatest global jazz artists for this one-of-a-kind holiday production.

Stay tuned for a variety of other holiday events and activities throughout the season!