Bring warmth, light, and a little bit of magic to the longest night at Pittsburgh Glass Center. Join us for an immersive evening of hot glass demonstrations, candlelit activities, fireside snacks, and hands-on creative experiences that celebrate the turning of the season. As the night unfolds, the glow of the furnace and the warmth of shared experience invites reflection, connection, and hands-on creativity.

Make a Blown Glass Candle Holder

Step into the heat of the hot shop for one of our most exciting introductory glassblowing experiences. Work closely with a skilled artist to blow and shape glass from our 2,100°F furnace and add your choice of color to form a luminous vessel designed to hold a warm, flickering glowing tea light or votive candle.

Beyond the hot shop, the evening expands into a series of playful, reflective, and sensory-rich activities designed to mark the shift into a new season.

Have your cards read and explore what the coming year might hold with Arts & Crafts: Botanica & Occult Shop. Create a custom herbal blend for bathing or burning, designed to help you release what no longer serves and invite in what’s next. Participate in a collective intention ritual: write down something you’re ready to let go of or something you hope to carry forward, then release them with the help of our hot glass artists and the power of the furnace itself. It’s a symbolic act of change: fire, glass, and intention working together.

Fireside snacks, warm light, and shared creative energy carry you through an evening that is equal parts celebration, reflection, and making.

Due to the nature of hot glass, items cannot be taken home the same day they are created. All items made in the hot shop must go through an annealing process to slowly cool the glass. Items are available for pick-up after 5 days. Shipping can be arranged on site the day of your activity.

Ages 5+ 

Guests under 14 must be accompanied by an adult.

Food, beverages and entertainment are available throughout the event, so arriving early or staying afterward lets you enjoy them outside your session. If you register for a later glassmaking slot, we suggest arriving early to enjoy all this event has to offer.

Bring some warmth and light to the longest night at Pittsburgh Glass Center. Join us for hot glassblowing demonstrations, candle lit activities, and fireside snacking.

Make a Glistening Etched Glass Suncatcher

Capture the beauty of the winter season with glistening glass. In the cold shop, use a lathe and traditional cutting and engraving techniques to cut a star or snowflake design into glass to create a magical etched ornament.

Have your cards read to what the new year might have in store for you and create a custom herb blend for bathing or burning to help you get rid of the old and bring in the new with Arts & Crafts: Botanica & Occult Shop.

Participate in an intention ritual by writing down your intentions for the upcoming season and burn them away with the help of our hot glass artists.

Ages 14+

Food, beverages and entertainment are available throughout the event, so arriving early or staying afterward lets you enjoy them outside your session. If you register for a later glassmaking slot, we suggest arriving early to enjoy all this event has to offer.

Deck the halls with something handmade! In this introductory workshop, you will gather glass from the 2,100°F furnace and add colors of your choice. Then, guided by a skilled instructor, you’ll blow and shape the glass into a festive ornament.

This workshop is a fun introductory experience into hot glassblowing. Each participant will make two blown glass ornaments, perfect for trimming the tree, gifting to someone special, or adding a little sparkle to your space all year long.

Catch the winter light. In this introductory workshop, create shimmering glass flamecicles using a 3,000°F torch. Guided by a skilled instructor, learn torch basics and explore shaping techniques to pull and twist elegant frozen inspired forms. Fun to make, beautiful to hang, and perfect to keep or gift.

Branch out and create something beautiful! In this introductory 4-hour workshop you’ll create a stained glass winter tree panel. Under the guidance of a skilled instructor, you'll learn the fundamentals of stained glass including how to cut glass, follow a pattern, use the copper foiling method, and solder your pieces together.

Using colorful sheet glass and traditional stained glass techniques, you’ll assemble a beautiful winter tree design that catches and transforms light. Your finished piece is perfect for displaying in a window or on a wall throughout the season.

Deck the halls with something handmade! In this introductory workshop, you will gather glass from the 2,100°F furnace and add colors of your choice. Then, guided by a skilled instructor, you’ll blow and shape the glass into a festive ornament.

This workshop is a fun introductory experience into hot glassblowing. Each participant will make two blown glass ornaments, perfect for trimming the tree, gifting to someone special, or adding a little sparkle to your space all year long.

TEENS ONLY workshops are a great introduction to the world of glassmaking, just for teens. Teens will step into the PGC studios and explore the heat, color, and creativity of working with glass in the flame shop, hot shop, kiln shop, or cold shop– alongside other teens. Teens can come solo and make new friends who share an interest in glassmaking, or sign up with a friend to share in the experience.

Looking for a more in-depth experience? Check out our afterschool SiO₂ classes, full-day MOLTN workshops, or summer boot camp for even more hands-on glassmaking fun.

PGC is committed to facilitating access for all young people. We offer full- and half-tuition scholarships for middle school and high school students based on application strength. No previous glass or art experience is required. Our only prerequisites are enthusiasm, curiosity, and eagerness to learn.

APPLY NOW for a youth scholarship at this link.

Explore the art of bending light. In this introductory workshop, you’ll work closely with a skilled instructor to learn the fundamentals of shaping heated glass tubing over a torch. Through a series of guided exercises, you’ll practice basic bends and gain an understanding of how glass moves and responds to heat while gaining confidence at the torch. Once you’re comfortable, you’ll create your own form like a smooth curve, playful squiggle, or unique design. To finish, you’ll watch a live demonstration of how neon tubing is processed, filled, and illuminated, revealing the transformation from glass tube to glowing artwork.

Your tube will remain at the studio to be filled with neon gas. It will be ready for pickup in five days, fully transformed into a glowing work of art. This workshop is a fun introduction to neon bending and glass tubing techniques. Each participant will create one custom neon piece. Fun to make, mesmerizing to watch, and perfect for displaying. Registration includes a transformer power cord and electrodes to light up your sculpture at home.

Add a creative twist to your handmade glass ornament collection! In this introductory workshop, you will work with a skilled instructor to gather molten glass from the 2,100°F furnace, add color of your choice, and blow and shape the glass into a festive traditional ornament. Then, create a second ornament using sculpting techniques. Gather more molten glass, add color of your choice, and twist, pull, and manipulate the glass by hand to create an expressive, beautiful twisted sculpted ornament.

This workshop is a fun introduction to working with hot glass. Each participant will make two ornaments: one classic blown glass ornament and one sculpted twist ornament both perfect for gifting, collecting, or adding a handmade touch to your seasonal décor.