Admission buttons for First Night are still just $15 and are required for all but babies. A family four-pack is available for $40 until Christmas.
Looking for a fun, entertaining, and affordable way to ring in the New Year? If so, Haddonfield is the place to be.
That’s the message from the organizers of First Night Haddonfield, who have assembled a star-studded line-up for the event’s 20th anniversary on Dec. 31.
Headlining the bill, for the first time ever at a First Night, are The Duprees, celebrated around the world for their unique interpretations of classic love songs. “You Belong to Me,” “Have You Heard” and others were instant hits that still bring audiences to their feet. The Duprees will present two 60-minute shows in the Presbyterian Church.
Returning by popular demand for the third year in a row, The Trammps will have the audience dancing in the aisles of the Middle School auditorium. The Grammy Award-winning icons of the ’70s “Disco Inferno” scene will present two 60-minute shows.
A Celtic vocal group has always been a standing-room-only feature of First Night. This year the four Diver sisters from County Donegal in Ireland, known worldwide as The Screaming Orphans, will blend old-school pop songs with their unique take on traditional Irish music. Get in line early for two 60-minute shows in the Middle School auditorium.
Galumpha! combines stunning acrobatics, striking visual effects, physical comedy, and inventive choreography to create a sensory feast of images ranging from the ridiculous to the sublime. Scheduled for two 45-minute shows in the High School auditorium and sponsored by Archer Law, Galumpha! will appeal to audiences of all ages.
Most First Night performances take place at a dozen venues along Kings Highway, from the High School to the Methodist Church. Just off the highway, the Comcast-sponsored KidZone (for children age 8) will occupy the all-purpose room and gymnasium at the Middle School. A block away, the Markeim Arts Center will offer Crafts for Kids in the early part of the evening against a backdrop of two exhibits — “Faces of Haddonfield” and the annual Art Educators show.
Young children might not be able to stay awake until midnight to ring in the New Year, but most will want to be on Kings Highway for First Night’s fireworks show, sponsored by Subaru. Elvis tribute artist Mark Reno will start the countdown at 8:45pm and the rockets will fly at 9 p.m. on the dot.
Admission buttons for First Night are still just $15 and are required for all but babies. A family four-pack is available for $40 until Christmas. Buttons may be purchased online, at the Information Center (2 Kings Court), and at other outlets around the town.
Full details of the 30 plus performances, 15 venues, and button outlets are online, at www.FirstNightHaddonfield.org.
