First Night Danbury

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

Like the U.S. Post Office, nothing stops First Night. The fun starts tomorrow at 4pm and continues until 8pm no matter what the weather does. Everything is within walking distance, so bundle up and come on out!

We received a couple of questions about buttons.

All buttons are $5 for all ages: children, adults, and seniors. Babes in arms do not require a button.

Buttons may be purchased at CityCenter Danbury, 186 Main Street, all day and all evening during the festivities. Other button sales sites may still be selling buttons tomorrow. Please contact them directly to find out what their hours will be on New Year’s Eve.

Heads or Tails? Which will you choose? First Night’s mixed it all up, made it bigger and better, and hopes you’ll have a great time. Our Performers page has been updated with new performers and special events, and with the performance times and places for handy cross-referencing with the program grid.

The Program Grid for First Night Danbury 2009 has been published! Download it as a Word document or as a PDF file.

Program Grid 2008-2009 (MS Word, 137KB)

Program Grid 2008-2009 (PDF, 86KB)

Staff writer Eugene Driscoll reports in today’s Danbury News-Times that twenty-two animated short films will be shown between 4 and 8 p.m. at the Palace Theater on Main Street, thanks Tom Carruthers and the Connecticut Film Festival. The films are the creations of Rabbit Ears Entertainment and the Palace Digital Studios, two Norwalk-based companies that have been producing family-friendly shorts since 1985. Audience members are encouraged to wear a costume based on one of the popular Rabbit Ears characters.

Among the movies to be shown at the Palace are:

“The Velveteen Rabbit,” narrated by Meryl Streep.

“Pecos Bill,” narrated by Robin Williams.

“Thumbelina,” narrated by Kelly McGillis.

“The Elephant’s Child,” narrated by Jack Nicholson.

“Goldilocks” and “Red Riding Hood,” narrated by Meg Ryan.

“Jack and the Beanstalk,” narrated by Michael Palin.

“Puss N’ Boots,” narrated by Tracey Ullman.

“The Three Billy Goats Gruff” and “The Three Little Pigs,” narrated by Holly Hunter.

“Johnny Appleseed,” narrated by Garrison Keillor.

After the animated features, a number of short films from the Connecticut Film Festival will be screened.

Volunteers make First Night Danbury possible by serving as hosts at the venues. Volunteers receive a free button in exchange for a commitment of two hours. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer at First Night, please contact Jim Whitney at the Northwest CT Convention & Visitors Bureau.  The toll-free number is 1-888-588-7880.

All First Night Danbury 2009 buttons are $5 and will admit you to all events and performances. Please visit our Buttons page for the list of locations selling buttons, along with their addresses and phone numbers.

The venues for First Night Danbury 2009 have been announced. Please visit our Venues page for maps and directions.

The performers for First Night Danbury 2009 have been announced!

Mad Hatter Barbershop Chorus * New Hope Gospel Choir

Bob Stanhope * Jazz for Juniors

Crime and Merriment Radio Show * Marty the Magician

Kevin Briody * Marc Huberman

My Dad’s Truck * Michael Banks Jazz Trio

Celtic Cross Pipes and Drums

Please visit our Performers page for photos and more information.