What is the name of Boston’s free New Year’s Eve arts festival, first held in 1976?

Boston’s free New Year’s Eve arts festival, first held in 1976, is called First Night Boston.

First Night Boston was created as a public celebration focused on the arts rather than on conventional nightclub parties. Its program has included music, dance, theater, visual arts, ice sculpture, and a midnight fireworks display. Events are spread across Boston and nearby central locations, allowing residents and visitors to experience performances throughout the evening.

The festival helped inspire the First Night movement in other American cities. Many later First Night celebrations adopted the same broad idea: make New Year’s Eve a community arts event with accessible programming. The name is important because Boston’s festival is the original First Night event, not simply a generic label for any New Year’s celebration. Program details, venues, and admission arrangements have changed over time, but the festival’s core identity remains a citywide arts celebration welcoming the new year.