Public safety officials share plans for Light Up Night in Pittsburgh
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Pittsburgh is kicking off the holiday season on Saturday with its annual Highmark Light Up Night celebration.
Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to be Downtown to watch the tree lighting, shop at the holiday markets and enjoy some live entertainment.
On Thursday, public safety officials broke down their plan to ensure the community is safe on Saturday night.
"I'm not going to get into any specifics of what their functions are going to be, but there will be some visible public safety people and then there are some other things that will be going on behind the scenes to make sure that we keep people safe," said Darryl Jones, the emergency management coordinator for the city of Pittsburgh.
Jones said there will be hundreds of law enforcement officers present, including those wearing uniforms and others in plain clothes.
Temporary light towers also will be in place and river rescue crews will be on the rivers to secure those enjoying events on or near the water.
While there will be extra security, Jones said those attending should be aware of their surroundings.
"Always have situational awareness. Know where you are and know your surroundings. Be aware of the people around you and sometimes that's a little difficult when it's a crush of crowd. Don't go into any areas that may not be safe," Jones said.
Many people KDKA-TV talked to on Thursday said they're looking forward to the festivities and are not too concerned with their safety.
"I feel like there's a good police presence and security. I've never seen any problems. I've been down here for 10 years," said CC Clark, a Pittsburgh resident.
"I'm very impressed. Not many cities do it. So, I really thought that coordinating it across the city was wonderful. And I'm really looking forward to seeing it again," said Jim Durning, another Pittsburgh resident.
"This is a family-oriented event and we're doing everything that we can to make sure it stays family-oriented and safe. And we're hoping that the city citizens and visitors just be responsible and behave yourselves for lack of a better term," Jones said.
Pittsburgh Public Safety wants to remind everyone that there will be a lot of road closures and traffic restrictions on Saturday. Officials recommend parking outside the Downtown area and using public transportation to get around.