This New Year, not only will we be saying goodbye to 2019, but we will also be saying goodbye to the first decade of the 2000’s. This new beginning is a time for us to celebrate all the ups and downs of the past year(s) and to look forward to what the new year, and decade, can bring us. As such, it is important that we send this decade off in style, and there is no better place to do just that than at the 29thAnnual WRAL First Night Raleigh 2020!
The 29th Annual WRAL First Night Raleigh is taking place on Tuesday December 31stand will encompass over twenty blocks throughout downtown. This celebration will have something for everyone with children’s activities during the day, and music and entertainment throughout the evening hours leading up to the new year.
The festivities begin with the Daytime Children’s Celebration from 2:00 to 6:00PM with hands-on workshops and performances from rising stars within the Triangle. The performances and activities run through Bicentennial Plaza, inside the North Carolina Museum of History and the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. Activities and workshops for children include Free Spirited Artistry face painting, Bingo, DIY henna, firework wands, resolution frames, New Year’s castle construction, New Year’s hats, stained glass art, origami stars, and midnight murals. Plus, children 5 years old and under are allowed in for free when accompanied by a pass-wearing adult!
Once the daytime activities and entertainment for the children begins to die-down, it is time for the People’s Procession and the Early Countdown. This is a perfect way to ensure that children, and parents, get to enjoy the fun of ringing in the New Year without dealing with tired children the next day. At 6:00PM, children can join Barefoot Movement for a wonderful performance as the famous acorn is dropped and fireworks are set off at 7:00PM.
For those without children, or those slightly older children, the First Night does not disappoint with things to do. There are over 20 blocks of art, music, comedy, theater, and more in multiple venues throughout the Downtown Raleigh area. Throughout the evening you can enjoy the view from the Fantastical First Night Ferris Wheel or scream your heart out on the Alien Abduction gravitron. Spend the night strolling through the Astro Botanicals Garden of Light or be enthralled at Maximum Magic. From sleigh rides to ballroom lessons, the night is jam-packed with events that’ll have everyone ringing in the New Year with a smile.
As the night draws to a close, you can begin the countdown to midnight with some local media celebrities and stellar performances by Illiterate Light and Caleb Johnson & The Ramblin Saints. All of this leads up to the acorn drop and a spectacle of fireworks at midnight as you say goodbye to 2019 and hello to 2020.
If you are feeling in the giving mood as the New Year looms before us, First Night Raleigh could always use volunteers to help with the event. In fact, it takes over 300 dedicated volunteers to get the event going without a hitch. To find out more about volunteering, or the event and all of its sponsors and events, visit https://firstnightraleigh.com
What a better way to bring in the New Year and to say goodbye to the past decade than a town-encompassing party with your community!
