Welcome to First Night Northampton 2010
With great excitement, the Center for the Arts and the Daily Hampshire Gazette welcome you to the 25th edition of First Night. Yes, we are about to mark the silver anniversary year of our special tribute to community arts with twelve hours of music, dance, comedy and more spread among 20 venues throughout downtown. On Thursday, December 31st, thousands of people will enjoy family-friendly entertainment from noon until midnight. They will be treated to a festive display of spectacular fireworks early in the evening and a unique "ball-raising" at midnight, sharing the experience with friends, neighbors and visitors to the city.
As always, we're expecting an enthusiastic crowd and look forward to large audiences throughout the afternoon and evening. We'll open with customary high energy at the Center for the Arts. Get there at noon for an exciting Celebration Circus Cabaret followed by our family promenade from Main to Masonic to Center Street and back to Pulaski Park. What to do next? With a classic array of performance options at venues throughout downtown (including an appearance by our own Young@Heart chorus), Northampton's annual signature event is filled with talent and creativity.
We continue with what is becoming a popular tradition — fireworks for the whole family to see at 6:15 p.m. There's plenty of time for everyone to find a good spot for viewing the display that lights up the sky from the roof of the city's parking garage. After that, return to a program of music, dancing, and merriment until the cannons fire from the courthouse lawn at 30 minutes before midnight, signaling us to gather on King Street where we greet the official arrival of a new year. We'll be joined by hometown celebrities from 93.9 The River and WHMP counting down to 2010, as our glorious global ball rises from the roof of the Hotel Northampton.
A single bargain-priced button opens the doors to every event at every venue. Buy one early at a local vendor or online, and check out the accompanying performance program as well as the logistical tips that follow to plan a perfect and joyful day. What a memorable way to celebrate New Year's Eve!
Penny Burke, Executive Director
Northampton Center for the Arts
First Night Logistics
Parking: On December 31st there is free parking in municipal lots. (On-street parking is still restricted, as is parking in the downtown garage.) Take note that all Smith College lots and the Smith College garage on West Street are free and open to the general public. Please remember that access to and from the E.J. Gare Parking Garage will be controlled from approximately 5:45pm to 6:45pm because of the fireworks display. The same is true for the adjacent lots.
Button Sales on Thursday, December 31st: Best bet is to buy your First Night buttons in advance of the event at one of the many vendors or online here. On December 31st, button sales (cash or check only) are limited to the following locations: TD Bank at 175 Main Street (open until 9:00 pm); Faces; State Street Fruit Store; Hotel Northampton; Cooper's Corner in Florence; A.J. Hastings in Amherst. They are also for sale at the door of these performance venues: Academy of Music; Center for the Arts; Sweeney Concert Hall and Theatre 14 at Smith College.
At the venues: In order to accommodate our audiences and to make things easier for the volunteers, please cooperate by lining up at entrances in an orderly fashion and exiting the venues after each performance. This also keeps things running on time. Note: Most shows are offered twice, so if you don't make it into the first one, you'll probably catch the second.