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Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership launches Peoples Gas Holiday Market

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PITTSBURGH — The holiday shopping season will soon be upon us, With the traditional start being Black Friday and Small Business Saturday being this week, the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership is hoping to help make it easier for shoppers.

First and foremost, is the return of the Peoples Gas Holiday Market located in Market Square and open daily through Dec. 23.

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In addition, parking at street meters and city-owned lots will be free on Fridays and Saturdays through Christmas.

“Small businesses are the heart of our retail community in Downtown Pittsburgh,” said Jeremy Waldrup, President and CEO of the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership. “These businesses offer exceptional service, products that can’t be founds at the malls, and best of all nearly 70% of money you spend at a small retailer stays right here in our community.”

Below, you can find more details about the Holiday Market, as well as specific events related to Black Friday and Small Business Saturday.

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Peoples Gas Holiday Market

The Peoples Gas Holiday Market is a European-inspired Christmas market that transforms Market Square into a holiday village featuring 30+ vendors of international and locally handcrafted gifts housed in Alpine-style chalets, an entertainment stage featuring local performing groups and bands, and a whimsical Santa’s House offering free photos with Santa when you make a donation to the Greater Pittsburgh Community Foodbank. The Market is open Daily (closed on Thanksgiving) through Sunday, December 23.

Santa’s House  Santa again resides in his storybook home, featuring a real gas fireplace, in Market Square where children of all ages have the opportunity to have a free photo taken with Santa with every donation to the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. In five years, more than $250,000 has been raised during the Holiday Market, providing a million meals for local families in need.

Daily Entertainment  The Peoples Gas Holiday Market™ also features daily entertainment on the main stage including ethnic performance groups, school and community choirs, bands, local musicians, and more.

$1,000 Grand Prize Karaoke Contest  The much loved Holiday Karaoke Contest returns for 2018! Every Monday and Tuesday evening from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. through December 11, contestants will compete to move on to the grand finale on Monday, December 17 where one lucky winner will go home with a cash prize of $1,000. There are prizes for each nightly winner and gifts for every participant.

Condor Airlines Giveaway  Guests who stop by the Kathe Wölfhart tent during the Holiday Market have the opportunity to enter to win two free tickets to Germany on Condor Airlines, no purchase necessary.

Wintergarden Gingerbread Display

One of Pittsburgh’s must-see holiday attractions looks good enough to eat. The 16th annual Gingerbread House Display & Competition returns this holiday season at PPG Place Wintergarden.

Local students, seniors, and professional bakers have created over 400 delicious displays.

Visitors can see these elaborate displays for free, though donations are being collected for the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh Free Care Fund. Last year’s event raised over $7000 in donations for the fund.

The Wintergarden Gingerbread Display is open every day now through January 1st, and is sure to bring holiday delight to hearts young and old.

Black Friday

Friday, November 23 Visitors are encouraged to avoid the wild rush of malls and enjoy free parking at street meters. The Peoples Gas Holiday Market will be open and filled with free, live entertainment all day.

Downtown will be bustling with holiday sights, live music, and free family activities around every corner, including Holiday KidsPlay, with a new partnership with Fred Rogers Productions.

Visitors can hop on the free Fifth Avenue Place Holly Trolley for a convenient lift to holiday hot spots. There will also be free horse-drawn carriage rides at PPG Place.

Small Business Saturday

Now in its eighth year, Small Business Saturday has been embraced as part of the holiday shopping tradition. Each year shoppers and businesses come together to Shop Small® and show their neighborhood pride. Downtown is excited to be part of this tradition. As a Neighborhood Champion, the PDP is giving shoppers a little extra incentive to visit all of their favorite places and a great opportunity to win prizes!

Here’s how it works:

  1. Collect your Small Business Saturday shopping passport at the PDP info tent at the Peoples Gas Holiday Market after 10:00 a.m. on Small Business Saturday or at your favorite participating store.
  2. Get the passport stamped for each participating store visited on Small Business Saturday.
  3. Once you have finished shopping for the day, return your stamped passport to the PDP Small Business Saturday info tent at the Peoples Gas Holiday Market or to any participating store with at least three stamps by 5:00 p.m. for a chance to win fabulous raffle prizes from Downtown retailers!