Boston, MA – December 31: Dragon dancers from the Greater Boston Chinese Cultural Association make their way down Boylston Street during the First Night procession. (Photo by Matthew J. Lee/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
First Night Boston, New England’s largest New Year’s Eve party, returns to City Hall Plaza this year to celebrate the start of 2025.
The free event runs from 12 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024 through 12:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. Segments of the program will be carried live on NBC10 Boston, NECN and Telemundo Boston's digital platforms.
With activities and entertainment for the whole family, First Night will feature a wide range of local musicians, artists, and performers at City Hall Plaza, Boston Common, and other nearby locations. Showcasing talents from hip-hop to country, and jazz to classical, back-to-back performances will make up a full schedule, now available at www.firstnightboston.org.
In addition to the musical acts, First Night includes ice sculptures, family activities, a parade, a laser and pyrotechnic show and two separate fireworks displays. Oh, and don't forget the food!
Performances include children’s music at Boston City Hall’s Civic Pavillion, arts and crafts within City Hall, while strings, keys, and voices across all genres of musical talent will delight crowds from the event’s main stage. Outdoor performances begin at 2 p.m. and continue past the stroke of midnight.
New this year, performances at Boston Public Market and Cambridgeside Galleria will provide indoor venues for daytime programming. The 6 p.m. parade from City Hall Plaza will lead into the 7 p.m. fireworks above Boston Common, and the midnight fireworks above Boston Harbor will again set the city aglow.
Among the event’s leading sponsors are Meet Boston, Amazon, the Hyatt Regency and the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority. Interested donors can visit www.firstnightboston.org. For more on First Night Boston 2025 visit www.FirstNightBoston.org or follow on Facebook, @FirstNight on X, @firstnightboston on Instagram and follow the conversation using the hashtage #FirstNightBoston.
