Business & Tech

Middnight on Main Promises Festival-goers a Night to Remember

More than 45 live musical and dance performances in a wide variety of influences, fireworks and countless family-friendly activities make Middletown's New Year's Eve celebration the place to be this Dec. 31.

 

It's thrilling to those of us who live and work in Middletown to know our city has enough homegrown talent, and enough of a reputation to draw larger acts from outside the area, to support a New Year’s Eve celebration to rival that of larger cities like Hartford.

For the second year in a row, family-friendly Middnight on Main is Middletown’s own First Night extravaganza along four blocks downtown, where more than 100 events, including live music, circus acts, films, break and belly dancing, artwork, roller skating, magic, science games, poetry, drumming and more.

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This year, there are more than 7,000 admission buttons, according to co-organizer Jen Alexander. This year’s celebration is expected to surpass last year’s inaugural Middnight on Main, Alexander says, in terms of size and attendance, provided the weather holds out.

Performers include several with ties to Middletown, including the city’s own Rani Arbo & Daisy Mayhem, and Bob Alexander, who will perform a show tunes sing-along, Wesleyan University alumns and singer/songwriters SteveSongs, and Dar Williams; the Grand Slambovians, Shaka and the Soulshakers, John Whelan, Sparkplug, Laura Stevenson and the Cans, and Primate Fiasco.

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There are dozens of activities for children of all ages scattered along downtown venues and storefronts and the majority of Middletown’s eateries will be open for hungry revelers. Again as last year, Food Truck Heaven will be situated in the Green Street Arts Center parking lot.

If you sign up to volunteer at the event for the 9 p.m. to midnight shift, you'll receive a free adult admission button and volunteer T-shirt. Contact (860) 301-6634 or info@middnight.org today to sign up.

And if you are on Twitter, start using the #Middnight hashtag now. On Dec. 31, Middletown Patch will be running a Cover it Live blog and all your Tweets and photos will be pulled into the stream!

At 6 p.m. a rooftop fireworks display will be set off at the corner of Washington and Main streets.  Beginning at 11:30 a.m., the front lawn of the Church of the Holy Trinity will feature a stunning Taiko drumming show and midnight ringing of the bells for New Year’s 2013.

Admission is $20 for adults, $10 for children, and free for under age 2. Buttons  may be purchased online or at downtown businesses.

Download the free Middnight on Main at the iPhone App store, Android Market and online at Middnight.org. See a full list of activities here, the schedule here and artists here. Download the map here.

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