First Night Knoxville is the New Year’s Eve celebration of the arts in downtown. The event is produced by the non-profit Market Square District Association, with proceeds to support MSDA promotional activities.
Location: Market Square and 10 more entertainment venues around downtown Knoxville
Date/Time: December 31, 2009, 3 pm to Midnight
Attendance: 10,000+
Audience: All demographic groups with average attendees 21-49 years old, and families with children. The event draws attendees from the entire East TN region, as well as KY, NC and GA.
Activities:
Free Children’s Festival from 3 pm to
6:30 pm
Over 10 venues of entertainment run
7 pm to 11 pm
First Night Admission Button ($10 in
advance, $15 day of event) provides
access to all venues
Street entertainers, amusements, and
food vendors present throughout the
evening
Early Kid’s Countdown and Fireworks
at 9 pm
Main Countdown, Ball Drop and
Fireworks at Market Square Stage at
Midnight
› First Month promotions at multiple
merchants throughout January with
First Night Admission Button
First Night® is a family friendly, alcohol-free New Year’s Eve community celebration of the arts. The celebration began in Boston in 1976 and has grown to an event that attracts hundreds of thousands of celebrants each year. Since then the event has expanded to over 100 cities in 30 states across the country, as well as internationally into Canada and New Zealand.
Knoxville held its inaugural New Year’s Eve celebration last year to great success. This year, the event expands to multiple entertainment venues throughout downtown. Our current lineup of featured acts includes musicians, storytellers, magicians, dance groups, and puppeteers.
We project that attendance will double this year to over 20,000 thanks to the success of last year’s event and a significant increase in publicity for this year’s celebration. Along with an expansion in venues we will begin selling First Night® admission buttons prior to the event. These buttons serve as admission to all entertainment venues associated with First Night® and will provide the button holders with great discounts on New Year’s Eve and through the month of January. You may purchase buttons online or at designated vendors though December 30th, 2009.
Also part of our First Night® expansion this year is the addition of a Children’s Festival in the afternoon leading up to the evening’s festivities. This festival will lead into the processional that will lead into First Night®. For the youngest children we will have an early countdown and fireworks around 9:00 pm.

For a list of entertainment, log on to www.firstnightknoxville.com.