Mark you calendars now for FIRST NIGHT CHARLOTTE! 

First Night returns to Center City to ring in 2009!  A safe, affordable, fun, family-friendly event.  Park and Recreation is a cosponsor.  Stop by our area to greet RAY!  First Night will take place December 31st throughout the urban core of Charlotte, right in the heart of Center City. (In future years, our new uptown park will be a participating venue.)

As a safe, affordable, and entertaining option for New Year's Eve, First Night Charlotte will unquestionably be a family favorite. Begun in Boston in 1976, First Night is an alcohol-free community celebration of the New Year that is now celebrated in over 200 cities internationally. A program of Charlotte Center City Partners, and presented by WBTV and the Arts & Science Council, First Night will run from 3pm until midnight right in the heart of Center City.  First Night is an occasion to celebrate ourselves, to reflect upon our cultural diversity and the beauty of our city, providing a strong vehicle to recreate the sense of community most of our cities have lost.

Admission buttons are on sale now throughout the community and cost $10. Children under 12 are free with a paying adult. For more information, visit www.firstnightcharlotte.com.

Fast Facts about FIRST NIGHT CHARLOTTE

• The mission of First Night is to foster the public's appreciation of visual and performing arts through an innovative, diverse and high quality New Year's Eve program which provides a shared cultural experience, accessible and affordable to all.
• The objectives of First Night are to unite the community through a shared cultural celebration, to deepen and broaden appreciation of visual and performing arts, and to help revitalize the urban core of a community.
• First Night will take place throughout the urban core of Charlotte, right in the heart of Center City.
• The celebration will be easily accessible with many activities just steps from the light rail line. Information about First Night Charlotte will be available at light rail stops in Center City as well.
• A family oriented festival will take place from 3 p.m. until 7 p.m.