New Years Eve is one of those holidays that can be tough for families to celebrate because it’s a late night event often geared towards reveling adults, and not young children.
That’s why in the past thousands of families flocked to First Night celebrations in Dover and Wilmington offering kid-centric activities and a safe night out on the town for children and their parents. Alas, Wilmington canceled its First Night event last year, and this year Dover followed suit.
Now there’s a New Years vacuum when it comes to family-friendly events throughout the state; and the few options that do exist are filling up fast, or are outside of the state.
“There is nothing that we are doing, nothing I can find or know about for families on New Years Eve,” said Tina Betz, director of the Mayor Baker’s Office of Cultural Affairs in Wilmington. “There is a void,” she added about family events for the holiday since First Night disappeared. The celebration brought in anywhere from 5,000 to 10,000 attendees every years, she noted.
And Dover’s First Night was considered one of the best events of the season, drawing upwards of 8,000 people out annually.
“We filled a pretty big void and that’s one of the things we were proud of,” said Greg Patterson, a volunteer board member of Dover’s First Night for the past decade. “There are thousands of people who we realize will be disappointed this year. I don’t know what I’m going to do with my kids, a 10 year old and a six year old. They’re wondering what New Years will be like.”
Indeed, many residents don’t yet realize how much the First Night team did during the holidays, including the Dover fireworks display on New Years Eve. “People haven’t connected that the fireworks were part of First Night and with First Night going bye bye there aren’t going to be fireworks,” said Cindy Small, executive director of Kent County Tourism.
The loss of the First Night celebrations had to do with budget cuts and a decline of corporate funding, according to event organizers.
“This is a decision we made back in February,” Patterson recalled, about Dover’s move to cancel the event. “We met and looked at the history of our finances over the previous years and had the recognition that we were eating into the money serving as a cushion.”
Donors, who were mainly corporate, he continued, have been scaling back their giving for the event that had typically cost about $100,000. Even though the organizers scaled back their budget to $75,000 last year, they still couldn’t get enough funding to move forward.
This economic reality is not just a Delaware phenomenon.
Such events in other cities, including Leesburg, VA, Austin, TX , Escondido, CA, among others, have also cancelled or seriously scaled back their First Nights. Unfortunately, the Great Recession has taken a toll on such events and it’s unclear what the future will hold.
In Dover, the chances of a resurrection don’t look good. “There’s always the hope that it would come back, but if you think pragmatically, once you break the cycle we probably won’t see it again,” said Patterson.
Wilmington’s Betz is a little more hopeful. “Once we get our budget issues straightened out it’s definitely one of the things we want to bring back,” she explained. “Every year we look at what’s possible for the next year.”
For now, Delaware families will have to make due with New Years celebration slim pickings.
A family celebration at Dickens Parlour Theatre in Millville, including magicians for kids and champagne for parents, that could accommodate about 60 people, is already sold out, said James Diehl, media manager for Southern Delaware Tourism. “The event was sold out within a week, which speaks to the need of such events. It’s needed and wanted and someone needs to do something like that.”
Some other events in Sussex he suggested families consider include:
- Clear Space Theatre Company in Rehoboth will showcase a group of vocalists who take the stage at 9 p.m., playing show tunes. Immediately following, the audience can dance into the new year with a live swing band led by Doug Yetter and enjoy hors d'oeuvres all evening, plus dessert and a champagne toast at midnight for only $50.
- Lightship Overfalls in Lewes is holding an anchor drop at midnight at the only National Historic Landmark that does a ball drop.
- The Milton Community Foundation will host a potluck dinner from 6 to 9 p.m., at the Milton Fire Department, Station 85, at 116 Front St. The event is free, but participants should bring a favorite dish to share.
Even though Dover cancelled its First Night, a similar celebration is still scheduled to go on right over the boarder in Easton, MD. “Maybe Dover parents will pack up the family and go to Easton,” Small quipped.
Upstate, there are a few options for families.
The Brandywine Zoo will be holding a Noon Year’s Eve celebration, including crafts, games and a sparkling apple cider toast at noon, according to Jill Karlson, curator of education for the zoo.
“We’ve already had quite a bit of interest,” said Karlson, who believes the loss of First Night has created more interested in the gathering. Last year, the event brought in about 200 people but this year the numbers could top 300.
Another option for Wilmington families is a kid-friendly event at the World Cafe Live at The Queen. Peanut Butter and the Jams and folk rock band Trout Fishing in America are also counting down to noon on New Years Eve.
There’s also the option of going over the line to Pennsylvania where Longwood Gardens is hosting events designed for families, including jugglers, magicians and carolers.
In the end, it’s all about celebrating with the ones you love, and finding ways to make the most fun out of the night, said Diehl. While he’s felt for years that there should be a community event where families in Southern Delaware could come together to ring in the New Year, he believes individuals can create their own festivities. “We have a party at our house every year and we let the kids throw confetti,” he explained. “We make a mess.”