Holiday Fun Doesn't Have To End With Christmas

PITTSBURGH, PA - Your holiday fun doesn’t have to end when the last presents are unwrapped on Christmas. Holiday-themed events and activities will linger around town for the last few days of the year.

So what should you do for fun before the kids go back to school and you return to work? Patch found these possibilities:

• Elf The Musical, Dec. 26-Dec. 30, Heinz Hall, Downtown

Based on the classic movie, Elf The Musical is the hilarious tale of Buddy, a young orphan child who mistakenly crawls into Santa's bag of gifts and is transported back to the North Pole. Unaware that he is actually human, Buddy's enormous size and poor toy-making abilities cause him to face the truth. With Santa's permission, Buddy embarks on a journey to New York City to find his birth father, discover his true identity, and help New York remember the true meaning of Christmas.
Elf the Musical tickets sstart at $31.

• Holiday Magic Laser Show, Dec. 26-Dec. 29, 5 p.m., Dec. 31, 1 p.m., Carnegie Science Center, North Shore

Delight in the festive lights and musical wonders at this festive laser show. Featuring traditional holiday tunes from across generations to contemporary artists performing their personal favorites, the laser show traditionally is a hit with all ages.
Holiday Magic Laser show tickets are $8.

• Holiday Lights, Dec. 26-Dec. 30, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., Kennywood.

Nearly two million bulbs illuminate the West Mifflin amusement park, which also is decorated with the tallest Christmas tree to be found in Pennsylvania - 90 feet plus a 10-foot tree-topping ornament. Tickets for Holiday Lights can be purchased online at www.Kennywood.com, with prices starting at $16.99. Children three years of age and younger are free. Parking is also free. An added bonus: You’ll get to see how far construction has proceeded on the new Steel Curtain coaster debuting in 2019.

• Holiday Magic Let it Glow! Winter Light Garden, Dec. 26 through Jan. 6, Phipps Conservatory, Oakland

This year's winter flower show features new displays of holiday trees, topiaries, exquisitely detailed props, and signature floral delights that include amaryllis, orchids and more than 2,000 poinsettias. From a newly-restored Palm Court filled with trees mounted on oversized music boxes to a Serpentine Room of nutcrackers, toboggans and tea sets, one display after another promises to dazzle.

Holiday Magic Let It Glow! Winter Light Garden tickets start at $11.95.

• Highmark First Night Pittsburgh, Dec. 31, Downtown

Culminating with the city's countdown to midnight and raising of the Future of Pittsburgh Ball, the six-hour First Night Pittsburgh celebration sprawls downtown's renowned 14-block Cultural District — inside theaters, galleries, and unique spaces and along city streets on outdoor performance stages.

Acclaimed national artists and Pittsburgh's vibrant artist community ring in the new year for revelers with live music, dance, theater, visual arts, comedy, magic, kids' activities, and a signature parade along with two Zambelli Fireworks displays, at 6 p.m. and midnight.
First Night admission buttons are $10. Children 5 and under are free.

Photo: Getty Images.