Ring in 2020 at Highmark First Night Pittsburgh
Cheryl Capezzuti creates fun.
The Brighton Heights resident makes larger-than-life puppets.
Those puppets will dance their way from the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, along Penn Avenue and through the Cultural District during the the Highmark First Night Pittsburgh parade at 8 p.m. Dec. 31
Culminating with the city’s “Countdown to Midnight” and raising of the Future of Pittsburgh Ball, this six-hour celebration sprawls through the 14-block Cultural District.
This year’s theme for the event to welcome in the year 2020, hosted by the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, is “Taking Flight.”
The parade has been a centerpiece of the festival forever, says Sarah Aziz, director of Highmark First Night Pittsburgh.
“There is something about seeing the puppets and the fact that the community came together to make them and you see the tangible items that have been made that make this special,” Aziz says. “Cheryl and her team do a great job of bringing so many people together for this parade. People who come are excited to see what’s coming next when they watch the parade. It’s homey and they feel connected.”
This will be her 21st parade. The first one began with five puppets, a band and several volunteers. Last year, there were 385 volunteers, hundreds of giant puppets, puppet lanterns, art cars and pedicab toppers.
“I love that the parade brings together different kinds of people to celebrate the New Year,” says Capezzuti, who has been making puppets since 1993. “I call it artist made and community powered. I love this year’s theme of ‘Taking Flight.’ Even if the airport-inspired puppets don’t literally take flight, I hope they lift our spirits with joy.”
The parade is one of many attractions that bring more than 40,000 people to the city to welcome in the New Year. Here are some of the other happenings:
Dream Wall Project
A traveling public art installation known as the Dream Wall Project is a new addition to this year’s Highmark First Night Pittsburgh.
The project, which promotes the idea of inclusion, is the work of artist and photographer Anna Schuliger, a Marshall native who lives in Wilkinsburg.
From 6 to 11 p.m., the wall will be housed at the August Wilson African American Cultural Center on Liberty Avenue. Guests can write a word or phrase, draw a picture on a black tile to express a dream for the future. She also plans to make a permanent installation of the wall somewhere in the city.
This project is a spin on other community resolution sculptures the cultural trust has showcased in the past, says Aziz.
Fireworks
No New Year’s Eve in Pittsburgh is complete without fireworks and Highmark First Night Pittsburgh has two Zambelli shows, one at 6 and a second at 11:50 p.m.
“Pittsburgh loves fireworks,” says Aziz. “And when Dollar Bank came on board to sponsor the children’s fireworks that was so nice. Families with young children can come and experience some of the activities, see the fireworks and the parade and be home at a reasonable hour.”
Prismatica
A new piece of art on Seventh Street is Prismatica, an interactive modern ice palace made up of giant prisms from the Quartier de Spectacles Partnership in Montreal. The prisms create a kaleidoscope of colors and light after sunset.
Prismatica turns heads with the countless colorful reflections made by its giant prisms.
After sunset, the enormous interactive kaleidoscope’s illusory effects reach a crescendo. Prismatica comprises 25 pivoting prisms.
If you can’t make it on New Year’s Eve, it will be around until the end of February.
Game time
The Trust Arts Education Center will host a pilot of “Game Time,” the trust’s new live, large-scale game show premiering in April. Guests at Highmark First Night Pittsburgh will get a glimpse of the show which is selling quickly, Aziz says.
The Shadowboxers
The Shadowboxers, a trio from Emory University in Atlanta, Ga., will perform on the Highmark Stage at 10:45 p.m.
They have more than 6.5 million streams of original material on Spotify and Apple Music and more than 110,000 followers on social media.
Comedy showcase
Attend the special showcase at the Byham Theater, hosted by Pittsburgh’s own Gab Bonesso aimed at helping to raise awareness of Pittsburgh’s comedy community alongside nationally known comedians. Bonesso is an award-winning standup comedian, columnist, actress and children’s performer.
Aziz says the comedy showcase has grown so much that it moved from the Cabaret at Theater Square to the Byham. “I think people really want to laugh on New Year’s Eve.”
Other happenings
Indoor program highlights include Arcade Comedy Theater and the Zuzu African Acrobats, a cultural variety and circus show from Mombasa, Kenya. Five acrobats will wow audiences with incredible routines featuring limbo, contortion, tumbling, chair balancing — all set to high energy dance beats.
Musician Sierra Sellers will perform at the August Wilson African American Cultural Center, Bookish in the ‘Burgh author will give a talk. There will be face painting, tarot card readings and caricatures at Fifth Avenue Place, magicians Jon Tai and Robert Ramirez at Liberty Magic and the O’Reilly Theater. Ramirez brings a mash up of magic and musical theater that promises songs, laughs and mystery for three performances.
There are more than 100 events and activities available during Highmark First Night Pittsburgh.
Admission buttons are $10, children under 5 are free, $40 for VIP.
Some indoor performances require free reserved seating.
Details: TrustArts.org/ FirstNightPGH
JoAnne Klimovich Harrop is a TribLive reporter covering the region's diverse culinary scene and unique homes. She writes features about interesting people. The Edward R. Murrow award-winning journalist began her career as a sports reporter. She has been with the Trib for 26 years and is the author of "A Daughter's Promise." She can be reached at jharrop@triblive.com.
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