While other New Year's Eve First Night stages around New Jersey and the U.S. have long since disappeared, the townwide, family-friendly celebration continues to draw a crowd in Morristown.
This year, First Night Morris 2026 will serve as the launching point for the coming year's commemoration of the nation's 250th anniversary, highlighting how the American Revolution wound its way through Morristown and the surrounding region, which hosted George Washington's Army during two hard winters during the War for Independence.
“As we begin celebrating the semiquincentennial, Morris County is ringing in the new year with an expanded First Night event that highlights our county’s pivotal role in securing America’s independence,” said Stephen Shaw, the Morris County Board of Commissioners' deputy director. “These unique programs highlight the people, places and stories that shaped our county and, in turn, the nation.”
Like every year since 1992, the 34th annual First Night in Morristown will also feature a variety of alcohol-free entertainment options — more than 80 in all — at venues around town, beginning on Dec. 31 at 4:30 p.m. The schedule ranges from live music, comedy and dance to films, art galleries, lectures and more.
As always, there'll be a fireworks show at midnight on the Morristown Green to ring in the New Year.
But this year, with America marking the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, organizers are also ramping up the historical programming. The goal is to "connect residents and visitors to Morris County’s central role in the American story, from the Revolution through the early 19th century and beyond."
Those programs include “Heroines of History: Women Illuminating Morristown," which will take place at the historic Dr. Lewis Condict House, also home to the Women's Club of Morristown. Described as an interactive, family-friendly event, the program will feature short, guided mini-tours and costumed interpreters portraying women who helped shape the community’s civic and cultural life following the American Revolution.
Another historic highlight will be available at Morristown High School. Presented by the Morris County Historical Society and Heritage Commission, the “Pathways of History Community Showcase,” is an interactive exhibit that introduces visitors to the "Pathways of History" tour, which open dozens of historic sites to the public each spring and fall.
“These are the treasures that tell the incredible story of Morris County and its people for nearly 300 years,” said Amy Curry, executive director of the Morris County Historical Society. “We hope attendees gain an appreciation and awareness for the more than three dozen town-based history organizations found throughout Morris County and the rich resources they hold."
Craig Schlosser, First Night board co-chair and president, said the organizing committee has been "talking for years" about the semiquincentennial and is excited to see it finally arrive.
"It's a really big deal," Schlosser said. "And as we get further and further into it, I think everybody will realize what a really big deal it is."
To that end, Schlosser and Curry pooled their resources to come up with programming that would emphasize the local significance of the 250th anniversary, and the history leading up to this point.
"Historical groups are very good at programming, but promotion is not their strong suit," Schlosser said. "We felt we could use First Night's marketing resources to do some really cool things, leverage our resources, align it with their capabilities and bring it to the public."
The result, he said, is a First Night featuring more than a dozen historical attractions added to the usual fare, including film presentations and children's activities.
"Everything is interactive," Schlosser said.
Adding the historic programming is in tune with the evolving nature of Morristown's New Year's Eve party, which Schlosser sees as the key to its survival while other First Nights have faded away. The original First Night in Boston is still a big deal in that historic town. But its website makes no mention of any other First Night celebrations in the United States.
"The historic programming allows us to offer something new," Schlosser said. "We always try to bring in new acts and keep things varied. Some of the other venues, I think, tended to book the same stuff every year."
Reading programs, emerging artist features and other, year-round community-engagement efforts keep both residents and sponsors engaged with the First Night organization throughout the year, Schlosser said.
Those sponsorships, including in-kind donors, help the organization operate with an annual budget of between $200,000 and $300,000, Schlosser said. "A lot of people donate services, so it's hard to estimate the full amount. Our partnerships are from the federal government down to the most local organizations you can imagine, both public and private."
If you go to First Night Morris ...
Admission buttons to gain entry to the venues cost $30 per person, or $95 for a four-pack. Children ages 4 and younger are free of charge. Buttons can be purchased at FirstNightMorris.org or through the Mayo Performing Arts Center box office at (973) 539-8008.
First Night concept grew fast, then faded
Starting in Boston in 1976, "First Night" events changed the landscape of New Year's Eve festivities. Instead of rowdy, boozy parties, Bostonians threw a family-friendly event without alcohol but with dozens of downtown entertainment options, inside and outdoors, leading to midnight fireworks.
The concept quickly spread to more than 250 locations around the U.S., including more than 30 in New Jersey.
Yet over the past two decades, First Nights have fizzled, their popularity waning. By 2019, fewer than 50 towns around the U.S. were hosting the events — even before the COVID pandemic made crowded winter gatherings a tougher sell.
But in Morristown, First Night continues to thrive, even after COVID forced a switch to a "virtual" First Night in 2020 and a limited-access celebration the next year. By 2023, the event was back to drawing its target of 5,000 to 7,000 paying customers.
Turnout "depends on the weather," Schlosser said.
One change this year is the elimination of a second fireworks show at 9:15 p.m., which the organizers felt was interfering with programming.
Free shuttle buses will be available during the event, which begins at 430 p.m. A full list of performances, venues and other details can be found on the First Night website.
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