At 6:45 p.m. on Saturday, November 14, the lights on the Dazzle Tree outside Pine Community Center come on and the fireworks start. That's 15 minutes before the event closes at 7. The same evening includes train rides, bounce houses, a visit from Santa and a vendor market. It also has the part that belongs to the community, voting for a favorite holiday tree and gingerbread house.
The township's 2026 ticket page covers all of this in one short paragraph and gives only one set time, 6:45. That makes the tree lighting the fixed point to build your evening around.
The Evening, In Order
Holiday Dazzle runs from 4 to 7 p.m. at 100 Pine Park Drive in Wexford. Here is what the township has posted for 2026:
- 4:00 p.m. The event begins.
- On the activity list. Train rides, a vendor market, bounce houses, kids' crafts and a visit from Santa, with no set times for any of them.
- Before the lighting. The ticket page asks attendees to vote for a favorite holiday tree and gingerbread house, "then stay for" the lighting.
- 6:45 p.m. The Dazzle Tree lighting and fireworks.
- 7:00 p.m. The event ends, and online and in-house ticket sales close at the same time.
The township's calendar listing also promises food trucks and a holiday market. The ticket page says community activity booths and more activities will be announced. If you're planning around a particular food truck or booth, check back closer to the date.
With only the lighting on a set time, families with young children have the most freedom if they arrive early. Getting there at 4 leaves almost three hours for Santa, crafts, bounce houses and a walk past the trees before the 6:45 lighting.
The Trees Are Where Local Organizations Show Up
The tree vote is easy to skip if you've only heard about Holiday Dazzle as a fireworks night. Last year, it said the most about the event.
TribLive's recap of the 2025 event described the inside of the community center lined with decorated trees. Attendees could vote on them, and each $1 counted as one vote. Every organization that decorated a tree picked a charity, and the money from its votes was set to go to that charity. The decorators named in that coverage included Armstrong, Wexford Volunteer Fire Company, Pine Community Center and the Pittsburgh North Chamber of Commerce. Breaking Bread, Friends of Pine Community Parks and Wexford Volunteer Fire Company were among the causes. Voting stayed open through the end of the year.
That turned a holiday display into a small competition among the township's own groups, raising money for causes close to home. It also ran far longer than the three-hour event itself.
The 2026 ticket page again lists voting for a favorite holiday tree, and adds a gingerbread house vote. It doesn't say how votes are counted this year, which organizations are decorating, or which charities benefit. The 2025 details describe last year's version. This year's will be clear once you walk inside.
Gingerbread has been part of Holiday Dazzle before. TribLive's 2024 preview mentioned a gingerbread house contest, with families dropping off finished houses the day before the event. The 2026 listing confirms gingerbread house voting but hasn't posted entry rules or a drop-off date.
Three Years of the Same $5 Ticket
Holiday Dazzle has kept the same basic format while it grew. A 2023 listing put the event at Pine Community Center on November 18, 2023, from 4 to 7 p.m. That's the same three-hour window it uses now.
| 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Saturday, Nov. 16 | Saturday, Nov. 15 | Saturday, Nov. 14 |
| Hours | 4 to 7 p.m. | Evening, ending with tree lighting and fireworks | 4 to 7 p.m. |
| Admission | $5 per person | Not stated in coverage | $5, age 1 and older |
| Named extras | Gingerbread contest, carriage rides, reindeer | Enchanted Lights Pittsburgh light tunnel, Pittsburgh Hi-Railers train display, live reindeer, a capybara, charity tree vote | Tree and gingerbread house voting, vendor market, train rides |
The 2024 preview called Holiday Dazzle "Pine's first and biggest holiday event of the season." It priced attendance at $5 per person, with tickets sold online or in person at the community center. In 2025, TribLive reported more than 2,000 attendees. Two years later the price is still $5, now listed for everyone age 1 and older.
Township leaders said at the time that the size of the crowd was the point. "Events like Holiday Dazzle show the heart of Pine," Pine Supervisors Vice Chair Audrey Mackie told TribLive after the 2025 event, crediting the turnout as a sign of how committed residents and staff are "to building a strong, connected community."
Tyler Walker, director of Pine's Parks and Recreation, told TribLive that welcoming more than 2,000 residents "perfectly reflects our mission of growing community through wellness, connection and play."
The food has been local too. The 2024 vendor list named Aviva Brick Oven, Arners, Bates and Hayes, PGH Crepes and Urban Trail Coffee. The 2026 lineup hasn't been posted.
Getting In on November 14
Tickets are $5 for anyone age 1 and older. You can buy them online or in person, and both close at 7 p.m. on the day of the event. One order can include up to 1,000 tickets, so one person can buy for a whole group. The ticket page doesn't say whether you have to buy ahead. Buying online before you leave home means one less line at the door.
Because the tree lighting and fireworks close the night, plan around 6:45. Last year's crowd topped 2,000 people, so get settled outside a little early if you want a clear view of the Dazzle Tree.
December 11 Is the Smaller Follow-Up
Pine's next holiday date is at the same building and has a different feel. Santa's Cocoa Corner comes to Pine Community Center on Friday, December 11, 2026, with two hour-long slots: 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. and 7 to 8 p.m. The township describes hot cocoa, sweet treats and a meet-and-greet with Santa, with time for photos and wish lists.
The first slot's listing shows an $8 kids ticket. Compare that with Holiday Dazzle, where $5 gets anyone age 1 and up into a three-hour event that ends in fireworks. Cocoa Corner costs a bit more for a shorter, smaller hour with Santa. If November felt crowded, Cocoa Corner is the quieter option.
A Stop on Perry Highway First
If you want something to eat before the gates open, there's a new option on Perry Highway in Wexford. Grain & Berry opened its first Pittsburgh-area location on September 19 at Pine Tree Shoppes, 12063 Perry Highway, according to NEXTpittsburgh's October openings guide. The menu is built around açaà bowls. The namesake bowl comes topped with fruit, granola, coconut, peanut butter and Nutella. For something savory, there's the Go Fig or Go Home flatbread with brie, fig spread, arugula and balsamic. A smoothie or flatbread around 3 p.m. leaves plenty of time to park, buy tickets and get to the trees before the 6:45 lighting.
If a move is on your calendar after the holidays, The Honeywill Team will put together a free market valuation of your Pine Township home, so you know where you stand before the new year.
