With a giant penguin and a fire breather helping with emphasis on the Market Square stage, Market Square District Association president John Craig announced this afternoon the upcoming First Night Knoxville mini-festival, the New Year's Eve bash downtown. The family-oriented event (no alcohol except in the usual bars) now in its third year starts at 3 p.m. on Dec. 31, and looks like big fun.
One surprise is Jason Ringenberg formerly of Jason and the Scorchers, the once-iconic alterna-billy Nashville band, who will be performing at the Visitors Center that evening at 10:45 as himself--and earlier, at the Tennessee Theatre, as Farmer Jason, a reportedly memorable kids' act. The much-missed Phil Pollard and his Band of Humans will be in the center ring, though, ringing in the new year on the main stage on Market Square, following opening act Aftah Party.
It sounds a shade more exotic this year. The YWCA will host a Latino night with five different performers. The Arnstein Building, under redevelopment, will host the Bazaar, a series of human spectacles, including One World Circus, Shadhavar Belly Dance, Aerial Arts, and Runaway Circus.
After bad weather and a slightly disappointing turnout last year (there were thousands, not tens of thousands) some of us wondered if they'd tighten the circle a little this year, but it looks like they're pulling out even more stops, actually expanding the thing. There's comedy in the TVA auditorium, drama in another TVA room, opera, handbells, ambient music, swing, steel drums, most of the stuff you need to celebrate the end of another strange year and the beginning of a new one.
It all leads up to the midnight ball drop, which, they should remind people, is not just another case of Knoxville imitating the big-city ways. New York's original ball drop, and the whole notion of celebrating the new year with a big outdoor party, was all the brainchild of Times publisher Adolph Ochs, who grew up in Knoxville and began his career in journalism on Market Square.
Comments » 0
Be the first to post a comment!
Share your thoughts
Comments are the sole responsibility of the person posting them. You agree not to post comments that are off topic, defamatory, obscene, abusive, threatening or an invasion of privacy. Violators may be banned. Click here for our full user agreement.