Highmark First Night Pittsburgh 2022 presents an arts-focused, family-friendly celebration of the New Year throughout the 14-block radius of Pittsburgh’s Cultural District.
Throughout the event’s six hours, guests can look forward to all types of art, including comedy, dance, music, magic, theater, visual art, and more, as well as hands-on activities for every age.
This year’s featured events will be outdoors across four stages and other activity spaces such as the New Year’s Eve Parade presented by Giant Eagle featuring Studio Capezzuti puppets, with visual art galleries and select indoor performance spaces free and open to the public.
The evening begins with the Dollar Bank Children’s Fireworks and a performance from the winner of the Williams Sing-Off Competition at 6 p.m. on the Dollar Bank Stage and culminates in a headliner performance from Pittsburgh-based axe-man Byron Nash, Julz Powell, and Justin Brown in The Byron Nash Trio and the Future of Pittsburgh Grand Finale at midnight.
“A highlight of this year’s event, Intrude from Parer Studios in Australia is a true spectacle,” says Sarah Aziz, Director of Festival Management for the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. “You do not want to miss these gigantic, illuminated rabbits that will take over the 8th Street block of the District! With the largest measuring 50 feet tall (yes, that’s almost four building stories high!), the public art piece will be inflated and deflated daily, signifying when the three rabbits wake and go to sleep.”
Intrude, presented as part of Highmark First Night Pittsburgh and the EQT Children’s Theater Festival, will be on view in the Eighth Street Lot and Trust Oasis at 133 7th Street from December 31, 2021 through January 28, 2022, its closing coinciding with the Cultural Trust’s Winter Gallery Crawl on that date.
Select indoor performances at Liberty Magic, Bricolage (937 Liberty), and the Harris Theater require a free ticket for entry due to limited capacity. Free tickets can be reserved at TrustArts.org/FirstNightPGH for these events.
Highmark First Night Pittsburgh events fall under the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s health and safety measures. For outdoor events, vaccines and masks are not required, however, the Cultural District is a mask-friendly place and everyone is welcome and encouraged to mask up, regardless of vaccination status. For galleries, vaccines are not required but masks are required to be worn by everyone, regardless of age, for the duration of their visit indoors. For ticketed events inside Cultural Trust venues, guests are required to be fully vaccinated, provide proof of vaccination and a valid ID with their reserved ticket, and mask up for the duration of their visit indoors. Guests under the age of 12 are not required to be vaccinated, but must wear a mask and be accompanied by an adult who meets the venue health and safety requirements. Learn more about the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s health and safety policies at TrustArts.org/Welcome.
The Cultural Trust is offering a First Night Friends VIP experience offering access to the First Night Friends Lounge sponsored by Citizens with hot beverages, sweet treats, and merrymaking from 6-11pm, plus a First Night Friends 2022 light-up button to wear during the festivities.
First Night Friends receive enhanced access to seats for select outdoor festival events. Elevated experiences include guaranteed access to select indoor performances and one reserved and pre-paid spot in Theater Square Garage per household, even if it’s full to the public. Become a First Night Friend at TrustArts.org/FNF
Featured Events
- Intrude by Parer Studio
Trust Oasis (133 7th Street) and 8th Street Lot (Penn Avenue and 8th Street)
6 p.m. – 11 p.m.
Opens at Highmark First Night Pittsburgh 2022 and remains through January 28, 2022
Some very large white rabbits, illuminated in stark white light, have been invading the planet. The bunnies of Intrude stand enormous yet relaxed in their given new homes.
Rabbits in artist Amanda Parer’s native Australia are a feral species, they leave a trail of ecological destruction wherever they go and defying attempts at eradication. First introduced by white settlers in 1788, they have caused a great imbalance to the country’s endemic species.
Yet, the rabbit is also an animal of contradiction. They represent the fairy-tale animals of our childhood, of furry innocence, frolicking through idyllic fields. Intrude deliberately evokes this cutesy image, and strong visual humor to lure you into the artwork only to reveal the more serious environmental messages in the work. The bunnies of Intrude are huge, the size referencing “the elephant in the room”, the problem, like our mismanagement of the environment, big, but one that we too easily ignore.
