RELEASE: Pumpkin Palooza, East Liberty’s Favorite Halloween Adventure Returns on Saturday, October 25
Community Activities, Performances, and a Costume Parade | Sponsored by Citizens
Photo Credit: Randall Coleman, Artwork by Kiearra Williams
EAST LIBERTY, PA — Pumpkin Palooza: An East Liberty Halloween Adventure returns to Kelly Strayhorn Theater (KST) on Saturday, October 25, with community activities, performances, and a costume parade. Families can enjoy candy, crafts, and fun activities with KST’s community partner organizations in the KST lobby from 1:00pm – 4:00pm. At 2:00pm, hosted by vocalist and educator Anqwenique, the performance program spotlights local youth arts groups from across the city.
From 1:00pm – 4:00pm, the KST lobby transforms into a Halloween hub filled with treats and family-friendly stations featuring community partner organizations based in Pittsburgh’s East End, including the Pittsburgh Center for Creative Reuse, Assemble, Youth Enrichment Services (YES), KSci-Art Initiative, and Dreams of Hope. Whether it’s upcycling crafts, face-painting, coloring, or Trick-or-Treat bag decorating, families can dive into hands-on fun that sparks imagination and creativity.
Artist Anqwenique hosts the youth performance program at 2:00pm, featuring Hope Academy, Alumni Theater Company, K-Theatre Dance Complex, and Los Sabrosos’ Breakin’ for the Kids. Alumni Theater Company (ATC) shares their excitement to participate in Pumpkin Palooza: “True to ATC’s tradition, we’ll deliver a performance filled with song, dance, and spoken word. As a former home of ATC, we love returning to perform at KST.” KST’s Programming Manager Sarah Gilmer also comments, “The long-standing relationships we have with this year’s performing partners remind us that KST is a true community staple in East Liberty, where generations of families and young artists continue to grow with us.”
The 2:00pm performance culminates on stage with a costume parade, where kids and families alike can strut their unique Halloween looks under the theater lights. Before leaving, kids are invited to scoop up tasty treats to bring home.
Since 2008, Pumpkin Palooza has been a staple for the community for 17 years, and KST is excited to continue this yearly tradition. Whether you come dressed to impress or simply as you are, Pumpkin Palooza promises an afternoon of tricks, treats, and groovy beats.
Pumpkin Palooza: An East Liberty Halloween Adventure
Saturday, October 25, 2025
1:00pm – 4:00pm: Activities with Community Partners
2:00pm – 3:00pm: Youth Performance Program
Kelly Strayhorn Theater | 5941 Penn Ave.
Pay What Moves You: $0 – $25
Tickets for Pumpkin Palooza are available on a sliding scale, from $0 to $25 per attendee, and can be purchased at kelly-strayhorn.org or at the door.
ABOUT THE PERFORMERS
Anqwenique is a celebrated Pittsburgh-based artist, educator, and cultural leader known for her work across opera, jazz, and soul. At this year’s Pumpkin Palooza, she’ll bring her signature warmth and expertise as host. A longtime teaching artist and program designer, she leads vocal wellness workshops, consults with cultural organizations, and currently serves as president of the Pittsburgh chapter of the National Association of Negro Musicians and interim director of Hope Academy for Music and the Arts.
Hope Academy for Music and the Arts is is where young people can further their personal and artistic growth through the study and performance of theater, dance and music. Founded and located at East Liberty Presbyterian Church,
K-Theatre Dance Complex (KTDC), is a dance academy that provides quality dance instruction in several major areas of dance, which include Ballet, Contemporary, Modern and Hip Hop. Led by Artistic Director Kontara Morphis, and Arts Education Director Rickia Davenport, KTDC curriculum incorporates dance theory, terminology and dance theater. KTDC has largely impacted the physical, academic, creative, and personal development of its students.
