Imagine a place where you can see Santa and his reindeer taking off into the night sky, fireworks exploding over the Pittsburgh skyline, and festive tin soldiers march along in unison. You look around and see colorful flowers blooming and growing while a paddle-wheel boat chugs along down the river and gigantic dinosaurs prowl the landscape.

It's not some bizarre dreamscape, it's just the wonderful fantasy world of a Pittsburgh holiday light festival.

Light festivals are a great way to spend some quality time with your family during the Holiday Season. For less than $20 a carload, you and your loved ones can enjoy dozens of brilliant, colorful displays that dazzle the eye and capture the imagination of both young and old.

In Pittsburgh, many light displays begin in early December and last well into January. This year, why not start a new tradition by taking your family on a ride to one of the area's many fine light displays! Your family will thank you for it.

Hartwood Acres - “Rite Aid Celebration of Lights”
The Hartwood Celebration of Lights is a breathtaking 3.2 mile stretch of holiday light displays leading up to the stunning mansion at Hartwood. More than two million lights are used to illuminate the holiday-themed displays standing 3- to 40-feet tall. The event is sponsored by Rite Aid and Allegheny County and is enjoyed by more than 600,000 people each year! Enjoy over 400 holiday light displays from the comfort of your car.

Now in its 17th year, the Hartwood Celebration of Lights helps raise money for The Salvation Army’s Project Bundle-Up, which provides new coats, gloves and other cold-weather clothing to children and senior citizens. Suggested contributions by visitors also help to support the Children’s Miracle Network, St. Joseph’s House of Hospitality and local non-profit organizations.

Where: Hartwood Acres, Indiana Township, Pennsylvania
When: November 21, 2008 - January 4, 2009 (including Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day)
Hours: Sunday through Thursday, 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 6:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.; Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve hours are 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Admission: $12 donation per carload. Buses are $3 per person (non-profit) and $5 per person for profit organizations. Proceeds benefit Project Bundle Up and other local charities.

Overly’s “Country Christmas”
Overly’s Country Christmas began when Harry Overly first decorated his rural Armbrust home with just a few strands of lights and has grown into one of the Pittsburgh area's most cherished holiday light show traditions. The display now features over 2.4 million twinkling lights. If all the strands of lights were put end-to-end it would stretch to Mars (Mars, Pennsylvania, anyway). The display has moved from the Overly home and now lights up 15 acres of the Westmoreland Fairgrounds. It includes 5 acres accessible as a park and walk-through feature.

Where: Westmoreland Fairgrounds, Greensburg, PA
When: November 21, 2008 - January 1, 2009, including all holidays
Hours: Sunday through Thursday, 5:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.; Friday and Weekday prices are $8 per car or family van, and $10 per limousine, extended Saturday, 5:30 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.
Admission: passenger van or minibus. Weekend prices are $10 and $12. Wagon and sleigh rides (weather permitting) are $4.50 for adults and $2.50 for children. Kids’ Express Train Rides (weather permitting) are $1.75. Proceeds benefit the Overly’s Country Christmas “Lights for Little Ones” endowment fund for area children and families at risk.

Oglebay’s “Winter Festival of Lights”
In 1985 a holiday tradition began at Oglebay and soon spread throughout the city of Wheeling. That tradition is the Winter Festival of Lights/City of Lights celebration. The first year, displays and landscape lighting covered 125 acres over a three-mile drive throughout the resort.

Since then the show has grown into one of the nation’s largest, covering more than three hundred acres over a six-mile drive throughout the resort. The Winter Festival of Lights has been listed on the American Bus Association’s Top International Events, was named as a top 100 event by Eventcrazy.com and was recently listed as one of the top 200 events in the country by Discover America.

