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First Night Northampton, Mass: A New Year’s Eve Delight
It used to be that my husband and I would celebrate New Year’s Eve at a neighborhood party at a couple’s house we could walk to. Sadly, the hosts, and many of our neighbors and friends have since moved away. Some years, we have ventured the six hour drive North to Eastport, Maine, for it’s fun and unusual celebration. Searching for something a bit closer to home this past Dec. 31st., 2023, we found First Night Northampton, Mass., which is a New Year’s Eve Delight.
First Night Northampton, Mass.: A New Year’s Eve Tradition
First Night Northampton is a festive New Year’s Eve tradition going back decades to 1985. We live near Boston, Mass. which has a well known First Night, but we were unaware of Northampton’s. Like Boston, Northampton is a walkable city, and has a multitude of entities that participate in the festival. It’s grown to the point of 23 odd venues. Smith College, businesses, and churches, as well as traditional entertainment establishments, provide the necessary spaces for all the entertainers and audiences. Even a bank offers a warming center with bathrooms and hot beverages.
How it works: You purchase a button which admits you to all venues. Performances and activities are scheduled on the hour, beginning at 12 noon. They run for approximately 45 minutes so you have 15 minutes to walk to the next one.
Sometimes the settings are as enjoyable as the acts themselves. The Academy of Music building houses a wonderful vintage theater built in 1891 where Harry Houdini and Mae West and other legends once performed.
First Night Northampton, Mass.: A New Year’s Eve Delight for Young and Old
First Night Northampton has activities and entertainment for all ages and multiple interests. This festival of arts starts at noon with child-oriented entertainment, which is then a part of each hour’s eclectic performances until 6 p.m. Each event/activity/entertainment lasts about 45 minutes. About as long as many kids can sit still. Family activities this past New Year’s Eve included: a circus, a “mad” scientist, comedy magic, a juggler, face painting and balloon making, a yoyo guy, storytellers, and a puppet show.
The shows most likely to appeal to senior citizens wrap up by 9 p.m.
No staying up late or being awakened by fireworks! They start at 6:15, so that everyone can be in bed at a reasonable hour.
The fireworks are shot off a parking garage in mid-downtown. They can easily be seen from cars in nearby public parking lots and from many convenient vantage points, including in strollers. Once the show is over, it may be only a block or two walk to your parked car. There’s free on-street parking and in municipal lots, except for the downtown parking garage.
First Night Northampton, Mass.: 12 Hours of Musical Performances and Special Acts
Whether you’re seeking a day or evening filled with lively energy or a more laid-back experience, Northampton’s New Year’s Eve extravaganza has it all.
The contemporary performers at First Night run from amateur ensembles, such as The Raging Grannies, the AEIOUkes who are a mix of amateur and trained musicians, to professional musicians and groups of note. Some of the musicians and singers play or played with headlining Rock Bands and received Grammy nominations. Then there’s the delightful Ardaigh, an Irish band, and Klezamir, a rockin’ klezmer band as well as Happy Valley Guitar orchestra and the Offbeat Womyn’s Drumming Ensemble.
The Raging Grannies delivered their political commentaries in clever, whimsical, or poetic manner set to familiar tunes. We weren’t familiar with them, but chose them as the name appealed to us.
The casual upbeat atmosphere at First Night Northampton 24 lent itself to literal dancing in the aisles whether the two-step or the hora. For those who were in the mood for more dancing during the later evening hours, there was the Peace and Rhythm Dance Party.
As midnight approaches, it’s traditional to gather at the Hotel Northampton for the iconic raising of the ball. On Dec. 31, 2023, Steve Sanderson of WRSI hosted the Midnight Countdown with Peace & Rhythm DJs getting folks on their feet dancing.
Navigating First Night Northampton, Mass.
First, we went to FirstNightNorthampton.org.
We later picked up a newspaper that had a full page devoted to the event:
The website has all kinds of helpful information. We downloaded the performance schedule.
