First Night Boston Returns With Over 30 Events And Performances To Enjoy

Back for its 43rd annual celebration, First Night Boston is a fun, free, and family-friendly way to celebrate the new year with your city. The celebration will include hours of live entertainment, including live music, dancing, ice skating shows, an ice-skating show and a parade. With dazzling ice sculptures and two fireworks shows, it’s a super spectacle you don’t want to miss! The First Night festivities will run from 12 p.m. on Sunday, December 31, 2023 through 1:00 a.m. on Monday, January 1, 2024.

First Night Boston Schedule

This year’s Frist Night is set to be bigger and better! Below is a chronological list of all of the First Night festivities in Boston this year.

Sunday, December, 31

11:00am – 5:00pm How Do You See the World? Experience + Mapparium

First Church of Christ, Scientist – The Mother Church Extension (210 Massachusetts Ave, Boston, MA 02115, USA)

11:11am – 11:51am Sweet Harmony Performance

City Hall Plaza

12:00pm – 1:00pm Boston Saxophone Quartet

City Hall Pavilion (1 City Hall Square, Boston, MA 02203, USA)

12:00pm – 6:00pm Greenway Carousel

Rose Kennedy Greenway (191 Atlantic Ave, Boston, MA 02111)

12:00pm – 12:00am Echoes presented by Downtown Boston BID

The Steps at Downtown Crossing (1 Franklin St, Boston, MA 02110, USA)

12:10pm – 12:40pm Ava & Cam Performance

City Hall Plaza

12:15pm – 4:30pm Performances by The Greater Boston Chinese Cultural Association

City Hall (1 City Hall Square, Boston, MA 02201, USA)

1:00pm – 1:40pm Paco’s Band
Performers: Paco’s Band

1:00pm – 5:00pm Arts and Crafts Presented by Greater Boston Chinese Cultural Association

City Hall Second Floor (1 City Hall Square, Boston, MA 02201, USA)

2:00pm – 2:40pm Boston Music Project

City Hall Plaza

2:00pm – 2:40pm Improv Show

Improv Asylum (216 Hanover St, Boston, MA 02113, USA)

2:00pm – 3:30pm Organ Concert

First Church of Christ, Scientist – The Mother Church Extension (210 Massachusetts Ave, Boston, MA 02115, USA)

2:30pm – 3:30pm The Lied To’s Perform

City Hall Pavilion (1 City Hall Square, Boston, MA 02203, USA)

3:00pm – 3:40pm Tristen and Delaney Perform

City Hall Plaza

3:00pm – 3:40pm Improv Show

Improv Asylum (216 Hanover St, Boston, MA 02113, USA)

4:00pm – 4:40pm Koliba
Performers: Koliba

4:00pm – 4:40pm Improv Show

Improv Asylum (216 Hanover St, Boston, MA 02113, USA)

5:00pm – 5:45pm LIZJE Performs

City Hall Plaza

6:00pm – 7:00pm Frog Pond Skating Spectacular with performers from the Skating Club of Boston

Boston Common (139 Tremont St, Boston, MA 02111, USA)

6:00pm – 7:00pm First Night Parade

City Hall Plaza

6:30pm – 7:00pm Maddi Ryan Performs

7:00pm – 7:15pm City of Boston’s Family Fireworks Presented by The Mugar Foundation & The City of Boston

Boston Common (139 Tremont St, Boston, MA 02111, USA)

7:00pm – 8:30pm O Pipes and Pops Concert

Old South Church (645 Boylston St, Boston, MA 02116, USA)

7:20pm – 8:00pm Sons of Levin Perform

City Hall Plaza

8:10pm – 8:30pm LaQuandra Seymore Performs

City Hall Plaza

8:50pm – 9:30pm Guess Method Performs

City Hall Plaza

9:50pm – 10:10pm Nancia Performs

City Hall Plaza

10:30pm – 11:10pm Ayla Brown & Rob Bellamy Perform

City Hall Plaza

11:30pm – 12:30am First Night City Hall Countdown

11:30pm – 12:30am Sammy Adams Performs

City Hall Plaza

Monday, January 1

12:00am – 12:30am S Boston Harbor Fireworks Presented by Meet Boston

Boston Harbor (Boston Inner Harbor, Boston, MA 02128, USA)

The Historical significance of First Night Boston

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First Night Boston typically attracts over 1 million people every year. First Night Boston began in 1976, as an idea from artist and visionary Clara Wainwright to create a radically different experience than the lackluster New Year’s Eve parties her and her husband used to attend. For the very first First Night, Clara inspired dozens of artists to perform, put on a fireworks show, and focused on creating one of the world’s first family-friendly New Year’s Eve celebrations.

First Night Boston was such a hit, press in other states were writing about it, and it quickly inspired over 55 of similar events across the U.S as well and even globally in countries like New Zealand and Canada. While New York’s Times Square Ball Drop dates back to 1907, First Night is recognized as the “country’s oldest and largest New Year’s Eve arts festival”– according to their Instagram.

Featured events for this year’s First Night Boston

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Many venues around Boston will be hosting events and entertainment for New Year’s Eve, such as the Boston Public Library, Copley Place, Boston Common, and surrounding establishments. Check out the First Night schedule for more details on the times and locations of events.

First Night events are slated to occur at eight major Boston locations including the Boston Common, Boston Harbor (Long Wharf), City Hall Plaza Main StageCity , Hall Second Floor, Improv Asylum and the Rose Kennedy Greenway! Some of the night’s highlights include:

• 11:11 AM Sweet Harmony vocal performance
• 1 PM: Paco’s Band and Arts and Crafts with Greater Boston Chinese Cultural Association
• 2-4 PM: Improv shows at Improv Asylum
• 5 PM: LIZJE performs
• 6 PM: First Night Parade and Frog Pond Skating Spectacular begin
• 7 PM: Family fireworks
• Midnight: Main fireworks and Boston Harbor Fireworks