I have never been one to celebrate a new year with libations.
My usual routine is a New Year’s Eve (often overpriced) dinner and then my head
hits the pillow before the midnight hour. Looking for an alternative, First Night 2019-2020 offered a 6 hour celebration
of art, live music, entertainment, crafts, and more. Ending with Zambelli fireworks and a ball drop, it was a package of fun -a night to celebrate the hope for a brighter new year.
Reflection
Pittsburgh’s First Night celebration is organized by the Pittsburgh
Cultural Trust. With a $10.00 general admission or $40.00 VIP button, you gain access to 30 different venues
throughout the cultural district that offered something for everyone. In fact, there was so much going on that you could go from one activity
to the next all night. My preference was to just take it easy and roam the
streets absorbing the excitement and sporadically ducking into an activity.
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| Visual Art- Prismatic |
As a lover of art, I appreciated all the opportunities to see a variety of visual art: Prismatic (Trust Oasis), Get Well Soon (707 Penn Gallery), Visit Pittsburgh Pull up a Chair (819 Penn Avenue), Perpendicular (900 Penn Ave), Trumpet to the Tulips (SPACE) Boat Trips (Wood Street Galleries) and more. These installations provoked reflections of the past and optimism for the future. The rainbow of colors projected from spinning prisms in the installation Prismatic produced a festive atmosphere. Some of the visual art will remain open for viewing in the new year.
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| 8 ticketed shows-Robert Ramirez "Musical Magician" |
First Night had 8 ticketed shows timed throughout the night. You could: hear lectures (Young Author Panel), have a laugh (Comedy Showcase and Penny Arcade/comedy for kids), experience magic (Robert Ramirez “The Musical Magician” and Jon Tai “Magic Mind Reading and Mystery”), enjoy dance (Attack Theater and Zuzu African Acrobats) or join an adult game show (Game Time). The tickets for the events were free but required online pre-registration. I found that even if a show was “sold out” you often could get in if you persevered in line taking advantage of the “no shows.”
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| Ice Creations & Steel Town Fire |
There was a parade, fire and ice carving, fire juggling, live music outside on two street stages and inside in 6 other venues. There was a children’s tent, where big kids like me had fun playing with gigantic puppets.
You get the picture, town was an explosion of activity. It was a celebration of life and
the arts. People
were laughing, holding glow sticks or sporting the free flashing necklaces. We
all found something to enjoy with the burst of activity provided by First Night. First Night was a fun package to celebrate new beginnings and bring in 2020 with a band (The Shadowboxers) and a bang-"Pittsburgh Zambelli style."
Cheers to new beginnings and a happy New Year to all!.
Spiritual Reflection
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies
never come to an end; they are new every morning, great is your faithfulness.
(Lamentations 3:22-23)
Other Sources