Ice Sculptures, Entertainment and More: First Night State College to Ring in New Year

First Night State College returns on Sunday to bid farewell to 2023 and usher in 2024 with a family-friendly celebration throughout the day and night.

A New Year’s Eve tradition in State College since 1994, First Night, a production of the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts, kicks off on Sunday morning and features music, variety and comedy performances, ice sculptures, workshops and much more.

Here’s what’s in store for the alcohol-free community celebration.

FIRST NIGHT BUTTONS

First Night buttons help cover some of the costs of the festival and are required for entry to workshops and indoor performances. Buttons are $10 and children 12 and under do not require one if accompanied by an adult with a button. They can be purchased at locations around State College (see the list here) or at performance and information sites on Dec. 31.

ICE SCULPTURES

Ice carvers will create an array of sculptures out of more than 30,000 pounds of ice between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Sunday and they will be on display until 6 p.m. on Monday (unless Mother Nature disposes of them first). Large sculptures will be on the 100 block of South Allen Street while the always popular ice slide will be located in Sidney Friedman Park on the 200 block of South Fraser Street.

More than 80 smaller sculptures will be in front of sponsoring downtown businesses, at Mayor Welch Plaza in front of the State College Municipal Building, 243 S. Allen St., and in Friedman Park.

KIDS WINTER CRAFT MARKET

New this year, the Kids Winter Craft Market will be held from 2 to 5 p.m. in the social hall of State College Presbyterian Church, 132 W. Beaver Ave. Featuring participants from the Arts Festival’s Children & Youth Sidewalk Sale in July, will showcase local youth and their original art and wares.

REINDEER

Spruce Run Farm in Bloomsburg will be visiting Sidney Friedman Park with two reindeer from 4 to 8 p.m.

GRAND PROCESSION

The First Night Grand Procession is open to all and steps off at 6:30 p.m. from St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, 208 W. Foster Ave. Local drummers are invited to bring their own drums or use one of the African drums provided by First Night. People of all ages can be part of the procession, carrying one of the various giant papier-mâché puppets.

Anyone who wishes to participate should meet at the St. Andrew’s Education Building no later than 6 p.m. The procession will travel through Sidney Friedman Park to South Allen Street to College Avenue to Fraser Street and concludes at the Martin Luther King Jr. Plaza.

5K RESOLUTION RUN

The 5K Resolution Run, held in partnership with Nittany Valley Running Club, starts at 6:30 p.m. at the corner of College Avenue and South Allen Street and follows. route through the Penn State campus, with a few new twists and turns this year. Runners and fast walkers, as well as spectators, are encouraged to wear costumes. Chip timing is provided by Runners High.

Runners can register online and in person on Saturday from 2-4 p.m. at the State College Municipal Building or 4-6 p.m. on Sunday at the St. Paul’s United Methodist Church basketball court, 250 E. College Ave., where bag storage will also be available. Registration is $28, or $18 for runners age 19 and younger.

CARRIAGE RIDES

A carriage drawn by Percheron draft horses will be available for rides from 7 to 10 p.m. through downtown State College starting from Mayor Welch Plaza at the State College Municipal Building. Rides — which require a First Night button and $5 fee — are in high demand, and not all can be accommodated. 

PERFORMANCES

A wide array of performers will take to indoor and outdoor stages throughout the day.

Musical acts at First Night come from a variety of genres including brass, bluegrass, jazz, rock, folk, blues, Celtic, country, calypso, children’s music and more with a wide range of local and regional performers. See the full schedule here.

Adam Swartz Puppets will go around the world with five different folktale versions of a familiar story in a variety of puppetry styles at 12:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. in the Municipal Building. State High Thespians will feature princes, princesses and special guests with a musical theater performance at 1:30 p.m., also in the Municipal Building. 

Shannon Bishop’s Black Cat Belly Dance performs at 3:30 p.m. at University Baptist & Brethren, 411 S. Burrowes St.

Happy Valley Improv will perform at 2, 4:30, 8:30, and 10:30 p.m. at the Blue Brick Theatre, 209 W. Calder Way.

Tempest Productions will present “The Great American Broadcast,” a recreation of a vintage 1950s radio broadcast featuring comedy, drama, suspense and music at 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. at Tempest Studios, 140 Kelly Alley

First Night will present a few variety acts this year.

Dextre Tripp & Circus Stella Acrobats will perform at 1:30 and 3:30 p.m. at The State Theatre, 130 W. College Ave. Tripp and his rescued canine companions perform amusing circus stunts including ladder balancing, juggling, ropewalking, unicycles and tricks for treats in a funny and light-hearted show.

Comedy magician and hypnotist Peter Gross performs at 2:30, 7 and 9 p.m. in the Municipal Building. The first two shows will feature mentalism, with stunts, mind-reading and more. The late show will showcase his hypnosis skills in a family-friendly comedic performance.

You can also team up with family and friends to test your knowledge and win prizes at Trivia Night, hosted by John Briggs and Karen Bettleyon at 7 p.m. inside 3 Dots Downtown, 137 E. Beaver Ave.

WORKSHOPS

First Night includes several workshops for kids and adults to get creative. From 11 a.m to 9 p.m. make a resolution mug at 2000 Degrees ($7 plus a First Night button; last seating at 8 p.m.).

3 Dots Downtown will host Black Cat Belly Dance’s Shannon Bishop for an introduction to improvisational style belly dance at noon.

The Allegheny Ukulele Kollective will welcome players of all abilities and ages, even those with no experience, for a ukulele jam at 4 p.m. in State College Presbyterian Church’s Westminster Hall.

Adam Swartz Puppets will present a small puppet building workshop at 7:30 p.m., also in State College Presbyterian Church’s Westminster Hall.

RESOLUTION SCULPTURES

Inside the Municipal Building, visitors can pin their resolutions to the First Night Phoenix, one of the celebrations popular Resolution Sculptures to help make a fresh start in the new year.

Burning Man, which collects wishes, regrets and unkept resolutions, at the State College Municipal Building Lobby from noon to 9:45 p.m. and is then ignited in Sidney Friedman Park at 10 p.m.

Others include the Remembrance Tree in the Municipal Building; First Bells, a sound sculpture installation in Sidney Friedman Park; fire sculptures from 5-10 p.m. in Sidney Friedman Park; Edison’s Clothesline along South Allen Street; the Bucket List at the Blue Brick Theatre; the Resolution Yeti on South Allen Street.

The Quest for the Resolution Chest, meanwhile, is a self-guided journey that starts at the hiking boot ice sculpture in Sidney Friedman Park and sends participants on a 15-20 minute journey following clues to the Resolution Chest.