From the Artist Designer
Charles L. Roberts

First Night Newport on New Year's Eve is an opportunity.   With the help of our International Franchise, it's become Rhode Island's   Destination for Celebration on New Year's Eve December 31st.  

We provide members of the community and tourists who prefer not to drink and those with small children with an event that assures them that they may come downtown on New Year's Eve and celebrate with their families and friends in a safe environment.  

It's a family friendly event from 5pm until our fireworks display at 9:15 pm. All for the price of a First Night Button.

From 10:30 until 1 am there are a number of separate special events created for adults sponsored by facilities throughout Newport and presented for the benefit of First Night.

But First Night is more than that. It is a shared cultural experience created by the entire community. Months prior to our events, art teachers, visual artists and our volunteers work with people of all ages and abilities, to create collaborative art projects that culminate in their presentation on New Year's Eve.

One of our outreach projects is an essay contest based on the children's book 'First Night' by Harriet Ziefert.   This program is designed to promote reading and writing

skills for elementary school students.

Our collaborative arts project with the photography department of the Newport Art Museum provides young photographers with an opportunity to photo document the creation of life-size puppets and masks made by children from the Boys and Girls Club for participation in our News Year's Eve parade.

Some of our local businesses open the doors of their shops and restaurants to offer special sales and discounts to patrons wearing First Night buttons from October 9th Columbus Day weekend until January 1st.

The First Night Button and the many layers of color represent the many dimension of our Festival of the Arts for 2005.