"Light Up Night" Packed With Activities

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Crews are working fast and furious for "Light Up Night" as this 50th anniversary edition of the Christmas shopping kick-off is set for Friday and Saturday.

The Highmark march will wind its way throughout downtown at 6:15 p.m., ending at the newly renovated Market Square.

"This will be great," Hollie Geitner with the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership said. "They say the square can hold 10,000 people."

The Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership will dazzle revelers with 150,000 LED lights and a 33-foot tree made of aluminum spheres. Mayor Luke Ravenstahl and Santa will be flipping the switch on that display around 6:30 p.m.

"We'll have entertainment that begins at 4 p.m. Friday and that stage will be up all weekend because we'll have entertainment starting 10 a.m. Saturday," Geitner said.

At 6:45 p.m., Macy's will raise the curtains on a long standing tradition. This year's edition is six windows and based on the CBS Holiday Special: "Yes Virginia." And everything is made of paper.

"Like the wallpaper here, it's in a relief. It's not flat and paper sculpting for the hair," George Arnold, the window supervisor, said. "It's one of the details we have here in the windows. It took several pounds of paper for the artist to create all these."

Duquesne Light's massive tree will be back at Point State Park, as well as the annual Santa Spectacular. Workers were also busy setting up a giant screen for a 90-minute show at 7:30 p.m.

And no celebration in the 'Burgh would be complete without the PNC Fireworks Finale by Zambelli Internationale launched from the Warhol Bridge at 9:38 p.m.

The Clemente Bridge is closing at 5 a.m. Friday and the Warhol Bridge is also closing at 10 a.m.