Happy New Year! There are so many ways to kick off 2025 in Pittsburgh. Whether you’re looking to brave the cold, get cozy with a new read, try some nonalcoholic beverages, or get moving (and grooving), we’re helping you make the most of January.
❄️ Explore Pittsburgh’s Winter Wonderland
Just because it’s cold and gray doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy Pittsburgh’s outdoors. Take a trail tour of Hays Woods Park Jan. 11; kick off marathon training in Market Square Jan. 11; enjoy frozen festivities at Frick’s Winterfest Jan. 18-19; or try out snowboarding with Venture Outdoors’ at their ongoing women and genderqueer beginner sessions.
Shop at Pittsburgh independent bookstores in 2025. (Francesca Dabecco / City Cast Pittsburgh)
📚 Plan Your 2025 Reading List
It’s a good time to turn a new page — literally. I’d like to read more work by local authors in 2025. (I imagine myself sitting on Pittsburgh’s city steps while reading “City Steps of Pittsburgh, a History and Guide” by Laura Zurowski, Charles Succop, and Matthew Jacob!)
Find your next read at Pittsburgh’s best independent bookstores. Indecisive? Take a stack from your bookshelf to a book swap at Bottlerocket Social Hall in Allentown Jan. 8, and get something new for free.
Find mocktails and nonalcoholic wine and beer at The Open Road. (Francesca Dabecco / City Cast Pittsburgh)
🍹 Sip On Something Nonalcoholic
It’s Dry January! The Open Road, Pittsburgh’s nonalcoholic beverage shop, is currently popping up inside Lawrenceville Hemp Co., but it’ll soon move to permanent digs in Garfield. Join them for upcoming events like Mod Mondays at Two Frays Brewery, the shop’s fifth birthday Jan. 13, and an NA-focused brewery tour Jan. 27.
Going dry 365? Check out the Teetotal Initiative, a nonprofit that offers inclusive and sober-focused programming. (They also have cooking classes!)
📣 Honor MLK’s Legacy
"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,” Martin Luther King Jr. said. Honor what he stood for at the 10th Annual MLK Day Scholarship Brunch at the Priory Jan. 11; volunteer through Pitt’s annual Day of Service Jan 20; or celebrate his life at the annual “Let Freedom Sing” concert at Kelly Strayhorn Theater Jan. 20.
Lunar New Year can be celebrated with noodles for longevity — like this bowl of pho from Maiku in the Strip District. (Francesca Dabecco / City Cast Pittsburgh)
🐍 Celebrate the Lunar New Year
It’s the year of the snake! Let’s shed the old and make room for new. Celebrate with the Greater Pittsburgh Lunar New Year Gala Jan. 25 Downtown; hear the “Spiral Symphony” at the 28th Greater Pittsburgh Lunar New Year Fair and Show at the Carnegie Museum of Art Jan. 26; or honor Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month with food from Chinatown Inn. (Psst! It’s the latest addition to the Miniature Railroad and Village at the Kamin Science Center).
Find this Mac Miller mural in Larimer. (Francesca Dabecco / City Cast Pittsburgh)
🎶 Take in Some Tunes
Celebrate the season with a nine-piece jazz band at Kingfly Spirits’ Mid-Winter Carnival Jan. 11; hear the soulful sounds of Pittsburgh jazz legends at a City Winery brunch Jan. 12; dance the night away at the Carnegie Museum of Art’s annual Winter Heat party in the Hall of Sculpture Jan. 17; or celebrate a hometown favorite at the Mac Miller Tribute at Thunderbird Café Jan. 19.