Alumni Theater Company (ATC) is a year-round program providing talented Black youth in grades 6-12 with high quality performing arts training and a platform to express their ideas. ATC is currently in its 18th season of creating bold theatrical work that gives fresh voice to the experience of young Black artists and highlights their rich contribution to our community. alumnitheatercompany.org
Los Sabrosos Dance Company is a dance and fitness organization whose mission is to help individuals find freedom, passion, self-expression, and self-confidence through movement. They offer group and private dance classes in a variety of styles including Salsa, Bachata, Ballroom classes (Waltz, Jive, Rumba, etc), Yoga, Hip-Hop, Bellydance, Zumba, fitness classes, and many more. They also offer services for weddings, quinceañeras, sweet sixteens, bachelorette and more! For information on upcoming classes and other services visit lspgh.com.
ABOUT THE COMMUNITY PARTNERS
Pittsburgh Center for Creative Reuse is a non-profit that inspires creativity, conservation, and community engagement through reuse. We operate a non-traditional art supply shop located at the intersection of Wilkinsburg, Homewood, and Point Breeze, where people can donate used art and craft supplies, as well as shop for these unique items all in the same location. We also facilitate hands-on creative programming that educates the public about the benefits of reuse for the environment, community, and self. We see reuse as a vehicle for boosting self-confidence, learning new skills, and creating opportunity for all. For more information, visit our website at pccr.org.
Assemble envisions a world where learning and creating are transformative experiences and where all people are equipped with the tools to make a difference, together. At Assemble, we use learning as a tool to create a more equitable future for youth and learners in the Pittsburgh region and beyond. We build confidence through making; connect learners, makers, technologists, and artists; and nurture agency in learners. We offer free afterschool, Saturday programs, camps, and more for kids as well as adult programs. Visit us at Assemble 4824 Penn Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15224, assemblepgh.org or online using @assemblepgh on social media.
Youth Enrichment Services (YES), based in East Liberty, provides socially and economically at risk youth the opportunity to achieve success through participation in mentorship, education, and enrichment programs. Through mentoring partnerships, peer assisted tutoring programs, and — when needed — monitoring and mentoring programs for juvenile offenders, YES invests its talent, energy, time, and resources in empowering and enriching the lives of children and teens. YES provides responsive, innovative, and youth-designed programs that offer young people unique academic, enrichment, and employment experiences. Youthenrichmentservices.org @yes.pgh
KSci-Art Initiative is a mobile therapeutic art and empowerment program that brings creativity and healing directly to communities. Through engaging workshops, hands-on crafts, and meaningful conversations, KSci-Art uses the power of art to promote confidence, connection, and emotional wellness for youth, women, and families. From birthday parties to ladies’ nights, pop-ups in parks to partnerships with schools and teen programs, KSci-Art transforms everyday spaces into safe, creative, and joyful places for expression.
Dreams of Hope empowers the region’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, asexual, and allied (LGBTQA+) youth through the arts, creating a welcoming environment where they grow in confidence, express themselves, and develop as leaders. Serving primarily ages 13-26, we also offer intergenerational spaces for community members. Visit dreamsofhope.org to learn more about our upcoming programs and events, including theatriQ, our weekly performing arts youth ensemble that meets on Wednesdays from October to April.
ABOUT KELLY STRAYHORN THEATER
Named after 20th century entertainment legends Gene Kelly and Billy Strayhorn, both natives of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Kelly Strayhorn Theater (KST) is a home for creative experimentation, community dialogue, and collective action rooted in the liberation of Black and queer people. We welcome our home to all who uplift Black, Indigenous, people of color, and queer voices.
KST is an institutional arts anchor in Pittsburgh’s East End that has served the community for more than two decades. Since launching KST Presents programming in ’08, KST has been Black-led, fostering radical imagination for Black and queer arts, culture, and community in Pittsburgh by cultivating BIPOC and/or queer artists, entrepreneurs, and arts administrators, developing their careers, and shifting narratives around Black possibility.