South Bay : Arts Festival Gears Up for New Year’s Eve

The FirstNIGHT festival of the arts in Hermosa Beach was such a success last year that organizers are gearing up for a New Year’s Eve celebration twice the size of the 1994 event.

FirstNIGHT originated in Boston in 1976 as a celebration of local artists. The alcohol-free event has spread to more than 100 communities nationwide, but organizers say Hermosa Beach is the only city in Los Angeles County to feature the event.

As the big day nears, sponsor Arts Hermosa, a nonprofit arts organization, is preparing to sell nearly 10,000 admittance buttons and is turning the beach city’s stores and restaurants into a series of stages where more than 20 artists are expected to perform. Shuttle buses will provide transportation to parking areas at Mira Costa High School because streets will be closed.

Buttons cost $8 if purchased in advance, $10 the night of the event.

FirstNIGHT is billed as a family event with activities for children, including a creativity center where supplies for hats, masks and costumes will be available. The festival will be concluded with a procession of giant puppets during the countdown to 1996.

“With all the negative and stressful things going on in the world this event is a great way to celebrate the New Year,” said Bill Daugherty, executive director of Arts Hermosa.

Information: (310) 318-3910. . . .