Events

How to Get the Most Out of Light Up Night in Pittsburgh

In Pittsburgh, the start of the holiday season is not ambiguous.

It is not after Halloween when department stores put out Christmas decorations (or do they do it before now?). It is not the day after Thanksgiving that many traditionally observe. It is also not the first snow sighting, December 1st, the fall time change, or any other arbitrary benchmark.

This one particular instance should not be up for debate, as the start of the Christmas season in Pittsburgh is Light Up Night- the Saturday before Thanksgiving.

In this guide, we want to share some of our favorite tips on how to get the most out of what is perhaps our favorite annual event in Pittsburgh!

Note: In 2025, Light Up Night will have some slightly modified event locations due to the on-going construction in Market Square. While this article is meant to be somewhat static year-to-year, we've noted some variations for 2025's festivities in this one.

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North Side Sandwich Week – The Best Sandwich Competition

Do you love sandwiches? We know the answer is yes, but we feel like we have to ask anyway.

Since you likely fall into this category, we're just going to cut to the chase and tell you that you need to make it over to the North Side to check out their annual sandwich week- taking place starting October 27th in 2025.

This annual event challenges all North Side restaurants to showcase a special sandwich for the week and throw down against each other for a judged event at The Priory Hotel to kick off the festivities.

We were invited to check out the opening night party in 2025 as guest judges and were able to get a sneak peek at some of the creations.

This is one party you don't want to miss in future years!

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Phipps Conservatory’s Fall Flower Show – Visions of Japan

Phipps Conservatory is known for being one of the largest botanical gardens in the region, and also for its seasonal flower shows that are truly events not to be missed.

For 2025's Fall Flower Show, Phipps is heading to Asia with the theme Visions of Japan. With some elegant and intentional designs, this one will delight with imagery of the fall and harvest in East Asia.

As with all of our show reviews, we're not going to share every room in the Conservatory (you'll have to visit yourself to see them all!). Instead, we're going to feature a few of our favorite rooms from the show to highlight a cross-section of the displays!

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A Fair in the Park Brings Artists to Mellon Park

We are fortunate to have so many talented artists in the Pittsburgh area. With these artists come the art shows, and there are truly a number of excellent events to enjoy throughout the year.

One annual event that has become one of our favorites is A Fair in the Park by the Craftmen's Guild of Pittsburgh. This one showcases 80+ artists (many of whom are local members of the guild) with a variety of mediums, with the stunning Mellon Park as the backdrop for three days every September.

A stroll around the park while shopping for art on a nice late-summer's day? It really is hard to beat that one- if you can get parking at least.

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10 Oktoberfests in Pittsburgh to Celebrate Fall with a Beer

We have a soft spot for all things Oktoberfest, and after getting to enjoy the celebration in Munich for its wild party, we love checking out all of the Pittsburgh Oktoberfest celebrations that take place throughout September (and spill into October).

As there are no shortage of events taking place in breweries and other public places, we thought we would share a few of the top Oktoberfest events you may want to consider. Prost!

Note: This article features a mix of Oktoberfest celebrations that have been announced in 2025 as well as celebrations that took place last year that we hope are returning this year. These will be noted in each section.

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The Pittsburgh Mocktail Mixer Crowns the City’s Best

The Teetotal Initiative helps individuals in the greater Pittsburgh area sustain sobriety, and is a great organization for those who are sober and sober curious.

One part of their work is to help encourage restaurants and bars to offer non-alcoholic mocktails on their menus and have options for everyone.

The Pittsburgh Mocktail Mixer brought all of these components together for a fundraiser for the organization while showcasing the local mocktail scene with a friendly competition to find the best Mocktail in Pittsburgh!

We were guests of the Teetotal Initiative for the first-ever mixer, and share more about what it was like in this review!

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Allegheny County Wine & Spirits Festival Celebrates Local

We love how many festivals we have in southwest PA focusing on our regional libations.

For those who like wine and spirits and want to check out a festival with a relaxed vibe, don't overlook the Allegheny County Wine & Spirits Festival each July. This one brings roughly two dozen local producers to the stunning grounds of Hartwood Manor, and was quite the fun event.

We were invited to check this one out by Allegheny County Parks, and share more about what you can expect in this review!

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7 Awesome Places to Enjoy Sunflowers Near Pittsburgh

When it comes to enjoying fields of sunflowers near Pittsburgh, we have to admit that we're quite spoiled. Between the many farms open to get photos within a field and others open for pick your own bouquets, you really have a number of options to get out and see these gorgeous flowers in southwest Pennsylvania. 

But there is one caveat- most of the fields require a bit of a drive outside of the city.

In this one, we wanted to share a few fields you can visit as well as give you an idea of costs and their respective opening dates as these flowers can have quite a limited blooming period!

Note: We are updating this article for 2025 dates and pricing as they become available, but note that many listings still include 2024 information. Please reconfirm at the farms directly via their respective links below as prices, dates, and times are liable to change based on bloom progress. Most of the farms below are cash only.

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Pittsburgh Banjo Club’s Wednesday Practice is a Classic

When it comes to music institutions in Pittsburgh, it feels like we've sadly lost many to history.

But there is one musical experience in Pittsburgh's North Side that still exists to this day, and that is the Pittsburgh Banjo Club. Founded in the 1980s, the Pittsburgh Banjo Club has become a beacon for banjo lovers to play together. Even better? Their Wednesday night practices take place weekly at the Elks Lodge #339 on Cedar Avenue starting at 8 pm, and is completely free for visitors to attend!

Free live music from a Pittsburgh institution? You'll get just that with the Pittsburgh Banjo Club!

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10 Free Concert Series to Enjoy Live Music in Pittsburgh

It doesn't take much to find great music in Pittsburgh. From our thriving theaters in the Cultural District to numerous concert venues and one-off events at businesses all over the city, you really don't have to go far to find good music.

But finding free music, and perhaps more importantly, recurring free music can be a bit harder.

So in this one, we thought we'd share some great recurring concert series that are worth checking out. Some are on a year-round schedule, others are seasonal, and even more are on select nights that change weekly or monthly. But the one thing that ties them altogether- they're free!

Note: Please reconfirm all schedules prior to visiting as performances are prone to change. The days of the week and/or months featured below are representative of historical schedules only.

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