NEWS + EVENTS

Looking for a family-friendly way to ring in the new year? Then First Night Alexandria might be exactly what you want. This alcohol-free celebration is in its 25th year, and is more popular than ever, thanks to its focus on community-based arts and its collaboration with museums, libraries, churches, city recreation centers, and theatres, which all become First Night performance venues on December 31. 

Your ticket gives you access to more than 100 separate performances that are all happening simultaneously (and are all within walking distance of each other), which means you can spend the entire evening tapping your toes to your favorite musical group, or you can move between venues and sample a variety of different live performances. You’ll find everything from hip hop and rock to gospel and folk performances. There are even several kid-centric performers to keep the little ones entertained. At 11:45 all the performances come to an end so that First Night attendees can head outside to the banks of the Potomac for a spectacular midnight fireworks display.