Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership cancels 'Light Up Night' - TribLIVE

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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 PDP 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 PDP said via email that Light Up Night offers an annual event of significant interest around the holidays for the Pittsburgh community, but 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.

“With outdoor holiday shopping offering one of the safest consumer options, and the reconfigured market providing greater safety protocols, the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership was excited to be able to implement a core component of the traditional Downtown holiday experience,” the news release said. “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 market will officially open on Black Friday, which is 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.”

Waldrup said the Holiday Market offers a “terrific outdoor opportunity to browse and shop, along with dozens of specialty stores around Downtown, and the Santa Zoom attraction is sure to be a hit with the kids.”

Santas 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 to share their Christmas wishes and dreams. At the end of the visit, each family will be provided a link to their video clip of the visit.

Peoples is sponsoring the holiday market for a ninth year. “The Market has become a holiday tradition for our region,” said People President Michael Huwar. “The market will look a little different this year to ensure social distancing, but local artisans and vendors from around the world will be offering unique holiday gifts.”

“Santa Zoom: Live from the North Pole,” presented by Xfinity, will replace the Santa House typically used for in-person Santa Claus visits.

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.

JoAnne Klimovich Harrop is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact JoAnne at 724-853-5062, jharrop@triblive.com or via Twitter .

Categories: Coronavirus | Downtown Pittsburgh | Local | Pittsburgh | Top Stories

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Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership cancels 'Light Up Night' - TribLIVE

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