First Night Promises Fun

It has become the biggest wing-ding in the Triangle. It's so big, in fact, that it's hard to believe that First Night started just seven years ago. Its appeal, says First Night chairwoman Esther Hall, is simple. It's a concept whose time had come.

"People, families, groups were looking for a not-boring New Year's Eve, or a non-drunk New Year's Eve," Hall said.

Of course, when you schedule an event for the last day in December, you pretty much take your chances with the weather.

But, except for the acorn drop, a good bit of First Night is inside. And, this year, there's transportation to get you from one indoor location to another.

There are a bunch of other additions this year. Expect to happen across vaudeville acts, laser vaudeville, poetry, and cool crawl-through maze as you mosey through downtown Raleigh Wednesday night.

And there is Ragu, the spaghetti-sauce-in-a-jar people. They plan to test-market a couple of new sauces at Raleigh's biggest New Year's Eve party. So, think of First Night as the world's largest spaghetti dinner that ends precisely at midnight.