RALEIGH'S 16TH ANNUAL FIRST NIGHT CELEBRATION!

In the summer of 1990, Artsplosure’s Board of Directors committed to creating a special community New Year’s Eve celebration in downtown. First Night Raleigh was born, joining 100 other cities worldwide in a joyful, family-oriented, alcohol-free New Year’s Eve celebration of the arts. Admission buttons, worn proudly by participants, make First Night Raleigh the most accessible, inexpensive and safe way to celebrate the New Year. Attendance was estimated for First Night Raleigh ‘92 at 15,000-20,000 on December 31, 1991. This amazing public response paved the way for plans to produce a bigger, more spectacular First Night Raleigh. The event has grown to be the largest New Year’s Eve event held in Eastern North Carolina. Recent First Night celebrations have exceeded all expectations with attendance at over 40,000 people. The city’s Millennium Celebration culminated with First Night Raleigh 2000, and attracted 75,000 people from all over the state.

First Night came into existence in Boston in 1976 at the end of the country’s Bicentennial Celebration to bring the neighboring communities of the city together in a joint celebration, while providing the public with an alternative way of ushering in the New Year. Since 1980 the concept has inspired many communities to start their own First Night Celebrations in the United States from Cape Cod to Honolulu, plus Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom. The First Night International organization connects the First Night celebrations throughout the world.