29th Annual First Night Monterey
First Night Monterey is turning 29! Save the Date and Ring in the New Year on Friday, December 31, 2021 with an unforgettable celebration in Monterey, CA. The multi-award-winning annual First Night Monterey 2022 returns as an in-person New Year’s Eve celebration on December 31, 2021 in historic downtown Monterey.
A Sneak Peek:
· Come celebrate the City of Monterey’s 250th Birthday with the Old Monterey Foundation at the Golden State Theatre with a free concert at 6:00 pm featuring a great performance by the Monterey County Pops!
· Dance to the SambaDá Finale Band also performing at the Golden State Theatre
· Enjoy the Latin Jazz Collective which will be the final band performance at the Monterey Conference Center Ballroom.
· From Hip Hop to Pop, Celtic to Bluegrass, First Night Monterey 2022 has something for everyone! More great performers and activities to be announced soon!
· First Night Monterey Buttons are now available for sale. Details below!
About First Night Monterey 2022
Featuring a special theme of “New Beginnings” (after more than a year of the Pandemic), the New Year is the most awaited festival that actually brings lots of good luck, good fortune, and a new beginning for everyone.
First Night Monterey celebrates 29 outstanding years of bringing the community together through both visual and performing arts for all ages, with lots of food options, on New Year’s Eve. This widely acclaimed event is an alcohol-free family celebration of the arts including a multicultural extravaganza is the largest New Year’s Eve event on the Central Coast and the official celebration of the City of Monterey. It is one of the largest First Night celebrations in the United States. FNM is in downtown Monterey that features lots of dining options.
First Night Monterey is a unique New Year’s Eve event with arts programming that takes place throughout Downtown Monterey, including the Monterey Conference Center. With an average of 25 sites, 26 Performing groups and bands and 65 performances, First Night Monterey has something for everyone – both locals and visitors from all over the world!
The festivities begin at 3:00 PM with Kids’ Night Out on the spacious lawn on Pacific Street in front of historic Colton Hall, featuring 2 hours of music, art and storytelling. At 5:30 pm, the Twilight Parade is a community procession down Alvarado Street and serves as the finale to the Kids’ Night Out programming. The Evening Festival of the Arts begins at 6:00 pm and ranges from pop to rock, hip-hop to jazz, and lots of interactive art activities all the way to the finale. This unique special event helps to bring in the New Year 2022 in style and fun! Built around the four pillars of First Night (Art, Celebration, Community, and New Year’s Eve), First Night Monterey is an event that brings families from all over California and beyond to enjoy an amazing event in Monterey!
About First Night Monterey Buttons
First Night Monterey tickets are actually a colorful button which holds the image of New Beginnings and First Night 2022. Designed by a CSUMB student every year, attendees use it to check in all of the indoor sites. Beginning in November, buttons can be bought online at www.firstnightmonterey.org and after the first of December at all Safeway stores in Monterey County.
This year, the button was designed by Kayla Lee. Kayla is a CSUMB senior from San Leandro, CA majoring in Communication Design with a minor in Business. She likes to go shopping, bake, draw, and spending time with her family. After graduating in Spring 2022, she hopes to work with skincare companies as their Visual/Graphic Designer and eventually become a business owner in the future.
Buy Buttons (First Night Tickets) Now and Save!! Early Bird Pricing ends December 13 at 8pm!
Buttons will be available in stores at our retail partners after Thanksgiving.
FIRST NIGHT MONTEREY ADMISSION BUTTONS GIVE YOU:
From 3pm to midnight, multiple venues with 50+ Performances
8 Interactive Art Stations
Twilight Procession
Countdown-to-Midnight Finale Performance!
9 Hours of fabulous Art, Music and New Year's fun!
Admission Buttons can be purchased online through December 28, many retail locations throughout December, and at the event. Buying a button ensures that First Night Monterey offers the best in community arts and performing acts.
Your button supports the First Night Monterey celebration and directly supports the artists fees.
Many First Night venues are indoors, and an admission button is your ticket to these performances!
FOLLOWING STATE AND CDC PROTOCOL, ATTENDEES MUST SHOW PROOF OF COVID VACCINATION OR A NEGATIVE COVID ANTIGEN TEST WITHIN 72 HOURS TO BE ADMITTED TO OUR INDOOR VENUES. PLEASE BRING YOUR COVID VACCINE CARD OR PROOF OF NEGATIVE TEST, PLUS ID, WITH YOU. WE WILL PROVIDE WRISTBANDS AT THE EVENT FOR VACCINATED/TESTED ATTENDEES. MASKS MUST BE WORN AT INDOOR VENUES.
Buttons are non-refundable and available for pickup at Will-Call on December 30 and 31. There is a nominal handling fee of $2 per order. Online sales close December 28th; buttons may be purchased after the 28th in local stores or at the event.
Children 5 and under are admitted FREE!
NOTE: Prices change at 8pm online on December 31st or at store closing
ADULT BUTTON (16 and older)
$20 Early Bird Price until December 13
$25 Advance Purchase Price Until December 30
$29 Full Price December 31 (Day of Celebration), available at Event
YOUTH BUTTON (6-15 years old)
$12 Early Bird Price until December 13
$15 Advance Purchase Until December 30
$18 Full Price December 31 (Day of Celebration), available at Event
Buttons can be purchased online and there is more information can be found here: https://www.
More About First Night Monterey
The mission of First Night Monterey is to bring families together and unite the community through the arts. First Night Monterey is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) arts organization with a commitment to excellence in presenting programs that are affordable, accessible, and alcohol-free. First Night programs broaden and deepen public appreciation of the arts, actively involve the whole family, and create a more caring community through shared experiences of our diverse cultural heritage.
First Night is a North American artistic and cultural celebration on New Year's Eve, taking place from afternoon until midnight. Some cities have all of their events during the celebration outdoors, but some cities have events that are hosted indoors by organizations in the city, such as in churches and theaters. Since it happens on New Year's Eve, First Night celebrations are actually held on the last night of the old year. First Night celebrates a community's local culture, often featuring music, dance, comedy and art.
First Night Monterey (FNM) was started by Paulette Lynch and her husband Ken Peterson in 1992, aided by a group of artists and Monterey Peninsula residents who wanted a creative alternative to the traditional New Year’s Eve revelry. Paulette came to Monterey from the Boston area, and brought the First Night model to Monterey. The event premiered with First Night Monterey 1993 on December 31, 1992 and received wide acclaim.
There are many large and small hotels in Downtown Monterey listed here https://www.oldmonterey.org/
For more information: www.firstnightmonterey.org or call 831-373-4778.