First Night® is...
A community celebration of the New Year through the arts.  First Night® Tri-Cities is a non-profit 501(c)(3) with a all volunteer Board of Directors. It is an alcohol-free, public celebration that marks the passage from the old year to the new with art, ritual and festivity.

Origins
First Night® revives the ancient traditions of marking the passage of time in a present day context. It was invented by a group of civic-minded artists in Boston as a meaningful alternative to traditional New Years Eve revelry. Offered to the city as a finale to its Bicentennial events in 1976, it was also the beginning of a new tradition that brought the neighboring communities together through a joint celebration.

Mission
First Night® seeks to foster the publics appreciation of visual and performing arts through an innovative, diverse and high quality New Years Eve program which offers the community a shared cultural experience that is accessible and affordable to all. First Night® International [http://www.firstnightintl.org/] promotes, licenses and supports the development of the First Night® concept in communities around the world.

First Night?
New Years Eve is a time for renewal and new beginnings. It is an opportunity for the community to look ahead collectively with hope and optimism and appreciate its common bonds. The name "First Night®" symbolizes this forward look, over the technically correct words, "Last Night." 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.