Venue
Government Center, Boston, MA 02201, United States
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First Night Boston guide
Boston's all-day arts New Year's Eve.
In short
First Night Boston on 31 December suits families and anyone wanting a gentler New Year's Eve, with free performances from midday into the early hours. Musicians, dancers, skaters and ice carvers fill squares, churches and the waterfront, with fireworks at 7 p.m. and midnight. The full schedule is posted on firstnightboston.org, so plan your route in advance.
First Night Boston is the city's free, all-day New Year's Eve arts festival, and the original of an idea later copied by hundreds of other cities. From midday into the early hours, musicians, dancers, skaters and ice carvers fill squares, churches and the waterfront, and two fireworks displays bookend the evening.
Its appeal lies in its scale and its manners. This is a New Year's Eve designed for families as much as for night owls: an organ recital and a puppet show can sit on the same afternoon schedule as a funk band, and nobody needs a ticket for any of it.
Bostonians treat it as a citywide open house. People wander from one neighbourhood to the next, stop to watch whatever is happening, and often end up seeing acts they had never heard of. That unplanned discovery is the point.
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Key Facts & Stats:
Where: Boston, United States
Venue: City Hall Plaza
Held: Every year
Type of event: Cultural Events, Arts Festivals, Community Events
Currency: US dollar (USD, $)
Time zone: Eastern Time (UTC-5, UTC-4 in summer)
Language: English (Spanish widely spoken)
Map
Getting around
Hotels near the venue fill up around the event dates.
Keeping warm outdoors and in indoor venues
Much of First Night happens in the open air after dark, so plan for real cold. Wear insulated boots, a hat that covers your ears, gloves you can use a phone in and a layer you can remove when you duck indoors.
Use the indoor venues to warm up. Church concerts, the library and the shopping arcade at Copley Place all host performances, and sitting through a single set inside is the easiest way to thaw before heading back out to the Common or the harbour.
Activities and early fireworks for children
Pace a family day around the daytime programme. Puppet shows, dance troupes and the afternoon skating sessions are aimed squarely at young audiences, and the 7 p.m. display over the Common is the one most families treat as their finale.
- Agree a meeting point with older children at each site, such as a named stage.
- Write your phone number on a card in a younger child's pocket.
- Leave before the midnight crowd if little ones are flagging, since the 7 p.m. show is the family finale anyway.
What happens on the day
- Noon
Opening
The first outdoor displays go up and the daytime venues open.
- Early afternoon
Main stage
The main stage opens; the Back Bay venues are busy until dusk.
- 6 p.m.
First Night Parade
From City Hall Plaza to Boston Common.
- 7 p.m.
Early fireworks
The Mugar Family Fireworks over Boston Common.
- Evening
City Hall Plaza
Bands keep the plaza busy.
- Midnight
Harbour fireworks
The second display over Boston Harbor; the festival winds down around 12:30 a.m.
Planning a route between venues across the city
This festival works as a trail between venues. At the last edition, performances were spread over 10 sites stretching from Back Bay to the waterfront. You cannot see everything. Sketch a route before you leave the hotel.
A sensible plan follows the city from west to east as the day goes on. Spend the late morning and early afternoon in the west, where a square and several churches host music and organ recitals. Drift across to the big park in the middle for the skating and the early fireworks. Then finish at the main hub beside the city hall, before walking down to the water for midnight.
That route makes Back Bay, or the downtown blocks around the city hall, the most practical places to stay. Both are on the subway, and both keep you within walking distance of the late stages. Book well ahead, as hotel rooms in central Boston are in demand over the holiday. Our guide to travelling in the United States helps if Boston is one stop on a longer trip.
Clara Wainwright and the first First Night
An artist started it all. Clara Wainwright conceived a New Year's Eve built around artists, musicians and performers on indoor and outdoor stages, a deliberate step away from the boozy parties that usually mark the date. The organisers trace the festival to 1976, and the edition that opened the latest year was billed as the 50th.
The years since have not all been smooth. The nonprofit that ran the event closed in 2013 for lack of money. Mayor Menino found the funding to keep it alive, and from 2015 the city took charge of a smaller version. In 2020 there was no celebration at all. Today Conventures produces First Night with support from the City of Boston, paid for largely by sponsors and private donations.
