Pittsburgh will host a double celebration Sunday evening — welcoming 2024 and recognizing a special anniversary. Highmark First Night Pittsburgh turns 30.
“I was looking at the dates earlier this year, and I realized Highmark First Night Pittsburgh started 30 years ago,” said Sarah Aziz, director of programming and manager of DEAI Initiatives for the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, producer of the event. “We are really excited to celebrate and to be able to keep this event free for everyone. Come down. You don’t need a reservation for anything.”
The six-hour, arts-focused, family-friendly production begins at 6 p.m. throughout Downtown. It encompasses a 14-block area of the Cultural District and will feature live music, dance, theater, visual arts, magic, kids’ activities and a community parade.
And, of course, there will be fireworks. They will be set off at 6 p.m. and again at midnight. The evening will culminate with the countdown to midnight, and the Future of Pittsburgh Ball will rise nearly 75 feet to its pinnacle position as fireworks fill the sky.
Details: firstnightpgh.trustarts.org
Here’s everything you need to know if you’re heading Downtown.
Road closures/parking
Devise a plan before heading Downtown, Aziz said, and check the real-time parking website, ParkPGH. It shows how many spaces are available in garages in the Downtown area and around the city. Visitors can take Pittsburgh Regional Transit, which provides public transportation services via bus, light rail and incline. The light rail is free to Downtown from Station Square on the South Side and the two locations on the North Shore.
PRT will operate on a regular weekend schedule on Dec. 31, though service is limited after midnight.
Street closures begin at 10 a.m. Sunday. Stanwix Street between Liberty Avenue and Fort Duquesne Blvd. and parts of Penn Avenue will be closed from 10 a.m. until 3 a.m. Fifth Avenue from Liberty Avenue to Penn Avenue will be closed from 4 p.m. until 1 a.m.
During the parade which begins at 8 p.m., there will be rolling closures starting at 9th Street from Liberty Avenue to Penn Avenue.
Here is a map of the street closures.
Sports information
Be aware that the Pittsburgh Penguins host the New York Islanders at 6 p.m. Sunday at PPG Paints Arena, Uptown. That will create additional traffic and parking issues. Also, the Steelers play at Seattle at 4:05 p.m. Aziz said that might cause later arrivals for First Night.
Firetree Project
New this year is The Firetree Project presented by Dollar Bank. It is a 24-foot-tall sculpture that, according to the cultural trust, “is a piece of art that intends to ignite a global vision, encouraging people to connect and build a strong future for the planet.”
Guests can touch it and activating bells within the sculpture, which is made of polished copper. It will be located in the Backyard space at Eighth Street and Penn Avenue.
“This looks really cool,” Aziz said. “We always have a fire element, and people can write down their wishes for 2024 and the papers will be placed in the basin of the tree, and those wishes can go off into the ether. This is an impactful piece.”
On stage
This year’s headlining performer on the Highmark Stage, at the intersection of Penn Avenue and Stanwix Street, is New Orleans-based and one-time Pittsburgh-based Lyndsey Smith, known as “The Goddaughter of Soul.” Her performance starts at 10:45 p.m. Pittsburgh’s reggae rockers The Flow Band and the Zuzu African Acrobats will warm up the stage earlier in the evening.
“(Smith) launched her career here and has performed at (a previous) First Night earlier in the evening, so to have her back again is wonderful,” Aziz said.
Parade
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The annual parade begins at 8 p.m. on Penn Avenue near the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. Brighton Heights artist Cheryl Capezzuti of Studio Capezzuti has directed the parade for more than two decades, Aziz said. She designs larger-than-life puppets and cars covered in colorful decor.
Decorated bicycles will be a new feature this year.
Bridge reopens
There will be a ribbon cutting at 8:45 p.m. to reopen the Clemente Bridge, leading to the North Side. It has been closed to all traffic, including pedestrians, since Feb. 14, 2022, for a $34.4 million rehabilitation project. This will coincide with the official launch of a lighting project on the sister bridges.
Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald will lead the ceremony, Aziz said.
Weather
Moon-based National Weather Service meteorologist Chris Leonardi said don’t expect the warm temperatures we’ve had over the past week. The temperature on Christmas Day reached 60 degrees, the warmest since 1982.
As of Wednesday morning, Leonardi said it looks like the evening temperature on Sunday will be in the upper 30s, which is close to normal.
“There is a slight chance of some rain mixed with light snow but nothing heavy,” he said. “We are not expecting any storms. It might be a little breezy and feel like closer to 30 degrees, so I suggest layering your clothing and covering up as much as possible if you plan to be outside for long periods of time.”
If guests get cold, they can go inside the Benedum Center and Byham Theater for tours and also the first floor of Fifth Avenue Place for activities. The art galleries will be open as well as the Trust Arts Education Center and the newly refurbished Greer Cabaret Theater and Lounge. It is a full-service restaurant with upscale bistro fare and craft cocktails and will host a jazz performance by Dwayne Dolphin.
Security
Aziz said 10,000 to 20,000 people are expected to venture Downtown. There will be extra security. She said she coordinates coverage with the city and county police as well as PRT police, U.S. Department of Homeland Security and private security companies. There will be mounted police and dogs.
“They will keep everyone safe,” Aziz said.
JoAnne Klimovich Harrop is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact JoAnne by email at jharrop@triblive.com or via Twitter .