As Highmark First Night celebrations are being prepped in downtown Pittsburgh, the most important part of the event got a test run Tuesday afternoon.The “Future of Pittsburgh Ball” ascended over downtown Pittsburgh Tuesday afternoon in a test run ahead of Wednesday night’s celebration. The ball will begin to move at 11:58 p.m. Tuesday and will reach the top at midnight to bring in 2026.“We’re here today to test the ball. We want to make sure that everything works right,” Kenya Boswell, senior vice president of community affairs at Highmark Health, said.We can confirm it’s ready to rise, fulfilling a tradition of nearly 20 years.“Pittsburgh is really unique in so many different ways. You know, traditionally, balls drop for New Year’s Eve. We want to be a little bit different and talk about the renaissance of Pittsburgh. So, we very intentionally make sure that our ball rises. Right. Pittsburgh’s going to rise if we’re looking at 2026 and all the fabulous things that’s going on. We want to make sure that we can rise to that occasion.” The ball has been in place for about six weeks, overlooking Stanwix Street and Penn Avenue.Its recently remade lighting system, now entirely LED, brings both familiar and new displays to usher in 2026.Rob Long, design director of Clear Story, had a hand in its design.“As it rises on New Year’s Eve, it’s playing that confluence river theme, and then at about a minute before it reaches the pinnacle at midnight, the intensity of the light, and it kind of increases in its visual activation. And then at midnight, it transitions to what will be 2026 look,” Long said.No sneak peeks today … You’ll have to be there to see it! Chief Programming and Engagement Officer at the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust Brooke Horejsi said they are expecting thousands of people to attend despite the cold.“If you remember, last year it rained all night, and we still had thousands and thousands of people come out. So this year it’s going to be cold and snowy, but what better way to celebrate New Year’s Eve than to come together with so many people from the region?” Horejsi said.The celebration will get started Wednesday at 7 p.m.“We will have a battle of the bands. It’s our first ever here as part of Highmark First Night, and so we’ll start that, and all four of the finalists get to compete. The audience gets to vote. We have three local judges, including, we’re bringing frizzy back. As folks may remember, he performed the final concert last year, and they’ll get to see who wins, who gets crowned the victor,” Horejsi said.

As Highmark First Night celebrations are being prepped in downtown Pittsburgh, the most important part of the event got a test run Tuesday afternoon.

The “Future of Pittsburgh Ball” ascended over downtown Pittsburgh Tuesday afternoon in a test run ahead of Wednesday night’s celebration. The ball will begin to move at 11:58 p.m. Tuesday and will reach the top at midnight to bring in 2026.

“We’re here today to test the ball. We want to make sure that everything works right,” Kenya Boswell, senior vice president of community affairs at Highmark Health, said.

We can confirm it’s ready to rise, fulfilling a tradition of nearly 20 years.

“Pittsburgh is really unique in so many different ways. You know, traditionally, balls drop for New Year’s Eve. We want to be a little bit different and talk about the renaissance of Pittsburgh. So, we very intentionally make sure that our ball rises. Right. Pittsburgh’s going to rise if we’re looking at 2026 and all the fabulous things that’s going on. We want to make sure that we can rise to that occasion.”

The ball has been in place for about six weeks, overlooking Stanwix Street and Penn Avenue.

Its recently remade lighting system, now entirely LED, brings both familiar and new displays to usher in 2026.

Rob Long, design director of Clear Story, had a hand in its design.

“As it rises on New Year’s Eve, it’s playing that confluence river theme, and then at about a minute before it reaches the pinnacle at midnight, the intensity of the light, and it kind of increases in its visual activation. And then at midnight, it transitions to what will be 2026 look,” Long said.

No sneak peeks today … You’ll have to be there to see it! Chief Programming and Engagement Officer at the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust Brooke Horejsi said they are expecting thousands of people to attend despite the cold.

“If you remember, last year it rained all night, and we still had thousands and thousands of people come out. So this year it’s going to be cold and snowy, but what better way to celebrate New Year’s Eve than to come together with so many people from the region?” Horejsi said.

The celebration will get started Wednesday at 7 p.m.

“We will have a battle of the bands. It’s our first ever here as part of Highmark First Night, and so we’ll start that, and all four of the finalists get to compete. The audience gets to vote. We have three local judges, including, we’re bringing frizzy back. As folks may remember, he performed the final concert last year, and they’ll get to see who wins, who gets crowned the victor,” Horejsi said.