First Night State College will return to downtown State College on Dec. 31 with an alcohol-free, all-day celebration of the arts featuring ice sculptures, live performances and the annual Resolution Run 5K.
The event, produced by the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts, is designed as a family-focused way to welcome the New Year with visual art, music, theater and interactive programming across downtown venues.
Outdoor ice attractions again anchor the celebration. More than 80 single-block ice sculptures will be displayed throughout downtown and Sidney Friedman Park, alongside large-scale carvings on the 100 block of South Allen Street.
Live carving will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with more than 30,000 pounds of ice shaped by the end of the day. The Giant Ice Slide will also return to Sidney Friedman Park.
“We have over 80 single-block sculptures that predominantly reside in Sidney Friedman Park, but you can also find those throughout downtown State College,” said executive director of the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Art Pamela Snyder Etters. “We try to make those as interactive as possible.”
Resolution sculptures will again appear in the State College Municipal Building lobby, Sidney Friedman Park and along South Allen Street. The installations invite reflection and participation, including a Burning Man sculpture that will be ceremonially burned at 10 p.m. in Sidney Friedman Park.
“A lot of people like to put their old habits on there and say goodbye to all the things of 2025 they want to say goodbye to,” Snyder Etters said.
Live entertainment will run throughout the day at multiple venues. Among the many acts scheduled, Cirque Celebration will feature aerial and acrobatic performances by Dance on Air of Montoursville and Allison’s Dance Company of Berwick, with shows at 12:30, 3 and 5 p.m. in The State Theatre.
Comedy duo Michael and Ethan Rosman will present Amazing Feats of Comedy at the Downtown Theatre Center at 1:30, 4:30 and 7:30 p.m.
Additional programming includes Enchanted New Year’s Eve with the State College Area High School Thespians, robotics demonstrations by Penn State Extension Centre County 4-H, kids crafts, the Grand Procession through downtown and live music at churches and theaters. Happy Valley Improv will also present multiple shows throughout the afternoon and evening.
See the full entertainment schedule on the First Night State College website.
Ice skating at Pegula Arena will not be offered this year due to the University closing the facility over the holiday break. According to Etters, skating may be offered again in some capacity down the line.
The First Night 5K Resolution Run, presented by Mount Nittany Health, will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the corner of College Avenue and Allen Street. The chip-timed course will travel through the Penn State campus, following a similar route as last year, with a slight adjustment near the finish. Walkers will start behind runners and remain on sidewalks. Prizes will be awarded to top finishers, and costumes are encouraged.
The race serves as a fundraiser for the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts and is organized with support from the Nittany Valley Running Club. Registration costs $30 through Dec. 30 and $35 on race day, with discounted rates for participants 19 and under.
Organizers expect between 10,000 and 12,000 people to visit downtown State College throughout the day. South Allen Street will remain closed on New Year’s Day to allow continued viewing of the large ice sculptures, weather permitting.
“The community loves that it’s one day that is jam-packed with things to do,” Snyder Etters said. “It’s a reasonable cost, it doesn’t end too late and it’s really geared toward families.”
Admission to indoor performances and workshops requires a 2025 First Night State College button, which costs $15. Children 12 and under are admitted free with a paying adult. Buttons are available at select downtown businesses and at event venues, granting an all access pass to most activities throughout the day.
More information is available at firstnightstatecollege.com.
