First Night guide: Here’s how to ring in 2025 in downtown Pittsburgh with kids

Photos courtesy of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, producers of the First Night festivities. 

Got plans for New Year’s Eve this year? Celebrating downtown is a tradition in Pittsburgh. And although this party runs until midnight and some revelers may hang out even later, Pittsburgh’s Highmark First Night party offers plenty of options for family fun — even for younger kids.

The 31st-annual First Night celebration will offer live music, dance, theater, visual arts, comedy and magic, courtesy of an impressive roster of national and local artists. You’ll also find kids’ activities and a parade, plus two fireworks displays.

We’ve got all the details right here:

WHEN: The fun begins at 6 p.m. on Dec. 31 with an early fireworks show and goes until the Future of Pittsburgh ball drops at midnight. When the clock strikes 12, you can ring in 2025 under a sky filled with another (even bigger!) fireworks display.

WHERE: Downtown Pittsburgh’s 14-block Cultural District, which will be filled with outdoor entertainment and activities.

WHAT’S HAPPENING: 

Free events kick off at 6 p.m. with the children’s fireworks show above the Highmark Stage (enter from Liberty and Stanwix), an Ice Maze and the GBU Life SING-OFF Competition. Every year, this competition awards a local student singer (grades: 6-12) with the title “the voice of the year.” Finalists (all of whom will appear in the First Night parade) will be chosen based on audition videos. This year’s celebrity judge is Mathew Fedorek, a Pittsburgh native and cast member of the Broadway musical “Funny Girl.”

The winner will get an opportunity to perform live at 7 p.m. and will receive a $500 cash prize. The winner’s school music department will also receive a $1,000 donation. Know a student who wants to compete? Click right here to get details and submit an audition video before midnight on Dec. 1.

Also beginning at 6 p.m., hang out (and warm up) at the AHN Family Zone (open until 11 p.m. at the Benedum lot), where local arts organizations will be offering activities for all ages. And at Highmark Fifth Avenue Place, you’ll find free Button Making and Craftmaking activities, as well as robotic car fun, a Scouting activity, face painting and creative making with the Pittsburgh Center for Arts & Media.

At 6:30 p.m., don’t miss a Family Rave hosted by DJ Todd Griffin at the Highmark Stage and make a stop at the Giant Eagle Foundation Backyard to see the Geo Koryu Fire Dance.

And all evening, O’Ryan the O’Mazing (Pittsburgh’s favorite 10-foot-tall clown) will be roaming around the Cultural District.

You’ll also find the Associated Artists of Pittsburgh 110th Annual Exhibition nearby at SPACE Gallery, backstage tours at the Benedum (6:30 and 8:30 p.m.) and much more (scroll here for additional free events, including a vintage cartoon screening at the Harris Theater!).

At 8 p.m., don’t miss the whimsical New Year’s Eve Parade, including giant puppets. View it from either side of Penn Avenue throughout the Cultural District. It begins at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center and ends after turning right on Stanwix Street toward the Allegheny.

And at 10:45 p.m., Frzy and special musical guests hit the stage and entertain until the clock strikes midnight. Then it’s time for more fireworks and the sparkling Future of Pittsburgh ball will drop!

You can also choose from a slew of ticketed events (search here to see the full list) happening all evening.

Looking for fun ahead of Dec. 31? Don’t miss our big holiday events guide for all the Pittsburgh family events and experiences. And check out our guide to the best holiday light displays in the region.