First Night Northampton 2009

Once again, the Center for the Arts and the Daily Hampshire Gazette ask you to join us in welcoming a new year. On Wednesday, December 31st, First Night Northampton will fill the city with family-friendly festivities from noon until midnight. This time, the celebration culminates in the rising of a magnificent new ball from the roof of the Hotel Northampton. What a great way to recognize community arts!

As always, we're expecting an enthusiastic crowd and look forward to large audiences throughout the afternoon and evening. We'll open with traditional energy at the Center for the Arts. Get there at noon for the first performance of the day followed by our traditional family promenade and some "special friends" who will lead us from Main to Masonic to Center Street and back to Pulaski Park. What to do next? With a classic array of entertainment options at venues throughout downtown (including the new and improved First Churches Meeting House!), Northampton's signature annual event is filled with talent and creativity.

Back by popular demand! Our fireworks display from the roof of the city's parking garage is scheduled for the whole family to see at 6:15 p.m. There's lots of time for everyone to find a good spot for viewing. 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 and greet the official arrival of 2009.

A single bargain-priced button opens the doors to every event at every venue. Buy one early, and check out the performance program as well as the logistical tips that follow to plan a perfect and joyful day. There's a spirit in the air which promises a very special First Night.

First Night Logistics

Parking:On December 31st there is free parking in municipal lots. Also-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 restricted from approximately 5:45pm to 6:45pm because of the fireworks display. The same is true for the adjacent lots.

Button Sales on December 31st: Best bet is to buy your First Night buttons in advance of the event at one of the many vendors listed here. On December 31st, button sales are limited to the following locations: TD Banknorth at 175 Main Street (open until 9:30 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; Theatre 14.

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.

Additional Attractions

First Night Family Preview : Elmer and the Elder Tree
Join us on Monday, December 29 at 2 pm at the Center for the Arts for a special presentation of Piti Theatre's Elmer and the Elder Tree. This colorful, creative, and interactive nature fable is followed by mural-making and performance workshops for children. Entrance is free to anyone wearing a First Night button. If you haven't purchased one yet, you can buy it at the door. There is a $5 general admission charge for those without buttons.

First Night Fireworks Display at 6:15 PM
Once again, the fireworks will make an early appearance, set off from atop the E.J. Gare Garage. While the display will be visible from much of the Main Street area, the best viewing is from the parking lots adjacent to the garage entrance. Please note that during the fireworks, traffic on Armory Street, as well as access to and from the lots, will be restricted.

Countdown Goes Global
Witness our "inaugural ball" rising from the roof of the Hotel Northampton as WHMP's maverick Bill Dwight and side-kick Jaz Tupelo measure the moments until midnight. The city's iconic tribute to the New Year was designed by sculptor Sam Ostroff and replicates the earth's continents in bronze amid 350 flashing lights. Not to be missed!

Big Booms
The 9th Massachusetts Light Battery marks the arrival of 2009 in traditional fashion with a cannon firing from the lawn of the Old Courthouse at the corner Main and Gothic streets. Those big booms, which go off at 11:30 pm, signal revelers that it's time to gather in front of the Hotel Northampton for the maiden voyage of the brand new ball.

Look at "Window"
"Window," the new A.P.E. Arts space located at 126 Main Street, hosts a performance of the Western New England Double Bass Society, 2-2:45 pm. Later in the afternoon, you can see your favorite First Night performers as Monte Belmonte broadcasts live for 93.9 The River, 4-6pm.

Official Website