New Year’s in Pittsburgh: Plans announced for 30th anniversary of Highmark First Night

PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust has announced new attractions, blended with decades of tradition, for the 30th anniversary of Highmark First Night Pittsburgh.

The annual tradition will take place on Dec. 31 from 6 p.m. until midnight when the City of Pittsburgh rings in the new year with the “Future of Pittsburgh Ball” rising nearly 75 feet atop Penn Avenue Place while fireworks fill the sky.

The event is free and open to everyone and will span Downtown Pittsburgh’s 14-block Cultural District. Live music, dance, theater, visual arts, magic, kids’ activities, a community parade and more will take place between fireworks displays at 6 p.m. and midnight.

This year’s headlining performer is New Orleans-based Pittsburgh native Lyndsey Smith, known as “The Goddaughter of Soul.” She will perform on the Highmark Stage, at the intersection of Penn Avenue and Stanwix Street, starting at 10:45 p.m. The Flow Band and the Zuzu African Acrobats will warm up the stage earlier in the evening.

The New Year’s Eve parade will take place between 8-8:30 p.m. along Penn Avenue between the David L. Lawrence Convention Center and Sixth Street.

Following the parade, there will be a ribbon cutting for the Clemente Bridge & Three Sisters Bridges Celebration from 8:45-9 p.m. at Fort Duquesne Boulevard and Sixth Street. The celebration with elected officials and special guests will mark the reopening of the Clemente Bridge and the official launch of a new lighting project on the three popular downtown bridges.

There will also be a new public art premiere in the Backyard at 8th Street and Penn Avenue: the Firetree Project -- a 24-foot-tall steel sculpture that looks like it was lifted from a fairytale. The artwork intends to “ignite a global vision,” encouraging people to connect and build a strong future for the planet.

“Firetree infuses the excitement of fire into a playful, thought-provoking sculpture that challenges our global community to achieve the extraordinary,” notes artist Duncan MacDiarmid. Guests can interact with the work by touching it, activating bells within the sculpture and appreciating its impressive scale.

Caricaturists and family-friendly entertainment from Giggles the Clown, O’Ryan the O’Mazing and more will be inside at Fifth Avenue Place. In addition to that, there will be outdoor activities at the Highmark Holiday Block Party & AHN Family Zone at the intersection of Penn Avenue and Seventh Street across from the Benedum Center.

Click here for the full list of events at Pittsurgh’s First Night.

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