What is New Year's Fest?

New Year's Fest is an all ages showcase of performing arts that takes place on New Year's Eve in downtown Kalamazoo. There are a variety of activities that take place including music, magic, juggling, street performers, and more.

 

New Year's Fest's vision is to be a premier event that introduces the greater Kalamazoo community to the performing arts by providing an array of quality, unique artists and activities.

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New Year's Fest 2023 event plan will feature primarily in-person performances with live streaming options.  We are still working on the plans for the December 31 event and the program schedule and performances are typically announced in August.   

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Event Specifics:
New Year's Fest is hosted on December 31st from 6:00 p.m. to midnight.

 

Event Brochure:

The 2023 New Year's Fest Printable Brochure, as well as the Printable Performance Grid are here, just click the links!

 

Button Sales:
Buttons will be sold for $7.00 in advanced online from December 15th until December 30th at Noon.  Buttons will be available for in-person purchase at our button locations starting after December 10. Please check the Admissions tab to view our local Button sales Locations.

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Bag Policy:

All bags are subject to search at every location. We want to ensure that everyone is safe and can enjoy themselves. 

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Stay Connected:

You can stay connected to New Year's Fest by being our friend on Facebook, Instagram or following us on Twitter.  This is the best way to find out if there are any scheduling updates or if a performance is full. Each performance will have different capacity amounts depending on their location. You can also download our 'New Year's Fest' app!

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Board Members Who Make New Year’s Fest A Reality:

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New Year’s Fest, as a 501c3 organization, is run by a Board of Directors. These community individuals give of their time and talents to make New Year’s Fest successful. The event wouldn’t be possible without them and their support.

 

Community individuals are welcome to join our team and interested individuals should contact Deb Droppers (deb@eventkalamazoo.com) to see how they can become involved in the planning of New Year’s Fest:

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Executive Board:

 

President:                          Larry Potter, Retired

Vice President:                   Dave Overton, Retired

Recording Secretary:          Steve Ellis, Spark Magazine

Treasurer:                          Brenda Keelan

 

Standing Chairs:      

Promotion:                         Steve Ellis, Spark Magazine

                                           Michael Deaton

Sponsorship Dev:                Chris Shook, Jim Gilmore Foundation

Sites & Entertainment:        Elizabeth Start, Self Employed

                                           Dave Overton, Retired

                                           Michigan Sacred Music Festival

                                           Dan Bunker, Schawk Company

                                           Sid Ellis, Kalamazoo YMCA

                                           Michael Palmer, First Congregational Church

                                           Sariah Metcalf, Graduate Student, MSU

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Site Coordinators:

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Many of the New Year’s Fest sites are partners and provide their locations free of charge as a way to support this wonderful community celebration. Coordinating the site takes a lot of planning and dedication. Special thanks to the following individuals who donate their time to coordinate the site and recruit the many many volunteers it takes to run New Year’s Fest. 

 

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