Invading Pittsburgh’s Cultural District through January 2022 will be three 12-foot creatures at the Trust Oasis and a 50-foot “Mama” bunny at the Eighth Street Block on Penn Avenue.
- Midnight Music Headliner: The Byron Nash Trio
Highmark Stage, Penn Avenue and Stanwix Street
10:45 p.m. – Midnight
Byron Nash is one of Pittsburgh’s most exciting and impactful musicians. In 2021 alone he’s played 100 shows, graced the cover of Post-Gazette in their Sunday Edition for his music, business endeavors, and undeniable work ethic. He even has his own beer—BLQ METAL IPA with Helltown Brewing!
He’s been one of the most sought after artists having played the Allegheny Overlook Stage more than any other performer this summer, rocking the Market Square Music Series, Picklesburgh, and the Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival with his power trio.
- Family Tent
8th Street Lot at Penn and 8th Street
6 p.m. – 10 p.m.
The Family Tent features an opportunity for families to warm up and participate in activities from local organizations.
- Williams Sing-Off Competition Winner
7th Street between Penn and Liberty Avenues
6 p.m.
The winner of this year’s Williams SING-OFF Competition will showcase the best vocal talent in the region.
A returning favorite program hosted by the Cultural Trust at Highmark First Night Pittsburgh, the Williams Sing-Off Competition welcomes special guest judge Adam Pascal this year. Each year, dozens of young, aspiring musical artists audition to become a finalist in the Williams Sing-Off Competition. The winner performs at the Dollar Bank Stage and receives many other great prizes.
Full details are available at TrustArts.org/SingOff and applications are open now through Friday, December 3, 2021.
- Dollar Bank Children’s Fireworks
Dollar Bank Stage (7th Street Between Penn and Liberty Avenues)
6:05 p.m.
The Dollar Bank Children’s Fireworks Display kicks-off Highmark First Night Pittsburgh each year. The event includes a spectacular Pyrotechnico fireworks display and continued music from the Dollar Bank Stage.
- New Year’s Eve Parade presented by Giant Eagle
Penn Avenue, from 10th Street to Stanwix Street
8 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Studio Capezzuti returns with its signature giant puppets for this year’s New Year’s Eve Parade. Members of the community are invited to participate in the parade on New Year’s Eve night and also by crafting puppets in their community. The final Puppet-Making Workshop takes place on December 11 from 1-4 p.m. at Braddock Battlefield History Center. More information at https://firstnightpgh.trustarts.org/fn_home/get-involved/parade-workshops
- EQT Plaza
625 Liberty Avenue
6:30 p.m. – 10:30 p.m.
Soul Line Dancing with Roland Ford presents interactive dancing opportunities. Sessions are at 6:30 p.m., 7:30 p.m., 8:30 p.m., and 9:30 p.m.
Outdoor Stages
Highmark Stage
Penn Avenue and Stanwix Street
- ZUZU African Acrobats | 6:30-7 p.m. |7:30-8 p.m. | 9-9:30 p.m.
The Zuzu Acrobats perform traditional African acrobatics passed on by generations of Bantu people in East Africa. They combine circus arts with traditional dance movement and music. Their signature acts are pyramid building, hand balance, unicycling, chair balance, and movement. The group has performed recently at the Afrika Afrika, the San Diego Zoo, Dollywood, NBA halftime shows, and more.
- The Byron Nash Trio | 10:45 p.m. – midnight
Byron Nash is one of Pittsburgh’s most exciting and impactful musicians. In 2021 alone he’s played 100 shows, graced the cover of Post Gazette in their Sunday Edition for his music, business endeavors, and undeniable work ethic. He even has his own beer—BLQ METAL IPA with Helltown Brewing!
He’s been one of the most sought-after artists having played the Allegheny Overlook Stage more than any other performer this summer, rocking the Market Square Music Series, Picklesburgh, and the Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival with his power trio.