The original spirit survives in the programme. Organ recitals in Back Bay churches sit beside puppet shows, dance groups and local bands, and ice sculptures appear across the city for a single day before melting away. The emphasis is still on art made for one night and shared with whoever turns up.
Getting there
Flying in
Logan International Airport is about 2.5 miles north-east of Back Bay. The Silver Line SL1 bus runs from every terminal to South Station; or take the free shuttle to Airport station on the Blue Line, direct to Government Center.
The hub
Government Center station is right beneath City Hall Plaza, entrance at its south-west corner.
Free late trains
At the last edition the MBTA was free after 8 p.m., with extended service and last trains between 1:45 and 2:50 a.m.
On foot
City Hall Plaza, the Common and the harbour are all within walking distance of each other.
Where to stay during the festival
The next date is 31 December 2026. Book your room as soon as your dates are fixed, since rooms close to the festival are the first to go.
Weather and what to pack
New Year's Eve in Boston is cold. Late December and January average highs of about 3 to 6°C and lows of about -5 to -2°C, and snow is possible (1991-2020 normals).
The midnight wait by the harbour is raw and windy.
Worth packing
- A heavy winter coat, hat, gloves and scarf
- Insulated, waterproof boots
- Hand warmers for the midnight wait
- A charged phone for the MBTA and the schedule
Car hire in Boston
Airport transfer to First Night Boston
Met at arrivals and driven door to door to City Hall Plaza.
Restaurants and food in United States
Places to eat in United States before or after the celebrations.
Joe's Stone Crab
11 Washington Avenue, Miami Beach, FL 33139, United States
Cuisine:SeafoodAmerican
- Dine-in
- Takeaway
- Bar
Alinea
1723 North Halsted Street, Chicago, IL 60614, United States
Cuisine:ModernistAmerican
- Dine-in
- Counter seating
Franklin Barbecue
900 East 11th Street, Austin, TX 78702, United States
Cuisine:Texas barbecueAmerican
- Dine-in
- Takeaway
Commander's Palace
1403 Washington Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70130, United States
Cuisine:CreoleNew Orleans
- Dine-in
Katz's Delicatessen
205 East Houston Street, New York, NY 10002, United States
Cuisine:Jewish deliAmerican
- Dine-in
- Takeaway
- Counter seating
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Prices & payment
Only for food, drinks and anything you choose to buy. Every performance is free and open to all. The festival is paid for by sponsors and by donations from local companies and individuals, and gifts of any size are welcome if you want to support it.
General
More than 400,000 guests were expected at the most recent edition, which billed itself as New England's largest New Year's Eve party. Expect the densest crowds on City Hall Plaza and along the harbour around midnight.
A giant carved sign spelling the city's name stands outside the town hall from noon until after midnight. In the afternoon a harbour conservation group runs a stroll past 35 more sculptures, mostly along the waterfront and in the Seaport district, with a map published before the day.
The indoor public market stays open until 3 p.m., with nearly 20 local vendors. Later on, fair-style stands sell fried dough and hot snacks at the two big outdoor sites.
Yes. Old South Church has hosted a Pipes and Pops concert in two evening sessions, Trinity Church an afternoon concert, and the First Church of Christ, Scientist an organ recital. Rabb Hall has hosted jazz and chamber musicians too.
The festival is planned by the events company Conventures with support from the City of Boston. Meet Boston and the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority are among the leading sponsors.
Yes. Boston's version inspired copies, and by 1999 more than 200 cities held a First Night of their own. Only about 45 still ran one by the 2013 New Year, but the name still marks an arts-led, family New Year's Eve.
The most recent edition also staged a laser and pyrotechnic show alongside the two fireworks displays. Check the published schedule for its timing and location.
Timing & weather
The skating performances on the Frog Pond in Boston Common have been staged twice, in mid-afternoon and again in the early evening, shortly before the parade. Arrive a little early to get a rink-side view.
Families & accessibility
Yes. The indoor mall has hosted a children's dance academy and Puppet Showplace Theater in the early afternoon, a warm alternative to the outdoor stages.