Saranac Lake Community Events

First Night

A Community Celebration of the New Year through the Arts

Website: http://www.firstnightsaranaclake.org/

First Night seeks 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.

First Night Performer at Pendragon Theatre. Credit: Mark Kurtz Photography

First Night Saranac Lake is a celebration. It is a fun, participatory event that brings people together through the arts in a shared celebration of the New Year. It is a celebration that marks a special moment in time, but it is also a celebration of community, the arts, spirit, creativity, diversity and shared dreams and goals.

First Night is a celebration of the New Year. It marks the passage of time from the old year to the new each December 31st. It derives its strength from the human capacity to make new beginnings. New beginnings bring hope. First Night sets in motion our hopes for the future - both as individuals and as a community.

First Night provides a platform for musicians, poets, storytellers, dancers, actors, puppeteers and visual and media artists to showcase the village’s cultural landscape. This is the time to bring the rich variety of arts to all the people in the community.

First Night Saranac Lake is part of First Night International, which oversees and provides fundraising and organizational tips to more than 130 events held in cities throughout the U.S., Canada, Great Britain and New Zealand. Nevertheless, Saranac Lake’s event is unique. Most of the First Night events are a lot bigger, but the smaller scale at Saranac Lake is part of the appeal as there are no long waiting periods between events and it is a easier to see a lot of events during the course of the evening.

Much of First Night’s performers are from the immediate area, as well as the broader North Country area, Vermont and upstate New York. This focus on local talent has helped generate a dedicated group of more than 100 area volunteers and eight First Night Saranac Lake board members. This diverse collection of organizers helps give rise to the rich assortment of performances that appeal to a variety interests.

First Night Saranac Lake utilizes many different venues throughout the historic downtown community to stage its events, making it easy to walk from venue to venue. People can be seen all evening long bustling back and forth among the various events.