He’s known for his electrifying guitar playing, powerful stage presence, and explosive energy. However, he’s also known for his diverse style with a creative versatility that can have him playing a rock show one day and a private dinner the next. Music is his first language.
His wide range of musical stylings landed him an opening slot before the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and as featured artist at The Andy Warhol Museum for TED X Pittsburgh.
Dollar Bank Stage
7th Street between Penn and Liberty Avenues
- Williams Sing-Off Winner | 6 p.m.
- Dollar Bank Children’s Fireworks | 6:05 p.m.
- Baby Rave | 6:15 p.m.
Baby Rave is a child-friendly dance and music event that is sure to get you and your little one to bounce, bop, and boogie to the beat. A live DJ set from RBNOUS will offer music specially curated for this event. Fun party favors that will inspire your child to dance will also be provided. All ages are welcome, but children ages 0-5 and their families will enjoy it most.
RBNOUS is Ryan Brown, a Pittsburgh-based creative, curator, and Founder of Make Sure You Have Fun™ and MSYH.FM.
Baby Rave is a project of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s Arts Education Department, which provides a wealth of exciting opportunities to educators, students, and community members for personal and professional growth. These performances, workshops, classes, and other programs nurture an appreciation and understanding through the arts. Learn more at TrustArts.org/Education.
- Nay Hundo | 9 p.m.
Born on January 1st, Nayona White, professionally known as Nay Hundo, is an American rapper whose hometown is right here in Pittsburgh, PA! She is an upcoming, versatile female artist with her own independent label called APACALYPSE1.
In 2020, Hundo released her first EP project called The Plan. It has six songs that are available on all streaming platforms. In October of 2021, she released her second EP called Welcome 2 the Jungle. This has six new songs and can be found on all streaming platforms as well.
Eighth Street Stage
8th Street Lot at Penn and 8th Street
- Steel Town Fire I 6:30 p.m. | 7:30 p.m. | 9 p.m. | 10 p.m.
Steel Town Fire is Pittsburgh’s premier fire performance company. For the past ten years, STF has been delighting audiences of all ages with their skilled manipulation of fire props. A favorite at Highmark First Night Pittsburgh, Steel Town Fire performs alongside Ice Creations for a night full of wonder at the Fire & Ice Plaza. It’s the coolest, hottest show on New Year’s Eve!
- Ice Creations | 6 p.m. | 7 p.m. | 9:30 p.m. | 10 p.m.
Ice Creations will deliver a one-of-a-kind, high-energy fire and ice carving show. Alternating with Steel Town Fire’s act at Fire & Ice Plaza, expect snow-spraying chainsaws, power tools producing amazing ice sculptures, and special music and lights. It’s the coolest, hottest show on New Year’s Eve!
Heinz Hall Courtyard Stage
6th Street and Liberty Avenue
- River City Brasstacular | 6:15 p.m. | 7:15 p.m.
Since 1981, River City Brass has been delighting audiences with high-energy performances that run the gamut from classical to classic rock. RCB has toured throughout the United States as well as Italy, Australia, and even Bangladesh. Founded right here in Pittsburgh, RCB has become a cultural ambassador for the steel city, and whether it’s the full 28-member band or one of the smaller ensembles, musical excellence is the hallmark of every RCB performance.
The RCB Octet mixes holiday music, classical, jazz, rock, and Broadway favorites into an eclectic crowd-pleasing mix. Conductor James Gourlay is your host on a musical journey that can only be described as Brasstacular! RCB concerts are fast-paced fun for the whole family.
- Jay Michaels | 8:45 p.m.
Hailing from the cityscapes of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania, soul and spoken word songwriter/recording artist Jay Michaels hit the ground running in 2018. He has manifested into a versatile, innovative, and multifaceted artist in a very short time with no intention of slowing down anytime soon.
Born into a family of musicians spanning back three generations, Jay’s music sustains a charismatic mix of many diverse components that showcase his musicianship and defining factors, which delivers up a signature sound and stylization that sets him aside from your run-of-the-mill artist. A lot of Jay’s songwriting is inspired by and attributed to his life experiences—from disaster relief to pushing through hard times. He garners a lot of his material by writing music that is not only inspirational, but therapeutic and spiritual as well. And while his artist influences are limitless, some of his notable favorites stem from industry heavyweights such as Dave Matthews Band, Jason Mraz, John Mayer, and many others.
