2009 First Night Fort Collins: New Year's Eve Family Extravaganza

Money magazine's "2006 Number One Place to Live" will surely live up to its name this year for the 14th annual First Night Fort Collins. First Night was so entitled to inspire positive thinking and looking forward into the new year, rather than "Last Night." The Fort Collins, Colorado, arts and culture extravaganza is a kid-safe, non-alcoholic family fun night. There are more than 100 artistic displays and musical performances to attend; some just for the kids, some for the adults who enjoy a variety of cultural entertainment.

Legends in the Night is the theme for the New Year's Eve celebratory bash, produced by the Downtown Business Association.

A First Night button is the $10 ticket into all of the events around Old Town Square and can be purchased from any King Soopers, the Lincoln Center Box Office, or the Ben and Jerry's in Old Town Square. Kids six years old and younger do not need to have a button, they are welcome without charge.

The festivities begin officially at 5pm on the front steps of the Fort Collins Museum with a countdown to 2010 for kids. The Countdown includes instruments, a parade, music, and confetti.

The rest of the shows and entertainment begin at 6pm, and are hosted by varying events centers in the Old Town area, including the Lincoln Center, the Masonic Event Center, Bas Bleu Theater, Library Park, Old Town Square, the Lyric Cinema Café, and the Northside Aztlan Center. Forget about trying to find a parking space; the Transfort city buses will be up and running, free of charge, for First Night participants with a button.

There are so many events being hosted that there is indeed something for everyone. Here is a categorical guide a few of the big events.

For the Circus Lover:
Reid Belstock, Unicycle & Juggling Show - Professional performer Reid Belstock has been all over the world, from cruise lines to the Barnum and Bailey Circus, and is gracing Fort Collins with his international presence for a slapstick, juggling and unicycling show ripe with physical comedy. He will perform at the Northside Aztlan Center, with shows at 6:45, 8:15 and 9:45pm.

SOAR Amazing Balancing Act - Discover the legend of the balancing hero, Sven Jorgensen, as he precariously climbs ever higher, twisting higher and higher towards the vaulted ceilings of the Opera Galleria. Shows are every 45 minutes beginning at 8:15pm with the last show at 9:45 p.m.

The circus lover will also enjoy various magic acts and Cirque du Tribal Tique, a tribal belly-dancing performance in the Lincoln Center Mini Theater.

For the Kids:
For the kids who love to be in the spotlight, the Beet Street Young Performer Academy provides a crash course in street performance-think magic tricks, juggling, and "clowning around." Kids can earn a "Beet Street Young Performer diploma" and enjoy a professional street show just for them. Academy sessions will be held at 6, 7:15, and 8:45pm at the Northside Aztlan Center.

Kids will also enjoy "Bounceland" inflatable bouncing houses, s'mores, crafts, science experiments, gypsy stories, and magical face painting at First Night.

For the Music Lover:

Music lovers out and about on New Year's Eve should put an ear out for the Northern Colorado Exquisite Brass Quintet's rendition of "Peter and the Wolf," narrated by Mr. Phil Forman. Shows are in the Northern Hotel lobby, every 45 minutes beginning at 8:15pm, with the last show at 9:45pm.

Don't miss the Choice City Singers chorale production of "Legends," with varieties of songs from Hercules to William Tell, as well as the First Night favorite, the Fort Collins Pipe Band and their Scottish bagpipe and drum music.

For the Show Seeker:
The Lyric Cinema Café, Fort Collins' go-to theater for independent films, is proudly hosting the best short-films of the TriMedia Film Festival. Enjoy an original film in one of the Lyric's two theaters, sporting comfy couches rather than theater chairs. Shows are every 45 minutes beginning at 6pm, with the last show at 9pm.

The theater buff should also drop by Bas Bleu Theater, where artistic director and stunning actress Wendy Ishii will be performing "A Viewing," an adult comedy about a woman who makes her living stealing jewelry from corpses. In brief, "Mac" is in for a ride when she finds out her grandmother has passed away and hasn't passed on the diamond ring she promised her granddaughter. Shows are every 45 minutes beginning at 6pm, with the last show at 9pm.

... and just about everyone else!
The world explorer, the lover of culture, the scientifically minded, and even those who "love Lucy" will find their aesthetic passions tantalized by the variety of performances at First Night Fort Collins. The night will be concluded at 10:30pm with an eye-candy display of fireworks in Old Town Square.

Be sure to head out to the downtown area for a kid-friendly, alcohol-free, culture-rich New Year's Eve extravaganza.