Thousands of people flocked to the streets of Pittsburgh’s 14-block Cultural District Tuesday for Highmark First Night Pittsburgh, an annual New Year’s Eve celebration hosted by the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust.
The night consisted of a long list of artistic and cultural events, including various art displays like the Dream Wall Project and Prismatica, performances by Steel Town Fire, musical and comedy performances. There were also several attractions designed for kids, including face painting, a children’s theater series and more.
First Night brings around 40,000 people into the city each year, according to the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. This year’s theme for the event to welcome in the year 2020, hosted by the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, was “Taking Flight.”
For Sabrina Mislevy, of Georgetown, Pennsylvania, First Night is a perfect celebration to attend with her daughter, Stephanie, who has special needs.
“It’s real nice to come down here early and just have her go around. She likes a lot of the items in the family tent,” Mislevy said. “We enjoy coming here about every other year.”
The streets were filled with residents from both Pittsburgh and all over western Pennsylvania. Phil Selker, from Erie, said he and his family come for the event each year.
“We’re just here to walk around and have a good time,” Selker said.
Seth Howsare, from Homestead, was pedaling a rickshaw through the festivities.
“It’s just a good workout and it’s a lot of fun, and it’s always good to be here on First Night,” Howsare said.
Patrons were not deterred by the cold, or the thickening snow. After several days of mild weather, temperatures dropped into the low 30s Tuesday night. Paired with wind gusts between 15 and 25 mph, the temperature felt like it could be in the upper teens. But some officers patrolling the event said that compared to other years, though, the weather was mild.
Mislevy agreed – after attending First Night for so many years, she said she has braved far colder weather to enjoy the event.
“This ain’t bad. This ain’t bad at all,” Mislevy said.