- Trinity Wiseman | 9:45 p.m.
Trinity’s original music is a mix of pop, country, and folk music. She is passionate about songwriting and performing. Her shows always contain something for everyone. Her cover songs include an eclectic mix from the 60s up to current hits on the radio and obscure playlists.
Trinity was the winner of the Williams SING-OFF Competition, part of Highmark First Night Pittsburgh 2018, in 2017.
Indoor Stages
Select indoor performances at Bricolage (937 Liberty Avenue), the Harris Theater (809 Liberty Avenue), and Liberty Magic (811 Liberty Avenue) require a free ticket for entry due to limited capacity. Free tickets for these events can be reserved at TrustArts.org/FirstNightPGH.
Arcade Comedy Theater
943 Liberty Avenue
- Comedy Night at the Arcade with Suzanne Lawrence | 7 p.m. | 8:30 p.m. | 10 p.m.
See celebrated Pittsburgh stand-up comedian Suzanne Lawrence headline at Arcade Comedy Theater, the Cultural District’s home for comedy. Suzanne has been performing stand-up across the city and the region for over five years and teaching comedy writing at the Arcade.
Bricolage
937 Liberty Avenue
- Saudade: A Sense of Play Immersive Theater | 5 – 11 p.m.
Non-State Actors presents an individualized experience for audience members where what’s at stake is their memory.
In this intimate experience, audience participants will be blindfolded and guided through a 30-minute journey into the past, present, and future.
Remember what you’ve never seen.
Harris Theater
809 Liberty Avenue
- A Harris Theater Time Capsule on the Big Screen
7:45 – 8:15 p.m. | 8:45 – 9:15 p.m. | 9:45 – 10:15 p.m. | 10:45 – 11:15 p.m.
More than 85 years ago there were over a dozen movie theaters operating in Pittsburgh’s downtown Golden Triangle, including the Harris Theater, then known as the Art Cinema. Every theater was open New Year’s Eve, even with a midnight show! On New Year’s Eve in 1935, the Art Cinema was screening Fritz Lang’s classic M, giving audiences their first look at Peter Lorre. In 1938 it was one of the finest movies ever made, Grand Illusion, which became the template for every prison escape movie made since then. Many more classic films would play at this theater in the years that followed. But before these great films even rolled through the 35mm projectors, audiences saw a quick parade of short subjects…classic comedies, cartoons, advertisements, newsreels, even a quick documentary.
For this Highmark First Night Pittsburgh 2022 celebration you’ll see a program that replicates what audiences saw back then, minus the feature film, and you’ll see it projected in its original format of 35mm!
Liberty Magic
811 Liberty Avenue
- Siegfried Tieber
7 p.m. – 7:20 p.m. | 8:30 p.m. – 8:50 p.m. | 10 p.m. – 10:20 p.m.
Join the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust for an experience of magic and wonder with Siegfried Tieber at Liberty Magic! Witness impossible moments from his headlining show, Sixty-Seven Keys, as well as exclusive pieces of magic you can only see during this special New Year’s Eve performance! Anything is possible during this night of celebration.
Siegfried Tieber is a Los Angeles-based performer and sleight-of-hand magician. Born and raised in Ecuador, his first international appearance was in 2011 in Bogotá, Colombia. In 2015, Siegfried headlined at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, the largest arts festival in the world, where his performance was highly praised by reviewers and critics. 2017 saw the premiere of his show See/Saw in Los Angeles and in 2018 the project was taken to New York, where Time Out NY listed it as #1 in its “The best magic shows in New York City.” Most recently he was invited to be part of Penn & Teller: Fool Us, a television series featuring the legendary performance duo (yes, he did fool them).
Learn more about Siegfried Tieber in Sixty-Seven Keys, running through January 2, 2022 at Liberty Magic at TrustArts.org/Magic.
