A treasured Pittsburgh holiday tradition – the 19th annual City of Pittsburgh Gingerbread House Display and Competition – has returned in 2021 in a virtual format and is honoring award recipients for their creativity and construction skills. A panel of judges reviewed several hundred entries and selected 62 winning entries.
An online gallery showcasing all gingerbread dwellings created by talented individuals, families, organizations, students and chefs from throughout western Pennsylvania is available for viewing at www.pittsburghpa.gov/gingerbread through January 7.
Winning entries include Santa's Grand Ballroom, Santa's Beach Hut, Santa's Lodge and Santa's Whimsical Wonderland, while a winter theme spotlights a ski resort and a skating rink. Edible structures range from a barn and a cabin to a castle and a cottage in addition to a treehouse, farmhouse, doghouse and townhouse.
Pittsburgh landmarks made of gingerbread showcase an incline, Round Hill Farm and Christmas Dahn Sah Side. Familiar characters include Winnie the Pooh, Three Little Pigs and Rapunzel's Tower.
This year, the competition's winners are experiencing the honor of displaying their gingerbread houses on site at the historic City-County Building. Throughout the holiday season (November 20 - January 7), dozens of award-winning houses are displayed in the windows of the building's Grant Street Portico alongside Pittsburgh's 106th Christmas Tree. The City-County Building Portico is open to the public around the clock, and the winning creations are available for viewing through January 7.
LIST Click here for a complete list of 2021 winners.
PHOTOS Click here to view winning entries.
PEOPLE'S CHOICE AWARD VOTING NOW OPEN
"The City of Pittsburgh is proud to serve as the presenter of this popular holiday tradition, and we're excited to offer an opportunity for everyone to take part in the judging process by voting online for the People's Choice Award," according to Brian Katze, Manager of the City of Pittsburgh Office of Special Events.
Through December 31, all viewing the online gallery can select a favorite gingerbread house and cast a vote for the PEOPLE'S CHOICE award.
The Gingerbread House Display and Competition launched in 2002 when Downtown hotels held a competition to benefit the Children’s Hospital Free Care Fund. Since then, the competition has attracted thousands of entries displayed at PPG Place before moving to the City-County Building Grand Lobby in 2019. The 2020 competition took place in virtual format.
The 2021 Gingerbread House Display and Competition is presented by the City of Pittsburgh Office of Special Events in partnership with KDKA Radio, 100.7 Star, Y108 and 93.7 The Fan.
To view the online gallery of gingerbread houses and vote for the People's Choice award, visit www.pittsburghpa.gov/gingerbread.
