Lumaze has transformed a warehouse in the Strip District into an indoor Christmas light display. In addition to the holiday light display, Lumaze has a holiday market and a food court area featuring local vendors.
There have been a lot of posts on social media asking about Lumaze and if it is worth the cost to visit.
The answer: it depends on what you are looking to get out of the experience. We’ve put together a guide to Lumaze Pittsburgh to help you decide.
My verdict: I went to Lumaze on opening weekend with three generations including some 8-month old twins and some grandparents. I wasn’t sure Lumaze was going to be worth the price. But overall, Lumaze was worth the visit and a nice way to walk around for an hour or two indoors. I’ve already offered to take some of the other little kiddos I know as a holiday gift.
5 Things to know before you go to Lumaze
- Expect to pay about $20/person for admission/parking
- Check the Lumaze website and sign up for emails to get discount codes
- Lumaze is indoors, you might have to walk about a half-mile from your car to the entrance on 32nd Street
- There is a bar and some food vendors in the food court area. Skip the expensive cocktail in a lightbulb cup and head to Cinderlands Warehouse for a drink or dinner.
- Lumaze Pittsburgh has a great customer support feature and they will answer questions via Facebook Messenger or email within a few hours.
Most of the photography on the Lumaze Pittsburgh website and Facebook is heavily produced. This video from Karyn Locke on YouTube gives a pretty accurate look inside Lumaze Pittsburgh. The photos on this page I snapped with my iPhone when I was there on November 20.
What will I see at Lumaze Pittsburgh?
Lumaze is kind of like an indoor park with Christmas lights. The Pittsburgh Lumaze has three areas:
- Stage and food court – which is by the entrance
- Hall of lights – this area is larges and is divided into several sections
- Visit with Santa
- Train for kids
- Playground – A Christmas-themed playground with slides
- Icicle Cavern – Hanging lights that you can walk through
- Holiday Market
- Swings
- Marketplace featuring mostly local vendors selling food and gifts
Where in Pittsburgh is the Lumaze light display?
Lumaze Pittsburgh takes place in the old 31st Street Studios building in the Strip District.
The entrance is on 32nd Street. From Penn Avenue:
- Take 32nd Street toward the river.
- Cross Smallman Street and cross over Railroad Street.
- The entrance is on the left-hand side of the street.
More information on parking is below.
How much does Lumaze Pittsburgh cost to attend?
- Entry fees for Lumaze Pittsburgh cost between $14.99 – $19.99 per person.
- Kids under 3 are free
- Tickets are for a specific entry time. You can enter during your ticket time and stay as long as you want.
TIP: Buy Lumaze Pittsburgh tickets online
You can buy tickets for Lumaze at the door but, according to the Lumaze website, ticket prices at the door are about $2 more per ticket.
- Some dates sell out, buying tickets online guarantees you can go on a specific day. Read more about timed tickets here.
- Online tickets are processed through TicketZone. Note that a service fee and tax are applied on top of the ticket prices.
- Check the website for discount code before you place your order.
Parking for Lumaze Pittsburgh
There is a website specifically for Lumaze Parking: lumazeparking.com.
K-7 Parking is operating six parking lots in the Strip District for Lumaze Parking with pricing from $10 – $20.
The Lumaze Parking website says you can pre-purchase your parking spot ahead of time. I tried to do this when we went last week and I just tried again and I was not able to use the website to pre-purchase parking.
We were able to call the number on the parking website to make sure we would be able to get a spot close to the door for someone who was not able to walk long distances.
TIP: Park on the street for free
Street parking in this section of the Strip District is free. There is some parking on Smallman Street and plenty of street parking on Penn Avenue once you pass the 31st Street bridge.
Fun fact: The City of Pittsburgh has a helpful online map that shows where all of the parking meters are in the city.
Who should visit Lumaze Pittsburgh?
I went to Lumzae on the first weekend with my father and my nieces who are 8-months old. This was a nice, indoor activity that was able to accommodate three generations.
- Babies – Lumaze is stroller-friendly and offers a nice indoor activity for the winter
- Little kids – I’d say this would be the most fun for little kids (ages 2-6) who enjoy the playground and visiting Santa.
- Middle school age & up – While Lumaze overall is a nice, indoor holiday activity, there aren’t many things for kids who are too big for the playground or the train.
- Adults – Lumaze has a bar that serves holiday cocktails, which are available in a souvenir lightbulb cup.
- Grandparents – Lumaze is definitely a good activity for a grandparent-and-kid combo.
Note: Lumaze is both stroller and wheelchair-accessible. The floors are all covered with fake grass and can be uneven in spots. Be extra careful with guests who have balance issues.
Where to eat & drink before or after you visit Lumaze Pittsburgh
While there is a bar inside and some food options in the food court if you are looking for someplace to take your date or your family, here are some of our picks.
Breakfast/Brunch: In addition to Pamela’s & DeLuca’s Diner, check out Cafe Raymond on Penn Avenue. The first floor will look crowded but once you place an order, you can grab a table on the spacious second floor. There is an elevator to the second floor, as well.
Lunch/Dinner: Probably one of the closest restaurants to Lumaze is one of our favorites. Cinderlands Warehouse is located in the old Spaghetti Warehouse building. It is a brewery with some great beer options as well as a full kitchen. There is a ton of space inside and they should be able to seat a large party with kids.
Discounts to Lumaze & Social Media Ambassadors
Lumaze Season Pass: The Season Pass is $49.99 for adults and $38.99 for seniors/kids and is only good for only one weekend visit and unlimited weekday visits. If you know you want to go more than once on weekdays, this could be a good deal. But Lumaze is probably only fun for one, or maybe two visits.
Discounts: Sign up for the Lumaze Pittsburgh email list and follow Lumaze Pittsburgh on social media for more updates. For Cyber Monday, Lumaze posted a discount code for 40% off select dates.
Social media ambassador: If you have more than 2,000 followers, Lumaze has a social media ambassador program where you can get a season pass for you and your family for free.
What is this thing called?
First of all, the name of this place is a little confusing. The website is Lumaze and the Facebook Page is Lumaze Pittsburgh. This event also comes up in some Google searches as Christmas Glow.
According to the Lumaze website, there are two locations in the U.S. – Pittsburgh and Seattle. There are also locations across Canada and one in Denmark. The light displays outside of the US are called Glow.
