New Year's Eve Activities in St. Petersburg

New Year's eve in St. Petersburg, Florida means First Night. First Night is a New Year's eve celebration of the arts. The celebration has 35 venues that covers midtown and downtown St. Petersburg. Even though the venues are within walking distance of each other, this celebration is so widespread, there is a good possibility all of it won't be covered. All the venues circle beautiful Mirror Lake, which is in the heart of downtown St. Petersburg. This event can be a family affair, a couple's affair or a single's affair. It doesn't matter, this is a celebration for the entire community and visitors alike.

First Night was started in 1993 as a means to celebrate all the performing and visual art groups and individuals in the St. Petersburg community. As a result, this event has brought together people of all ages and ethnicities to celebrate the New Year through the arts. It begins at 2 pm and goes until midnight. This event is full of music, drama, games, art, entertainment, fireworks and more.

There is an on-line schedule of the activities and the time they start. This schedule can be printed, so plans can be made on which ones to see, according to their location and time. This is a wonderful outing for New Year's eve. It may involve a lot of walking, but the sights, the entertainment, the food, and the fun is worth it.

The event begins at 2:00 pm, with an opening ceremony that is performed at the Mount Zion Progressive Baptist Church. From there, it's where ever the activities lead. Below is just a sample of the entertainment and the many demonstrations that will be performed.

Mount Zion Progressive Baptist Church
955 20th Street S.
They perform the opening ceremony, but they also have gospel music, dance, mime, a band and a mass choir.

The Arts Center
719 Central Avenue
They will feature Vietnamese dancing, a musical petting zoo, animal sketching, a didgeridoo performance, happy New Year hats making, a raku firing demonstration, and the Circus Dream Smuppets.

Shuffle Board Club
559 Mirror Lake Dr. N.
There will be lawn bowling, surfing music and a performance by the Florida West Youth Ballet.