Celebration of Lights

The Celebration of Lights was a winter holiday season Christmas lights show in Pittsburgh.[2] Held at Hartwood Acres Park from 1991 to 2011, it generated funds for WTAE-TV's "Project Bundle-Up" charity and the Salvation Army.[2]

Celebration of Lights
GenreWinter holiday season
BeginsThanksgiving
EndsEarly January
Location(s)Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Inaugurated1991
Most recent2011
Attendance170,000 (2011)[1]

The show consisted of a 3.5 mile drive through Hartwood Acres Park.[3] Over the 20 year life of the show, it generated $3.7 million for charity.[2] In 1991, the 28 displays has 250,000 lights; by 2011 it had grown to 2,000,000 lights.[1][4] The Oglebay Winter Festival of Lights is a similar event at Oglebay Park in Wheeling, West Virginia.[5]

In 2010, a 3-year sponsor, Rite Aid withdrew from sponsorship.[6]

In September 2012, Chief Executive of Allegheny County Rich Fitzgerald announced that he was cancelling the Celebration of Lights due to inability to find corporate sponsorship.[2] The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette defended the decision in light of public outcry.[7] Following the announcement, private citizens began to search for new sponsors.[8]

References
  1. Barcousky, Len (September 10, 2012). "Allegheny County pulls plug on holiday lights at Hartwood Acres". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
  2. "Fitzgerald Suspends Celebration of Lights Due to High Costs, Low Sponsorships". Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. September 10, 2012. Archived from the original on December 30, 2012. Retrieved October 2, 2012.
  3. "Weekend Guide - Holiday Lights". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. December 31, 2009.
  4. Barcousky, Len (September 11, 2012). "Dim finances force Allegheny County to end Hartwood holiday display". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
  5. "Holiday happenings trip the lights fantastic". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. November 23, 2006.
  6. Wills, Rick (March 18, 2010). "Rite Aid pulls sponsorship of Celebration of Lights". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
  7. "He's no Grinch: Fitzgerald is just prioritizing county spending". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. September 13, 2012.
  8. "Promoter Wants To Save Celebration Of Lights At Hartwood Acres". KDKA-TV. September 11, 2012. Retrieved October 2, 2012.
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