It doesn’t matter if you spend the last evening of the year doing crafts with kids, in a formal gown drinking champagne, partying at the bars, or on the dance floor. Everyone will be watching the ball drop at midnight, dancing in the street together.
This year’s Midnight on Main festivities include a live DJ, dancing in the street, food trucks, the ball drop, fireworks and a little surprise, said Eric Mulvihill, the city’s special projects manager.
“I think the community should come out to the NYE celebration and support the downtown businesses located along our newly rehabilitated Main Street,” Mulvihill said.
Main Street will be closed from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. between Court/West Court and Tompkins/Port Watson streets.
“This is also a great opportunity to reflect on the successes of the last year, and ring in a new year, with all its promise and fresh starts,” he said. “Any time we can reflect as a community and welcome new opportunities, we should do that.”
If you’re ringing in the new year with kids, you might want to start earlier in the day, perhaps the Noon Year’s Eve Splatter Paint Party.
Steve and Goldie Williams, owners of SPLAT! Sumthin’, started the event this year for families who wanted to experience a new year’s celebration, without keeping everyone awake until midnight.
“Splatter paint is a fun, hands-on activity for all ages,” Steve Williams said. “The Noon Year’s Eve Party is all about bringing people together, making colorful memories, and starting the new year off with positivity and creativity.”
Splatter-painting begins after a countdown to noon, and there will be free sparkling cider and snacks.
For partying late into the evening, a couple of New Year’s Eve soirees will also be downtown. Cortland Repertory Theater is hosting its annual Dancin’ Through the Decades starting at 9 p.m.
Families can dance to hit songs from the 1960s to today, while having a front row seat to Cortland’s New Year’s festivities. There will be a cash bar for beer and wine.
Kerby Thompson, producing artistic director for Cortland Repertory Theatre, said it’s also a great opportunity to take pictures in the holiday photo spots. There may even be a New Year’s Eve one, he said.
“It’s really just simple,” Thompson said. “It’s basically a warm place to be before the downtown fireworks. It’s kind of like a high school dance for adults, in a good way.”
For adults looking for a formal evening, The Vault Grand Venue on Main Street will host its first New Year’s Eve Ball. Attendees should wear formal attire, and be ready to light up a sparkler at midnight.
