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First Night Is…
a community celebration of the New Year through the arts. It is an alcohol-free, public celebration that marks the passage from the old year to the new with art, ritual and festivity.

Origins
First Night revives the ancient traditions of marking the passage of time in a present day context. It was invented by a group of civic-minded artists in Boston as a meaningful alternative to traditional New Year's Eve revelry. Offered to the city as a finale to its Bicentennial events in 1976, it was also the beginning of a new tradition that brought the neighboring communities together through a joint celebration.

Objectives
To recapture the symbolic significance of the passage from the old year to the new; to unite the community through a shared cultural celebration; to deepen and broaden the public's appreciation of the visual and performing arts.

Why Is It Called First Night?
New Year's Eve is a time for renewal and new beginnings. It is an opportunity for the community to look ahead collectively with hope and optimism and appreciate its common bonds. The name "First Night" symbolizes this forward look, over the technically correct words, "Last Night."

Each First Night Celebration is identified by the date of the New Year the event welcomes, e.g. First Night 1977, the first event in Boston. All cities that have a First Night Celebration observe this guideline.

Geographic Spread
There are presently 110 First Night Celebrations resulting from 121 Licensed First Night Communities: 107 in the United States, 2 in Canada and 1 in New Zealand.  Of these, three cities held their inaugural First Night Celebrations New Year’s Eve of 2006 (New Rochelle, NY; Norwich, CT; and Saranac Lake, NY).  Three additional cities joined the family this year and will hold their inaugural celebration in the future (Kingston, NY; New Bern, NC; Ada, OK).

Reasons for First Night
Cities, large and small, are searching for positive models in response to some of the complex problems of our times. Cultivating a sense of community, bringing together the family, revitalizing the downtown, developing audiences for the arts, decreasing alcohol consumption on New Year's Eve through a public celebration are objectives First Night cities share in common.

First Night International Is…
The umbrella organization which provides vision, inspiration, artistry, direction and technical assistance in fostering the First Night concept both in the United States and abroad. It authorizes and monitors the use of the First Night name, promoting community, creativity and cultural diversity through all of its activities and services.