The next thing we did was look at FirstNightNorthampton.org to read the descriptions of all the performers and acts. They were impressive. My husband and I marked halfway across the box of which ones appealed to us with contrasting yellow and green highlighters. For most of the hour slots, we found performers we both agreed upon. We downloaded and printed out the map with the key to all the venues. As it was half the size of a letter size piece of paper, we then enlarged it to a full sheet. We highlighted the venues where we needed to go on the map. By and large, most weren’t that far from each other.
As you can see from the wear and tear of the the performance schedule and downtown map, we got a lot of use out of them.
Once we were sure we could commit to going, we bought our buttons online. We had to pick them up in person day of, but we saved $4 each by purchasing ahead of time and where we picked them up was in the heart of downtown. They also offered a discount for buying before Dec. 31, seniors, and adult day only (until 6 p.m.) buttons. There was a lower price for kids up to 10 and only 2 were free.
Finding parking was easy and plentiful when we arrived in Northampton on Dec. 31st., which was about 11:20 a.m. As we walked towards the Downtown, we could hear a lively band playing al fresco. Thorne’s Marketplace, where we could pick up our buttons, is in the middle of Main St., and just a few blocks away. We had no problem finding the First Night Box Office (tables set up in a hallway) and waiting in line wasn’t a trial.
As soon as we claimed our buttons, we attached them to our coats. Each venue had Greeters/Checkers at the door looking for buttons. It was very casual and easy as people just walked through entrances without pausing, much easier that using ticket takers. Checkers tended to be senior citizens and there was one in a wheelchair.
Note that, for those with children or finicky bladders, in addition to two designated warming centers with restrooms and hot beverages, several of the entertainment spaces allowed use of their bathrooms.
First Night Northampton, Mass.: Plenty of Shopping, Food and Drink Options
Downtown Northampton, Mass. boasts a charming downtown. It’s main and side streets are lined with charming shops and businesses. Thorne’s Marketplace, a circa 1873 historic three story commercial building, is home to an array of independent, locally-owned retailers and restaurants lining a sort of in-door wooden-floored alley. You could easily spend a day there. Check out ShopNoho and Northampton.live for more information about Northampton’s businesses. We walked by several vintage shops that I hope to explore someday.
If you’ve been reading this blog, you know that we are fans of craft beer. Whenever we go somewhere, we seek out breweries. Northampton has several, some steps away from where we parked. When it was time for a break, we went to Northampton Brewery Bar and Grill, western New England’s original brewpub.
It’s not only brewery, but also has a full bar and boasts a fireplace and rooftop beer garden. Unlike some breweries that have a sparce food menu, it offers a wide variety of appetizers, salads and soups, burgers, fish fry, and a kids menu. The food and beer were just right and service was quick and friendly. TV’s were placed so we could catch the end of the afternoon football game.
After catching the fireworks, and a few more performances, we found Progression Brewing Company on a side street off Main Street and just blocks away from our parked car. They had a more limited menu, but still better than many others. We split a handmade pretzel and enjoyed a flight of IPA’s. They were gearing up for a New Year’s Eve party with live band before we left for our hotel.
First Night Northampton, Mass.: A Fantastic Way to Spend New Year’s Eve
If you are looking for a fun and different way to spend New Year’s Eve, as we were, seriously consider First Night Northampton. What an incredible variety of entertainment and venues! What a reasonable price – $16 – for 12 packed hours! My only regret is that we didn’t go a day earlier to experience more of what the downtown had to offer. We were so busy moving from one performance to the next that we didn’t have time to take in much, except quick glances at the shop windows and signs. My other regret is that I wish we had gone a day earlier. If we didn’t drive there day of, we might have had the extra energy to go to the later dance parties and been part of the countdown and ball raising at midnight.
Do you have a favorite way of spending New Year’s Eve? Or a fun place to spend it? Please comment below.
So many beers and breweries, how to keep track?
If you want to keep more detailed records of where you went and what beer you enjoyed, you might like Keeping Up with Craft Beers: A Journal for Your Tasting Adventures. You can list up to 100 beers, as well as list breweries and brew pubs you liked as well as beer festivals.
Want to learn how to start a blog?
Here’s some courses to get you started: Start A Travel Blog
Want or need help with your blog or website? I’ve found inexpensive help on Fiverr.
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