First Night Monterey

Save the Date and Ring in the New Year on Friday, December 31, 2021 with an unforgettable celebration in Monterey, CA. The multi-award-winning annual First Night Monterey 2022 returns as an in person New Year’s Eve celebration on December 31, 2021 in historic downtown Monterey.

Featuring a special theme of “New Beginnings” (after more than a year of the Pandemic), the New Year is the most awaited festival that actually brings lots of good luck, good fortune, and new beginning for everyone.

First Night Monterey celebrates 28 outstanding years of bringing the community together through both visual and performing arts for all ages, with lots of food options, on New Year’s Eve. This widely acclaimed event is an alcohol-free family celebration of the arts including a multicultural extravaganza is the largest New Year’s Eve event on the Central Coast and the official celebration of the City of Monterey. It is one of the largest First Night celebrations in the United States.

First Night Monterey is a unique New Year’s Eve event with arts programming that takes place throughout Downtown Monterey, including the Monterey Conference Center. With an average of 16 sites, 21 bands and 70 performances, First Night Monterey has something for everyone – both locals and visitors from all over the world!

The festivities begin at 3:00 PM with Kids’ Night Out on the spacious lawn on Pacific Street in front of historic Colton Hall, featuring 2 hours of music, art and storytelling. At 5:30 pm, the Twilight Parade is a community procession down Alvarado Street and serves as the finale to the Kids Night Out programming. The Evening Festival of the Arts begins at 6:00 pm and ranges from pop to rock, hip-hop to jazz, and lots of interactive art activities all the way to the finale. This unique special event helps to bring in the New Year 2022 in style and fun! Built around the four pillars of First Night (Art, Celebration, Community, and New Year’s Eve), First Night Monterey is an event that brings families from all over California and beyond to enjoy an amazing event in Monterey! FINALE TO THE NEW YEAR

Leading up to New Year’s Eve, there are an assortment of Art Activities for the kids and adults! Make a celebration hat, a noisemaker, and create your own art as you watch the clock countdown to the New Year.

First Night tickets are actually a colorful button which holds the image of New Beginnings and First Night 2022. Designed by a CSUMB student every year, attendees use it to check in all of the indoor sites. Beginning in November buttons can be bought online at www.firstnightmonterey.org and after Thanksgiving at all Safeway stores in Monterey County.

About First Night Monterey

The mission of First Night Monterey is to bring families together and unite the community through the arts. First Night Monterey is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) arts organization with a commitment to excellence in presenting programs that are affordable, accessible, and alcohol-free. First Night programs broaden and deepen public appreciation of the arts, actively involve the whole family, and create a more caring community through shared experiences of our diverse cultural heritage.

First Night is a North American artistic and cultural celebration on New Year's Eve, taking place from afternoon until midnight. Some cities have all of their events during the celebration outdoors, but some cities have events that are hosted indoors by organizations in the city, such as in churches and theaters. Since it happens on New Year's Eve, First Night celebrations are actually held on the last night of the old year. First Night celebrates a community's local culture, often featuring music, dance, comedy and art.

First Night Monterey (FNM) was started by Paulette Lynch and her husband Ken Peterson in 1992, aided by a group of artists and Monterey Peninsula residents who wanted a creative alternative to the traditional New Year’s Eve revelry. Paulette came to Monterey from the Boston area, and brought the First Night model to Monterey. The event premiered with First Night Monterey 1993 on December 31, 1992 and received wide acclaim.

There are many large and small hotels in Downtown Monterey listed here https://www.oldmonterey.org/directory/lodging/hotels including many others throughout the area listed here: https://www.seemonterey.com/hotels/hotels/. There are also wide variety of great restaurants there as well as at the nearby Old Fisherman’s Wharf. For more details, check out https://www.oldmonterey.org/directory/food_and_drink/dining and http://www.montereywharf.com https://www.montereywharf.com/dining.html.

For more information: www.firstnightmonterey.org or call 831-233-2092.