The Springfield Area Arts Council hosts the 32nd annual First Night Springfield – its New Year’s Eve celebration of the arts in downtown Springfield. This year’s event will be held across 12 performance spaces in 5 different venues. A press conference to announce details of this year’s event will be held in the main lobby at The Hoogland Center for the Arts on Friday, December 21st, at 10:00 A.M.
Springfield High School will be the site for free children’s performances and craft activities from 1:00 to 4:00 P.M., and Mark Gifford will perform on the Barton Theatre Organ at Springfield High School from 4:15 to 5:45P.M. Admission to the organ concert is included in the price of a First Night Springfield wristband, or $5 if purchased separately.
The rest of the family-friendly performances take place from 5:00 to 11:15 P.M. at The Hoogland Center for the Arts, The Lincoln Home Visitors Center, Kari Bedford Photography Studio, and Lincoln Library (Springfield’s Public Library). All types of music, dance, improvisational comedy, storytelling, and visual arts are planned to entertain audiences of all ages.
Returning for the second year is the All-Inclusive Performance Space, highlighting children from Hope School and other local K-12 students. It’s in the basement of the Hoogland Center for the Arts along with the All-Inclusive Art Gallery, a sampling of visual art created by students in the community.
Black Sheep Café sponsors a stage featuring innovative music at Kari Bedford Photography Studio. Admission to that venue only is $5.00 or with a First Night Springfield wristband.
Board president, Courtney Wick comments, “We are thrilled to be featuring so many local kids this year. With our All-Inclusive space and Black Sheep Café stage, we get to broaden access to the arts by encouraging participation and expression for everyone we serve. We want First Night Springfield to incorporate a variety of artistic perspectives and to celebrate all artists including those from under-represented communities.”
This year’s First Night Springfield has special significance: It is the fifteenth anniversary of the Hoogland Center for the Arts. And the event is being dedicated to Kay Feurer, a former Arts Council executive director. She is the person who brought First Night to Springfield 32 years ago; she died in late 2018.
The traditional New Year’s Eve fireworks show, sponsored by Horace Mann Insurance Company, begins at 8:00 P.M. The prime viewing area is the intersection of Fourth Street and Capitol Avenue.
More information is available at http://springfieldartsco.org/event/first-night-springfield-2019/.
Sheila Walk, interim executive director, says, “First Night Springfield is a holiday tradition for so many. It’s a perfect New Year’s Eve date as well as a great way to spend the holiday with family. It is safe, fully accessible, a great value, and there’s much variety. It is one way that the Arts Council honors the great and diverse talent in the community, and it provides a sampling of the performing and visual arts that residents and visitors can enjoy all year. It’s rather like an arts buffet.”
Wristbands are available for purchase at Bank of Springfield locations, the Hoogland Center for the Arts box office, and online at HCFTA.org.
Admission:
Adults, $18.00 in advance, $20.00 day of
Youths aged 5-18, $5.00
Under age 5, free
Poster attached: Art by Greg Walbert; Layout by Misty Hagstrom
An electronic version of the event program is available by request.
Sheila Walk
Interim Executive Director,
Springfield Area Arts Council
420 South Sixth Street Phone: 217-753-3519 E-mail: programs@springfieldartsco.org
Springfield, IL 62701 Fax: 217-753-8018 Website: www.springfieldartsco.org
Enriching the community through the arts