Visual Art Galleries
820 Liberty Gallery
820 Liberty Avenue
- InVisible by The Coloured Section Black Artists’ Collective | 6 p.m. – 11 p.m.
InVisible, an art exhibition centered on mental health from the Black perspective, features painting, sculpture, performance, multimedia installations, and poetry by 12 artists. The work highlights artists’ personal battles with mental health and explores vices, remedies, mental health practices, therapy, medications, coping mechanisms, and triggers.
“Given the topics covered in this exhibition, some of the work may be raw, jarring, and push the viewers outside of their comfort zone,” said artist and Collective founder Natiq Jalil. “This is done intentionally so that the artists can shine light on their chosen illnesses and amplify and uplift those who may also struggle with these illnesses.”
Artists also present works inspired by situations that cause Black people to feel invisible, such as casual racism, microaggressions, narrative changes, and false diversity movements. Learn more about The Coloured Section Black Artists’ Collective at colouredsection.us/invisible.
937 Liberty Gallery
937 Liberty Avenue
- Among Women: Contemporary Art from Serbia | 6 p.m. – 11 p.m.
Among Women: Contemporary Art from Serbia will feature works by artists: Šejma Fere, Bojana S. Knežević, Marina Marković, Tijana Radenković, Simonida Rajčević, Vahida Ramujkić, Milica Ružičić, Maja Simić, Nina Todorović, Anica Vučetić, and Gordana Žikić. Exhibited for the first time in Pittsburgh, Among Women: Contemporary Art from Serbia presents the work of eleven female artists who are deeply connected to Belgrade, Serbia. Shown together, the artworks produced by these women provide a snapshot of Belgrade’s productive and multilayered contemporary art scene, drawing on themes such as memory, the importance of place, and the ability of the female body to reveal personal narratives.
Among Women: Contemporary Art from Serbia is supported by the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust and the Pennsylvania Partners in the Arts, a partnership between the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts and the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council.
707 Penn Gallery
707 Penn Avenue
- For Tonight It’s Everything by Wren | 6 p.m. – 11 p.m.
“The cycles of death and rebirth. I am so excited to be with you – We turn the lights on in every room. There is learning with constant change.
When you think of me now
Painting and being
How do you name me . . .
I ask this as a tender question –
Loving life.
a loving life.”
Wrenna Jane – Wren
SPACE
812 Liberty Avenue
- FRILLS: Glories, Excess, and Getting Weird | 6 p.m. – 11 p.m.A Contemporary art exhibition featuring work that subverts common notions of extravagance by playing with the boundaries between frill and the plainness of everyday life. Each artist sources materials from their personal experiences and domestic surrounding both mundane and intimate. The banality of these objects is transformed through embellishment and decoration, revealing how frills are a necessary form of human processing that allows for greater appreciation and rediscovery of the forms, memories, and objects that surround us.Co-curated by Hannah Turpin and Dave Zak.
Wood Street Galleries
601 Wood Street
- New Work by Matthew Schreiber | 6 p.m. – 11 p.m.
Matthew Schreiber produces artwork in a wide variety of media, including drawing, performance, sculpture, video, and light.
Explore two floors, and three new installations, at Wood Street Galleries, incorporating all of these media intertwined with physics, technology, and the exploration of perception. Works include Double Gemini, a major new laser sculpture commissioned specially for Wood Street Galleries, along with a video installation, Summoner, and a dark space, Gift Shop.
While physically silent and static, the geometry of Double Gemini flows in and out of form, activated by the audience’s movement and point of view.
The site scaled video installation, Summoner, combines family footage shot in Zugarramurdi Cave, Spain and Juniper Springs, Florida. The manipulated video is produced with custom strobing software combined with a massive fresnel lens. The installation forces a meditative or trance state for the audience.
The final space, Gift Shop, reflects on Schreiber’s childhood experiences visiting novelty and head shops around Cleveland, Ohio. The room contains sparsely placed items that include holograms, black light drawing, and found objects.
Categories: Show Previews
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