Every civilization, every society had its special way of marking the passing of time; the moving of the celestial heavens across the time-space continuum. In Austin, as in many places of past cultures, the New Year is marked by a celebration of art with its many and varied faces
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 You could call it a strange mix of art, culture and ritual celebration. You could call it one huge citywide New Year's party. In Austin, they simply call it First Night, a gathering of residents and visitors to the central city who have come to mark the passing of the old year and the coming of the new with an unusual event that closely resembles the eclectic and semi-odd temperament and personality of the city itself.
Known for its diverse attraction to the arts, Austin is the perfect community to host this creative and wonderfully unique annual celebration, a convergence of various art forms on the streets, in the parks, the sidewalks and building balconies of the central city. The city-at-large is the stage for a public celebration of the arts that revives the ancient tradition of marking the passage of time with art, ritual, and festivity. It is a family-friendly, affordable, and alcohol free New Year's Eve festival that every member of the family can enjoy.
Welcome to First Night, a celebration of the culturally rich and artistically diverse community of Austin, an afternoon and evening of festivities that range from public slam poetry, street performers, live music, storytelling, craft making, and puppet shows to ballroom dancing, bagpipes, and break dancing.
You can expect plenty of art exhibits, performing artists, bands, concerts, craft shows, hands-on craft creations and other exhibit contributions involving many art forms, from dance, music, performance, film & video/projections, literary/spoken word, visual art/installations, and more.
If you plan on attending this unusual artistic festival, don't be confused by the name. The event is staged on December 31st and culminates at midnight when the New year rolls in (perhaps because no one wanted to call it Last Night).
And, leave it to Austin, the event is carefully planned for a wide variety of interests and age-groups. Kicking off at 2 p.m., the Family Festival is designed to be of interest to parents and kids, culminating in a Grande procession and Family Finale. As the evening falls, its time for the Evening Festival and Midnight Finale.
Some of the highlights of the celebration are the makeshift and spontaneous (as well as the planned) parades and performances that occur at just about every corner. Costumed revelers offer everything from Chinese Yo-yo performances to street magic, jugglers, and poetry readers.
First Night Austin is an event that takes place across the downtown cityscape, both indoors and out. All outdoor events are free and accessible to everyone. However, you will need a First Night Austin 2006 Commemorative Button for access to indoor events.
You can purchase your commemorative button by visiting the First Night web site.
Weekend travelers should consider one of the many fine hotel or lodges in the downtown area as a place to headquarter, where you can book a room and take in the celebration without ever having to drive the Austin streets on busy New Year's Eve night.
Refer to the map below to help you in selecting lodging near the event. Have a happy First Night!
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