Music, magic, comedy, and fireworks in Haddonfield on New Year’s Eve
Organizers of this year’s First Night celebration of the arts in Haddonfield promise a fun-filled evening of world-class entertainment for adults, families and children alike.
More than 30 performances have been scheduled from 6 p.m. to midnight on Dec. 31 at 15 indoor venues along the Kings Highway “spine” from Haddonfield Memorial High School to beyond the PATCO Hi-Speedline.
Headliners include: Tommy Cash, with a musical tribute to his brother, Johnny; the Grammy Award-winning Trammps of “Disco Inferno” fame; the Tartan Terrors with Celtic musical mayhem; the Incredible Boris, an international hypnotist/comedian; and the Spencers, winner of the prestigious International Magician of the Year award. A spectacular 15-minute fireworks display will follow the countdown to 9 p.m., “mini-midnight,” at the Town Clock.
Admission buttons for the event are just $15 and are available now. Buttons may be purchased at a dozen outlets throughout Haddonfield, including the Information Center in Kings Court. The Sunoco station on Haddon Avenue does a brisk business selling buttons to drivers while they fill up. Admission buttons purchased online will be mailed through Dec. 11 or held after that date at the Information Center.
The evening will get started, appropriately, with music and magic for the youngest revelers. KidZone, at the Middle School, will feature the Paisley Pickles, a popular local group, supported by magician Brian Richards, a perennial kid favorite. Designed to appeal to children to age 9, KidZone will swing into action at 6 p.m. and end at 8:30 p.m., giving families ample time to make their way to Kings Highway for the countdown and fireworks.
The variety of entertainment at First Night is quite extraordinary. In addition to the headliners and the KidZone entertainers, featured performers include: a classical opera singer, Cody Austin; a Sinatra tribute singer, Marty Babitz; a cello quartet; a close-harmony, Andrews Sisters-style trio, Hotsy Totsy; a female barbershop choir Jersey Sound Chorus; a John Denver-style singer-songwriter, Christopher Westfall; a popular late-night-TV comedian, Andy Pitz; Haddonfield Plays & Players with a tribute to Broadway; Haddonfield School of Music, featuring teachers and students in its studios near the speedline; and the Philadelphia Ukulele Orchestra, which is worth the price of admission all by itself.
Off the highway, the Markeim Arts Center will offer an art activity for children from 5 p.m. From 7 p.m., a musical duo will entertain visitors to “Diamonds are Forever,” an art exhibit celebrating the art center’s 60th anniversary in 2016.
Detailed information about all aspects of the event is available online at www.FirstNightHaddonfield.org. To keep current with developing First Night Haddonfield news, check Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
