Glowland is returning to Oakland for a second year, Nov. 20 to Jan. 2, sponsored by the Oakland Business Improvement District.
The event will illuminate and decorate 2 square miles of the Oakland civic and commercial district, including along Forbes Avenue. There will be installations by local and national designers and artists, and several free events during the six-week display.
Every evening, a participatory installation called EXPosure, by the artist team Lucion Media, will light up Schenley Plaza. It is composed of three inflated vinyl spheres, ranging from 8 feet to 15 feet in diameter. Visitors can move a light source in front of their faces and generate a living projection of themselves on the spheres as their faces become a brush to play with the light.
There also will be a Glow Ball from 6 to 10 p.m. Dec. 1 at the Pittsburgh Athletic Association building on Fifth Avenue. The building will be illuminated by artist Ian Brill and music will be provided by Arie Cole. Tickets for the 21 and over event are $85 to $125.
Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation will host historical walking tours of different areas of Oakland Dec. 15 to 17. See the Glowland website for details. The cost is $30 per person, which includes a $10 gift card to participating businesses in the Oakland Business Improvement District.
Other free events
Spherical Saturdays: 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturdays from Dec. 2-30, Schenley Plaza. Interact with the installation EXPosure, participate in lawn games and other activities, hear music from live DJs.
Live! Art &&Code: 7-10 p.m. Dec. 3, Viva Los Tacos, 3901 Forbes Ave. Carnegie Mellon University’s Frank-Ratchye STUDIO for Creative Inquiry will present loccal artists and performers that intersect performance, real-time visuals, live coding and nightlife.
Winter Play Day: Noon-7 p.m. Dec. 9, Schenley Plaza. Activities include: story time, live music, face painting, balloon art, a glow in the dark puppet show, button and tote bag making, the Glow Parade and more. Crafts and activities are provided by Carnegie Museum of Art, Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Carnegie Library, Phipps Conservatory, Pittsburgh City Paper, and Art Image Resource.
Drone Show & Musical Fest: Noon-7:30 p.m. Dec. 16, Schenley Plaza. Presented by Sky Elements: A custom drone light show, set to a soundtrack, will illuminate the night sky. Enjoy Glow games on the lawn and interact with the EXPOsure installation. Live music and entertainment starts at 3 p.m. The drone show is at 7 p.m. GLOW gear, s’mores, and seasonal cocktails & mocktails, will be available for purchase.
In 2022, Glowland brought more than 30,000 guests to Oakland to experience large-scale illuminated seesaws and attend family activity days.