| Celebration of Lights | |
| First: | 1991 |
| Last: | 2011 |
| Ends: | Early January |
| Attendance: | 170,000 (2011) |
The Celebration of Lights was a winter holiday season Christmas lights show in Pittsburgh. Held at Hartwood Acres Park from 1991 to 2011, it generated funds for WTAE-TV's "Project Bundle-Up" charity and the Salvation Army.[1]
The show consisted of a 3.5 mile drive through Hartwood Acres Park.[2] Over the 20 year life of the show, it generated $3.7 million for charity. In 1991, the 28 displays has 250,000 lights; by 2011 it had grown to 2,000,000 lights.[3] [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. 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]