The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust celebrates its 25th anniversary this weekend with a festival of special events and projects throughout the Cultural District. The activities, mostly free, highlight the Trust's transformation of Downtown from a blighted red-light district to a center of art and culture.

The party kicks off Friday with a Gallery Crawl from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. featuring 25 locations and more than 75 artists.

Highlights include the North American premieres of new works by Henrik Menne, Marnix de Nijs and Edwin van der Heide at Wood Street Galleries, and the Brooklyn-based Luminescent Orchestrii performing a fusion of punk, klezmer, hip-hop and tango at SPACE.

Also looking interesting: Pittsburgh Gospel Choir presents the music of female gospel greats by local drag performers at 937 Liberty Ave.

Topping off the evening is a rooftop party atop Theater Square, with food, desserts and cocktails from the district's restaurants, a presentation by Bricolage theater company and dancing 'til midnight. Tickets are $35, $50 and $100.

Saturday is the Summer Kids Crawl from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., with free activities and performances.

A new twist is a cell phone-guided walking tour of the district. Visitors can call a number (412-235-6276), choose from among 25 options and listen to recordings about the history of each location. Sidewalk markers in front of each spot give the number to enter for that selection.

5:30 to 9 p.m.

• Wood Street Galleries, 601 Wood St. (above the T station). Physical Conditions -- works by Henrik Menne, Marnix de Nijs and Edwin van der Heide.

• Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation, Parklet at Seventh and Penn, 5:45 p.m. Expert guides lead a free one-hour walking tour of the district's architectural history.

• SPACE, 812 Liberty Ave. "Smoke and Mirrors" -- 16 artists who are faking it in every sense of the word; live music by Luminescent Orchestrii.

• Pennsylvania Culinary Institute, 808 Liberty Ave. Culinary sculptures of sugar and tallow by PCI faculty; hot food and beverages prepared by PCI students for $1.

• Harris Theater, 809 Liberty Ave. Local film shorts in the theater, 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Photos in basement gallery by Adam Paul Amrhein, John Foster Cartwright, Bryan Conley and Laura Jean Kahl.

• ArtUp @ 820 Liberty. "Revelations: A Post Apocalyptic Emporium" -- installation by cb fisher, abstract satire exploring the beauty of survival after a devastating fate.

• Catholic Charities, 212 Ninth St. (at Liberty). Live music by Mon River Ramblers.

n 937 Liberty. First floor, photography by Julia Bodura. Second floor, works by 12 recipients of the Three Rivers Arts Festival Emerging Artist Scholarship. Third floor, "Testify!," Pittsburgh Gospel Choir presents the music of female gospel greats by drag performers, 8 p.m.

• 943 Liberty Ave. "Counter Couture" -- graphic artists from The Cotton Factory pay homage to the building's previous life as a red-light-district hot spot.

• Little E's, 949 Liberty Ave. Live jazz with Blue Orphans.

• Salon Christine, 954 Penn Ave. Work by Diane Livengood and Kelli Clouser, music by DJ Kelli Burns.

• 925 Penn Ave. "PearlArts, Movement & Sound" by Herman Pearl and Andreas Wetterberg. Visuals by Staycee Pearl.

• Northside Urban Pathways Student Gallery, 914 Penn Ave. Music, craft vendors, ice cream and works by visiting artist Lisa Miles.

• Ninth and Penn parking lot. JazzLive Summer Stage -- Jevon Rushton Group, 6 p.m.; Howie Alexander Project, 7:45 p.m.; DJ SMI.

• Future Tenant, 819 Penn Ave. Installation and performance with Melissa St. Pierre and Joanne H, based on theories of hypnosis and trance.

• MCG @ 800 Penn. "Paths to the Park" -- Visiting artist Julia Mandle's chalk shoes project highlighting the North Side.

• Eighth and Penn parking lot. Roland Ford's Soul Blast Line Dance, 6:30 and 7:45 p.m.

• 709 Penn Gallery. "Threaded Line" -- clay used as fabric by Lee Renninger.

• 707 Penn Gallery. "Discombobulated" -- surreal work by Marc Burgess with large-scale scenic works plus new media light and sound experiments.

• Katz Plaza, Seventh and Penn. Live music by Johnny Blas Latin Orchestra; music by DJ Carlton. "First Night Ice" -- free snow cones when you mention the phrase "So ... I'll see you at First Night."

• Backstage Bar, 655 Penn Ave. Live music by Eric Suesoff.

• Pittsburgh Public Theater at the O'Reilly, 621 Penn Ave. Live music by Joy Ike, 6 to 8 p.m.

• Arthur Murray Ballroom Studio, 136 Sixth St. (above Melange Bistro). Free dance lessons -- salsa, 7 p.m.; tango, 7:30 p.m.; swing 8 p.m.

• Roving through the district -- Mary Miller Dance Company; artist T. Foley performing ring tones.

• After the Crawl. Cosmopolitan Pittsburgh -- summer rooftop party under the stars. $35, $50 and $100; www.pgharts.org/cosmopgh.

11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

• SPACE, 812 Liberty Ave. "Smoke and Mirrors."

• Pennsylvania Culinary Institute, 808 Liberty Ave. Decorate cookies. Food and beverages prepared by PCI students available for $1.

• Trust Education Center, 805-807 Liberty Ave. Carnival Time with Kenia -- Learn Brazilian percussion, samba school parade 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. Tracie Yorke Dance -- stories on the move 12:15 and 2:15 p.m.

n Harris Theater, 809 Liberty Ave. Create a paper film strip.

n Catholic Charities, 212 Ninth St. Meet Mr. McFeely from "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood," 1 to 3 p.m. Create tie-dyed art and chromatography butterflies and flowers.

• MCG Gallery @ 800 Penn. Special path-making scavenger hunt.

• Seventh and Penn parklet. "Magnolias for Pittsburgh" -- Delight in the bronze magnolia trees that "bloom" year-round.

• Seventh and Fort Duquesne Blvd. Transformer "Arch" 2008.

• Katz Plaza, Seventh and Penn. Umoja African drum workshop, 11 a.m.; River City Percussion Duo, 11:30 a.m.; Roland Ford's Soul line dancing lessons, noon and 1:15 p.m. Plus face painting, caricatures and sports mascots.

• Parking lot, Seventh and Penn. "Eurobungy" -- flip and somersault two stories above the Cultural District; Mike the Balloon Guy.

• Theater Square, Scott Place, polar mascot and chalk artists

• Cabaret Theater, 655 Penn Ave. CLO Ministars, 11 and 11:45 a.m.

• EQT, 625 Liberty Ave. Make a sun catcher and sand art, Mike the Balloon Guy, jugglers, unicyclists, stilt walkers, learn to hula hoop.

• Heinz Hall, Sixth Street entrance. Pittsburgh Symphony musical activities, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Fiddlesticks, 12:30 p.m.

• Heinz Hall Garden, Liberty and Sixth, Cheryl Capezzuti and Things that Stick present "Bunny Jump: Don't be a Lump," 12:30 and 2:30 p.m.

• Fifth Avenue Place, Fifth and Liberty. "Stuff," featuring Kellee Van Aken and Cheryl Capezzuti. 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Magician, airbrush tattoo, face painting.

For more information on Friday and Saturday events: 412-456-6666 or www.pgharts.org.