The Good Zoo Lights up for You!
The Good Zoo lights up for you with a lighting and music extravaganza. Designed by noted lighting animation engineer Carson Williams, this dazzling show takes place nightly on the zoo patio with more than 35,500 LED lights choreographed to exciting holiday music. The zoo is also featuring its annual model train display at the state’s largest O-Gauge Model Train Exhibit and the entertaining holiday laser shows at the zoo’s Benedum Planetarium are annual favorites. Admission to the zoo is $7.00 for adults and $5.50 for children ages 3-12. Where: Oglebay Resort & Conference Center, Wheeling, WV
When: November 5, 2008 - January 4, 2009, dusk to 11:00 p.m. nightly
Admission: The Winter Festival of Lights is viewable Sunday through Thursday until 10:00 p.m. and on Friday and Saturday until 11:00 p.m. A per car donation is requested and is valid for the entire festival season. Visitors making a $20.00 donation will receive a DVD of the Festival of Lights and Oglebay story. Trolley tours are offered several times each night beginning at Wilson Lodge.

“Wildlights”
Columbus Zoo and Aquarium – OHIO

Turn up the wattage on your holiday season with Wildlights at the Zoo, presented by American Electric Power, AEP. In celebration of our 20th Wildlights season, we have made Wildlights Brighter and Greener than ever! With the generous support of our good friends at AEP, half of our light display was converted to energy-saving light emitting diode (LED) lights. Also new this year is “Rhythms around the Watering Hole,” an all new animated musical light show.

Date: November 21, 2008 to January 3, 2009
Time: Sun through Thurs 5 pm - 9 pm; Fri & Sat 5 pm - 10 pm
Cost: Free with Zoo admission
Wildlights is closed Nov. 27, Dec. 24 and Dec. 25

Directions to the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium: 4850 West Powell Road, Powell, OH 43065
From east of Columbus: Take Interstate 70 West to 270 North. Follow 270 North to Sawmill Road (Exit 20) and go North (or right) on Sawmill Road. Sawmill Road will become Sawmill Parkway. Continue on Sawmill Parkway until you reach Powell Road/SR 750. Turn left onto Powell Road/SR 750. The Zoo entrance is approximately 1 mile on the right.­

All Photos courtesy of Oglebay’s Winter Festival of Lights

CULTURAL EVENTS

CULTURAL EVENTS

Pittsburgh Public Theater

621 Penn Avenue – Pittsburgh, PA 15222

(412) 316-8200 – Box Office (412) 316-1600

www.ppt.org

The Second City in PratFall of Civilization - December 18 – 20, 2008

Metamorphoses - Januay 15 – February 15, 2009

JazzLive

Presented by: Trust Education and Community Engagement Department

JazzLive is a year-round FREE live jazz series taking place at The Cabaret at Theater Square, Backstage Bar, and Katz Plaza*. Open to the public, this popular Pittsburgh Cultural Trust music series showcases some of the region’s finest jazz musicians every Tuesday from 5pm - 11pm in the heart of the Cultural District.

*From September to May, all performances take place in the Backstage Bar. In the summer, live jazz moves outdoors to Katz Plaza from 5pm - 7pm and in the Backstage Bar from 7 - 10pm.

