PITTSBURGH – The Colcom Foundation Presents Pittsburgh Celebrates 250, a free, fun-filled day on Saturday, Oct. 4, is the proverbial icing on Pittsburgh’s birthday cake, as the region comes together to celebrate its 250th birthday.

“Pittsburgh is in for a spectacular treat,” said Tim Inglis, Colcom Foundation President. “This day – and night – promise to be a sensational celebration for people of all ages to enjoy.”

The event launches a two-month anniversary party celebrating the region’s past, present and future.        

From the region’s largest fireworks display to an historic boat parade to an unprecedented bicycle relay from Washington, D.C., downtown Pittsburgh is the place to be on Oct. 4.

The daylong event, which begins at 9:30 a.m. and concludes at 10:30 p.m., celebrates Pittsburgh 250 Signature Projects, including ceremonies for the Great Allegheny Passage, Forbes Trail and a community festival that highlights the ongoing transformation of Point State Park. 

The PNC Legacy Trail Ride celebrates the Great Allegheny Passage, a 335-mile bicycle and hiking trail restoring the historic link between Washington, D.C. and Pittsburgh. Families are invited to join in the last leg of the ride on Oct. 4 by signing up to participate in the PNC Legacy Trail Community Ride. Cyclists will meet at either the Hot Metal Bridge on the South Side or PNC Firstside Center, Downtown, before pedaling their way to the finish line at Point State Park. All Trail Ride participants will receive a commemorative gift.

Imagine Pittsburgh Fireworks Spectacular will be the largest display in the region’s history with 14 launch sites -- the most in the United States. Pittsburgh’s skyline will be transformed into a birthday cake complete with “candles” on skyscrapers as world-renowned Zambelli Fireworks Internationale illuminates the city. The fireworks will be choreographed to an inspiring soundtrack celebrating Pittsburgh’s 250 years of creativity and reinforcing the theme, Pittsburgh 250

Other programming includes:

• Three Rivers 250th Flotilla, a 200-vessel riverboat parade, organized by Riverquest, that includes the Gateway Clipper Fleet, non-motorized vessels, including dragon boats and canoes, as well as industry barges, recreational boats, U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard boats and more. The boats will be assembled at Bruno’s Island on the Ohio River and will travel upriver toward the Point.

• Pittsburgh Born and Bred Concert with the region’s own national talent taking the Point State Park stage. Acts include B.E. Taylor, Joe Grushecki, Etta Cox and many more.

• Pittsburgh 250 First, Facts & Fun “game show” hosted by Rick Sebak.

• Historic flag ceremony conducted by 250 Eagle Scouts to commemorate the possession of Frances Fort Duquesne by General John Forbes and the British Army on Nov. 25, 1758.

• CLO performance of the “Naming of Pittsburgh.”

Ceremonies honoring the military and Forbes Trail and celebrating the Great Allegheny Passage.

• Carnegie Mellon University’s ROBOT 250 “Thinking Machines” featuring Quasi and Boss.

And more:

• Pittsburgh Penguins against the Ottawa Senators live from Stockholm, Sweden, on the big screen at Mellon Arena.

• Candlelight House Tour in Lawrenceville.

• French and Indian War Encampment at Boyce Park in Plum Boro.

• Pittsburgh Opera Brown Bag Concert in the Strip District.

A full slate of performances in Pittsburgh’s Cultural District.

The birthday celebration runs through Thanksgiving weekend. The next big event is the Pittsburgh 250 Festival of Lights and the Pittsburgh International Festival of Firsts. The Festival of Lights, Oct. 10-Nov. 20, is a dazzling exhibition by French lighting designer Lucette de Rugy as she “paints” the facades of dozens of buildings with light.

The Festival of Firsts brings cutting-edge artists from around the globe to the Cultural District, Oct. 10-25. And on Nov. 28, the made-in-Pittsburgh movie, “My Tale of Two Cities,” premiers at downtown’s Byham Theater as part of Pittsburgh Celebrates 250: Homecoming Weekend.