Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership cancels 'Light Up Night'

Lights out for Light Up Night.

The annual kickoff to the holiday season, usually held the Friday before Thanksgiving, is the latest big event to be canceled. The Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership announced Friday that what would have been the 60th year of Light Up Night won’t happen because of the pandemic.

The event is the largest one-day happening in Pittsburgh, and typically draws hundreds of thousands of people. But with public health and safety a primary concern, and input from local officials, the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership has pivoted efforts toward a “reimagined” holiday experience for 2020.

“The holiday plans this year will be quite different,” the partnership said in a news release. “We have some reconfigured traditional attractions returning, and a great new attraction that will offer a safe and well-considered option for families to still get the holiday spirit Downtown.”

Richard Hooper, vice-president of marketing and communications for the partnership said public safety always needs to be the number one priority.

“It’s disappointing not to be able to hold such an event – but it is the right thing to do in the midst of an ongoing pandemic,” he said. “Instead of dwelling on that though, we’ve been really excited about reimagining many of our beloved attractions, like the Holiday Market, and also created several new offerings like Santa Zoom for families to still find the holiday spirit alive and well Downtown.”

The Peoples Gas Holiday Market in Market Square will go on, with safety protocols in place. There will be an interactive experience “LIVE from the North Pole” with Santa Claus.

Additional festivities will be announced in mid-November.

“The Market will again feature live music on its centerpiece stage although this year the acts will be reduced in scale to allow for social distancing. A diverse array of genres and community acts will be featured every lunch time and early evening during the week and all-day on weekends,” the news release said.

The market will open Nov. 27.

“Downtown is at the heart of Pittsburgh’s holiday celebration, so we’re thrilled to be able to offer these reimagined experiences for our community,” said Jeremy Waldrup, president and CEO of the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership in a statement. “We expect folks will be especially welcoming of the holiday spirit Downtown — something we all could use right now.”

Santa’s helpers will guide families through the custom-made Santa Zoom experience, which will start in a socially distanced line. Upon entering, one family at a time into a well-ventilated space, a monitor will allow children to interact ‘live’ with Santa. At the end of the visit, each family will be provided a link to their video clip of the visit.

With kids very much accustomed to connecting with friends, families and teachers through their screens, Santa Zoom will offer a split-screen experience for a chat with Santa, who will be broadcasting “Live From the North Pole.”

Santa Zoom is free with a minimum $5 suggested donation to the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank.