First Night Celebration in Raleigh on New Year's Eve will go on rain or shine

RALEIGH (WTVD) -- Rain or shine, First Night Raleigh will welcome 2019 with a huge New Year's Eve celebration and fireworks downtown on Dec. 31.

"We'll be out on Fayetteville Street rain or shine, nothing can stop this party!" said Cameron Laws, Marketing Director for Artsplosure, the organization putting on the celebration.

This is the 28th year for the event that is part street festival but also part indoors.

There are more than two dozen indoor venues, with everything from music to comedy theater.

"We are an art organization so we are bringing several large art installations to Fayetteville Street," Laws said.

The children's celebration runs from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the NC Museum of History NC Museum of Natural Sciences with an early bedtime friendly acorn drop at 7 p.m. before the midnight bash.

"We do an early acorn drop for our early birds, so you can go to the children's celebration with activities and programming an acorn drop and fireworks at 7 and you can be in your PJ's by midnight if that's what you want to do but of course we also have the midnight acorn drop!" Laws said.

The mainstage and acorn will be located at the corner of Davie and Fayetteville streets this year due to construction.

An $11 day pass ($15 day of) gets you access to all the indoor and outdoor venues, rides, as well as a pop-up roller rink.

"It's always a great mix of traditions and new to spice it up," Law said. "The one thing you cannot miss is the roller rink on City Plaza. It is a giant disco neon roller rink and all you need is that $11 pass to lace up skates and dance with us."

Parking is mapped out on the free First Night App and there are GoRaleigh shuttles running from NC State and Triangle Town Center.