Plans & Traffic Restrictions Announced for Christmas Tree Celebration
Published on November 10, 2026
Plans and Traffic Restrictions Announced for Installation and Celebration of Pittsburgh’s 113th Christmas Tree at the City-County Building
Pittsburgh, PA – The City of Pittsburgh’s Department of Public Works Forestry Division advises that there will be closures of Grant Street between Third Avenue and Fifth Avenue from 7:00 AM to 4:00 PM on Saturday, November 14, 2026 to transport and install the 113th City of Pittsburgh Christmas Tree at the City-County Building. On Sunday, November 15, the northbound travel lane of Grant Street closest to the City-County Building will be closed from 6:30 AM to 2:00 PM to allow crews to finish decorating the tree.
Drivers can expect temporary delays and rolling traffic closures to begin between 8:30 AM to 10:30 AM on Saturday, November 14 as the tree is escorted Downtown from Brighton Heights at the following locations: Richbarn Road, Brighton Road, Termon Avenue, Brighton Heights Boulevard, Route-65, I-279, Fort Duquesne Bridge, Fort Pitt Boulevard, Smithfield Street, Boulevard of the Allies, and Grant Street.
About Pittsburgh’s 113th Christmas Tree
The 113th City of Pittsburgh Christmas Tree is a 38-foot blue spruce donated by Anthony Vallecorsa from Brighton Heights. The tree will journey from the North Side to the City-County Building Downtown, where it will be adorned with lights and ornaments and serve as the City’s official tree through the New Year.
Pittsburgh's official Christmas Tree - Downtown's only live outdoor tree - remains one of the Golden Triangle's oldest holiday traditions. A fundraising campaign led by Councilman Robert Garland saw the first City Christmas Tree in 1913. Henry Clay Frick authorized the use of his then-empty property between Fifth and Sixth Avenues for the festivities.
The tradition moved to its current home in 1914 when workers placed the City's second Christmas Tree on the construction site of the then-unfinished City-County Building.
Annual Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony and Holiday Festivities
The City of Pittsburgh Christmas Tree Lighting and festivities will take place on Grant Street in front of the City-County Building from 4:00 to 6:30 PM on Light Up Night, Saturday, November 21, and will feature live music from Chantal Joseph and Pittsburgh Creative and Performing Arts’ Jazz Quintet (CAPA) as well as food trucks, a craft vendor market, and holiday lightshows.
The 113th Christmas Tree will be lit at 5:00 PM and will feature rooftop fireworks. The musically timed City-County Building Holiday Lightshow on the building’s Grant Street facade will be featured immediately following the tree lighting, with additional shows at 6:30 and 7:30 PM to close the evening’s events.
Visitors to the City-County Building can also view the 24th Annual Gingerbread House Display and Competition. This beloved Pittsburgh tradition has dazzled thousands of guests for over two decades. The display, featuring hundreds of handmade gingerbread house creations, can be seen in the Grand Lobby through January 8, 2027.
Motorists are advised to use posted detours that evening as the holiday events will close Grant Street between Fourth Avenue and Forbes Avenue and Fourth Avenue between Cherry Way and Ross Street.
The 113th City of Pittsburgh Christmas Tree Lighting and 24th Annual Gingerbread Display are presented by Clearview Federal Credit Union.
For the full schedule of events during Highmark Light Up Night by the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership, visit www.downtownpittsburghholidays.com.
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Molly Onufer
Press Secretary
molly.onufer@pittsburghpa.gov