Most major events in Centre County have been canceled since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and 2020 will end with yet another annual festival being nixed.
First Night State College, the family-friendly New Year’s Eve celebration downtown, will not take place for the first time in 25 years because of public health concerns, organizers announced on Thursday. Instead, festival staff will organize a virtual event called ‘A December to Remember,’ which will take place from late November to late December.
The decision was made after consultation with the Pennsylvania Department of Health and borough officials.
Produced by the Central Pennsylvania Festival of Arts, which also was replaced with a virtual event this year, First Night State College typically features a full day of performances, ice sculptures, children’s activities, ice skating and the 5k Resolution Run.
“Our community continues to demonstrate resilience and we share that spirit at our organization,” CPFA Board President Renata Engel said in a statement. “We understand that, in the past, First Night has represented a look toward the future and that’s why we feel the same disappointment as each of you with this year’s situation.”
The virtual A December to Remember event will feature an online artists’ market, performances, art projects and other events, which will be listed as they are scheduled at arts-festival.com.
‘Staff and volunteers already are creating events and activities that will kick off in November to spark your imagination and bring us together in spirit and online,’ Engel said. ‘We’ll draw on the creativity and collaboration that are central to our mission. And we’ll stay steadfast in our commitment to providing the memorable experiences our community looks forward to during this special time of year.”
