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• Norouz Celebration at Pittsburgh City Hall

March 19th, 5:45pm-7:30pm
City-County Building
414 Grant Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15219
Free and open to the public.

• Norouz Celebration Party at WPU Ballroom

March 19th, 9pm-12am
William Pitt Union
3959 5th Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
Admission: $5 students/$10 non-students
Tickets: On sale at Pitt WPU and CMU UC Information Desk through 3/16/2010

NOTE: NO AT-THE-DOOR TICKET SALE. PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU OBTAIN TICKETS BY THE DEADLINE. ALSO, BRING A LEGAL ID WITH YOU!
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Spring is coming, and something is blooming in Pittsburgh! The City of Pittsburgh is officially recognizing Norouz in a proclamation, expressing appreciation to Iranian-Americans for their contributions to our society and wishing Iranian-Americans and the people of Iran a prosperous new year. This happened on March 9th at the City Council meeting, and will be followed by a reception and celebration on March 19th.
We at the Persian Panthers and PSO gladly and whole-heartedly support this recognition. Therefore, our plans for celebrating Norouz are going to be a little different from what you're used to, but hopefully just as much fun. Here is our two-stage plan:
Part 1:
On the evening of March 19th from 5:45pm to 7:30pm a formal ceremony will be held at Pittsburgh City Hall. Pittsburgh Mayor, County Executive, Council Members, and members of the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate are among the officals invited. You are cordially invited to attend and enjoy a celebration and recognition of historical and cultural significance of Norouz. The program tentatively includes speeches by the officials, a presentation about Norouz, and traditional Persian music.
Part 2:
Later that night, from 9pm to 12am, we will have an informal evening of fun and dancing at William Pitt Union’s Ballroom. We will serve snacks and drinks, and you can dance to the Persian music. For this part, you need to obtain tickets beforehand, as we will not be able to collect any money at the door due to alcohol regulations. The admission fee is $5 for students (including K-12) and $10 for non-students; this will cover admission and two free drinks (beer, wine, or juice). The tickets can be purchased in person from:
- William Pitt Union’s Ticket Office (at ground level, next to information desk): open 9am-5pm weekdays
- The Information Desk in the University Center at CMU; open at least until 10:00 PM every day.

You may also purchase tickets by mail, to be picked up at the door. Please write a check in the amount of your whole purchase, payable to “Carnegie Mellon University” (nothing else will be cashable), enclose the names of the guests (indicating student/non-student status) and send it to:

Amir Moghimi
257 Melwood Ave, Apt 1
Pittsburgh, PA 15213

Tickets will be on sale through Tuesday, March 16th. Please make sure you obtain your ticket by this date as we will unfortunately not be able to accommodate any at-the-door ticket sales.

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Program Agenda for City Hall's event
(5:45 – 6:00) Opening Reception
(6:00 – 6:15) Opening Remarks
Public Official Remarks
Office of the Mayor – City of Pittsburgh
Members of the Council – City of Pittsburgh
Members of the United States House of Representative
Members of the United State Senate
(6:15 – 6:20) Significance of Nowruz
Contribution of Iranian-American Community
(6:20 – 6:30) Traditional Persian Music Ensemble
(6:30 – 6:40) Tradition of Nowruz Presentation
(6:40 – 6:50) Persian Drum Ensemble
(6:50 – 6:55) Recognition of Iranian-American Community of Western Pennsylvania
(6:55 – 7:00) Recitation of Nowruz Proclamation
Recognizing March 20th 2010 as Nowruz Day in the City of Pittsburgh
(7:00 – 7:05) Closing Remarks
(7:05 – 7:30) Nowruz Celebration Reception

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