First Look: First Night Austin 2007

After the tremendous success of last year's inaugural festival, First Night Austin returns to downtown this New Year's Eve with an all-day program full of music, art, theatre, dance, and more.

Begun in Boston back in 1976 as a massive public gathering to ring in the new year through "art, ritual, and festivity," First Night events are now held all over the world, from England to New Zealand. Austin and Wichita Falls are currently the only participating cities in Texas.

Unlike last year, all indoor and outdoor activities at this year's First Night Austin are free. “We wanted to make First Night Austin 2007 a true gift to the entire community by making it totally free to the public. We wanted the whole community to be able to participate in and enjoy First Night Austin’s celebration of art, ritual and festivity,” said First Night Austin 2007 president Jeff Trigger.

In keeping with the First Night tradition, however, the entire festival is alcohol-free -- it's a "family-friendly" event, after all.

Out of over 200 project proposals, First Night Austin organizers selected 60 artists and artists group that best represented the program vision of creating works integrated with the "fabric" of the city. Outdoor plazas, sidewalks, balconies, building facades, indoor lobbies, and storefront windows are all fair game when it comes to designing a proper First Night visual or performing art piece. Some of the finalists chosen include the sampling below:

Dance: Blue Lapis Dance – “Angels in Our Midst”

Choreographed by Sally Jacques, the exhilarating dancers of Blue Lapis Light team up with building climbers from Central Texas Mountaineers and take to the Radisson Hotel facade, performing a site-specific aerial dance work "centered on the human journey." While dressed in ballgowns and tuxedos.

Music/Art: Austin Fuzion

AT&T and the Alamo Drafthouse Rolling Roadshow take over First Street Bridge to offer everything from Bollywood performances and pedicab martial arts to breakdancers and live graffiti art

Performance: Cardboard Ice Cream Truck Puppet Theater

A "rolling ice cream truck puppet theater," replete with muppets that "play music, dance and handout balloons and popsicles."

Film: Luke Savisky “The I of Texas”

A film "happening," where voluntary Austin citizens will be recorded in a special kiosk and have their images projected onto the water tower at Second Street, alongside a live montage mixed by the artist.

Literature + Spoken Word: Austin Poetry Slam – “First Night Slams!”

A high-energy melding of poetry, theatre, stand-up comedy, hip hop, and maximum entertainment from Austin Poetry Slam and Southflavas. From the side-splitting hilarious to the best in confessional narrative, this showcase offers a taste of what Austin can expect as host city for the 2007 National Poetry Slam.

Visual Art: The Robot Group – “RoboSpinArt”

Create your own artwork using interactive robotic technology provided by Spansion as well as rockin’ music, bright lights, joysticks, and speed control.

Schedule

• 2-5pm Family Festival
• 5:30-6:30pm Grand Procession from Ninth Street and Congress Avenue to City Hall
• 7pm Family Finale at City Hall
• 7-11:30pm Evening programming
• Midnight Grand Finale, pyrotechnics over Town Lake

We'll be providing more comprehensive coverage in the next two weeks, but in the meantime, avail yourself of these downloads:

Program

Map

Timeline

[mp3] Audio Introduction to First Night Austin

First Night Austin
Sunday, December 31st
2pm-Midnight
Downtown Austin

Austinist is an official media sponsor of First Night Austin 2007.