Dwayne Dolphin - December 9, 2008

Al Dowe and Sandy Dowe - December 9, 2008

Kenny Powell - December 16, 2008

Kevin Howard - December 16, 2008

Clare Ascani - December 23, 2008

Rodney McCoy - December 23, 2008

Jay Willis - December 30, 2008

Roger Barbour - December 30, 2008

Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra –

Heinz Hall

600 Penn Avenue – Pittsburgh, PA 15222

(412) 392-4900 www.pittsburghsymphony.org

Handel’s Messiah - December 12 – 13, 2008

Highmark Holiday Pops: Holiday Memories with the PSO - December 17 – 21, 2008

Annie - December 23 – 28, 2008

Popular Classics and Broadway Favorites - January 9, 2009

Venue: Scottish Rite Cathedral in New Castle

A Favorite Piano Concerto! - January 10, 2009

Venue: Lincoln Park Performing Arts Center

Nixon in China and Dr. Atomic - January 16, 2009

On The Transmigration of Souls - January 17, 2009

Gabriela Montero Plays Rhapsody in Blue - January 24, 2009

Venue: Lyell B. Clay Concert Theater at WVU Evansdale Campus

Tortelier: An Enchanted Journey - January 30-31, 2009

BOLERO! - February 6 – 8, 2009

Marvin & the Music of Jerome Kern - February 12 – 15, 2009

Carmina Burana - February 20 – 22, 2009

Brahms Piano Concerto No. 1 - February 27 – 28, 2009

Pittsburgh Musical Theater

327 South Main Street

Pittsburgh, PA 15220 • (412) 539-0900

www.pittsburghmusicals.com

Disney’s High School Musical - January 29 – February 8, 2009

FEATURE SHOWS AND EVENTS

FROST / NIXON - December 2 – 7, 2008

Venue: Benedum Center

A Musical Christmas Carol - December 4 – 21, 2008

Venue: Byham Theater

Nutcracker - December 12 – 28, 2008

Venue: Benedum Center

Jerry Seinfeld - January 3, 2009

Venue: Benedum Center

Jersey Boys - January 7 – February 1, 2009

Venue: Benedum Center

Fiddler on the Roof - February 17-22, 2009

Venue: Benedum Center

Lily Tomlin - February 2, 2009

Venue: Benedum Center

Batsheva Dance Company - February 5, 2009

Venue: Benedum Center

Pittsburgh Playhouse at Point Park University

222 Craft Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15231

(412) 621-4445 • www.pointpark.edu

The Snow Queen - December 12 – 21, 2008

Gift of the Pirate Queen

December 12 – 14 &

December 19 – 21, 2008

The Hot L Baltimore - January 23 – February 8, 2009

A Moon to Dance By - February 6 – 22, 2009

Parade

February 27 – March 1 &

March 12 – 22, 2009

Cohen & Grigsby Trust Presents Series

Presented by: The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust

Trust Presents, a programming division of The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, brings a diverse array of entertainment from live music to uproarious comedy to literary luminaries and world-famous artists. The great mix of performances promises something for everyone.

The Christmas Music of Mannheim Steamroller by Chip Davis - December 16 – 17, 2008

DRUMline Live - February 18, 2009

Al Jarreau - February 19, 2009

The National Acrobats of China - February 28, 2009

The Cabaret at Theater Square

655 Penn Avenue, between the O’Reilly Theater and Katz Plaza • (412) 325-6769

Ray Vega Quintet - December 11, 2008

Life Is A Cabaret - December 12, 2009

The Gong Show! - December 13, 2008

The Hops Stop Here! - December 16, 2008

Gabriel Alegria’s Afro-Peruvian Sextet - February 17, 2009

DINING OUT AROUND PITTSBURGH

BIG BURRITO GROUP – www.BigBurrito.com

Mad Mex – Fresh Cal-Mex

Soba – Pan-Asian

Eleven – Contemporary American

Casbah – Mediterranean

Kaya – Island

umi – Japanese / Sushi

BRAVO!

Galleria of Mt. Lebanon

1500 Washington Road

Pittsburgh, PA 15228 • (412) 343-3366

www.BravoItalian.com

Mitchell’s Fish Market Seafood Restaurant & Bar

The Waterfront – (412) 476-8844

Mt. Lebanon at the Galleria

(412) 571-3474

www.MitchellsFishMarket.com

NAKAMA JAPANESE STEAKHOUSE and SUSHI BAR

Corner of 17th and East Carson Street

South Side • (412) 381-6000

www.EatAtNakama.com

The Original Fish Market Restaurant

1001 Liberty Avenue

Pittsburgh, PA 15222 • 1-877-EAT-FISH

www.OriginalFishMarketPgh.com

Pittsburgh Rare

Sheraton Station Square

(4­12) 803-3824

www.PittsburghRare.com