About First Night® Martinez

Discover First Night® Martinez

Created in Boston in 1976, First Night is now celebrated in about 150 cities throughout the United States and Canada. First Night brings together families and people of all ages to experience the widest possible variety of performing arts in an alcohol-free setting.
First Night is a community celebration of the New Year through the arts. It is a major visual and performing arts festival created by and for the community to welcome the New Year. It is a public celebration that revives the ancient tradition of marking the passage of time with art, ritual and festivity in a present day context.

First Night's mission is to broaden and deepen the public's appreciation of the visual and performing arts through an innovative, diverse and high quality New Year's Eve program which offers the community a shared cultural experience that is accessible and affordable to all.

A new year is about new beginnings. It is a time to discard the old, to forget the problems of the past, and to look ahead with hope and optimism. The name "First Night" symbolizes this forward look, over the technically correct words "Last Night."
Finally, people tend to remember words that are in odd or illogical combinations. Therefore, the words First Night, associated with positive feelings and memorable experiences, are unforgettable.

Each First Night® Celebration is identified by the date of the new year the event welcomes, e.g. First Night 1977, the first event in Boston. All cities that have a First Night Celebration observe this guideline.

In 1998, the long and hard efforts of many community members to create a First Night celebration for Contra Costa County came to fruition with First Night® Martinez '99 -- the start of a New Year's Eve Tradition in Historic Downtown Martinez.

Now, we are pleased to bring you First Night® Martinez 2008! Come join us to ring in the new year in downtown Martinez.

We Want Your Input and Ideas!
We value the ideas of the local community and we're always open to suggestion for entertainers and programming that will make each year's event the best New Years Celebration in Contra Costa County!

Please call us at (925) 372-8295, or email us at firstnightmartinez@yahoo.com with any ideas or comments!

For a performer's application click here!