Happy New Year! You're invited to attend Northampton's most beloved signature event. On Monday, December 31st, the Northampton Arts Council and PeoplesBank welcome you to the 34th edition of our city-wide New Year's Eve party. Since 1985, First Night Northampton has filled the Paradise City with a 12-hour, family-friendly festival of the arts culminating in a traditional ball-raising from the roof of the Hotel Northampton. Gather with friends, neighbors and visitors at 20 terrific downtown venues for an astounding array of entertainment presented by hundreds of talented performers. Our efforts are supported by generous local sponsors and dedicated volunteers. Proceeds benefit community arts.
First Night Northampton continues to be a special opportunity to celebrate the cultural vibrancy of our community while sharing time with friends, neighbors and visitors. Because the event falls on a Monday this year, it’s poised to be the centerpiece of a long holiday weekend, drawing enthusiastic crowds to the venues and streets of downtown Northampton. A First Night button—available at various locations throughout the Pioneer Valley and online—is your ticket to each performance at every venue, day and night. The Northampton Arts Council and their partners at PeoplesBank invite you to take part in this alcohol-free, family-friendly event. All are welcome.
As always, a spectacular display of fireworks can be witnessed at 6:15 p.m., visible from the heart of the city. As midnight approaches, revelers will gather outside the Hotel Northampton for a unique “ball-raising.”
First Night depends upon the support of our most important partner: the city of Northampton. The offices of the Mayor and Central Services along with police, fire, public works, and licensing departments are critical to its success. We also rely on the generosity of performance venues throughout the city and button-sales locations throughout the Valley. In the end, we benefit from the assistance of over 100 volunteers, who make a logistically complex operation run smoothly.
The Northampton Arts Council produces innovative arts programming, provides direct aid to artists/arts organizations/schools for arts enrichment, and conducts educational outreach to the community. Events that make Northampton great, like the Summer Concert Series, Transperformance, RETROFAIRE, Silver Chord Bowl, and KidsBestFest-YouthFilm, rely on community support. Attending these events not only makes our community great, but it helps to support the the Northampton Arts Council’s mission of working to support and nurture the arts in the city of Northampton.
