New Year's Fest
December 31st, 2025
A Celebration of the Performing Arts
New Year's Fest
A performing arts festival
Celebrating 40 Years of New Year's Fest: A Community Tradition.
This year marks the 40th anniversary of New Year's Fest, and we're planning a memorable New Year's Eve in downtown Kalamazoo on December 31, 2025. As a cultural arts festival showcasing local, regional, and national talent, we typically feature around 24 artists. To make this milestone celebration truly special, we need your help!
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Share Your Entertainment Ideas
Tell us who should perform! We're looking to invite back your favorite past performers and discover new acts perfect for our 40th celebration. Whether it's a beloved artist from yesteryear or a new group you think would be amazing, submit your suggestions today!
Become a Valued Sponsor
As a community-driven event, we rely on financial partners to keep button prices affordable. If you appreciate New Year's Fest, please consider recommending a business for sponsorship. Your support helps us continue offering fantastic free entertainment for everyone.Finally, let us know if you'd like to join our mailing list. We're eager for your input to make this 40th anniversary truly special!​
Take the survey now:
​​Here you can find the performers from the past 10 years
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Zion Lion (2016, 2021)
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Out of Favor Boys (2019)
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Work in Progress
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Sophia McIntosh
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The Bootstrap Boys
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Selkie
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The Rebel Eves
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WMU Broncords (2015, 2017)
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Gemini Moon
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Oba the Artist
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​​And, if you'd like to get involved in the planning of the 2025 event (it will be our 40th anniversary),
please reach out to our event team at: deb@eventkalamazoo.com.
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So, what's New Year's Fest?
New Year’s Fest is an all-ages performing arts festival that takes place on New Year's Eve in Downtown Kalamazoo. The event begins at 6:00 p.m. and runs until 12 a.m. to ring in the New Year. The event features bands, comedians, magicians, ventriloquists, jugglers, and even super heroes and princesses. And, to top it off at midnight there is a ball drop and fireworks. It's indeed a celebration.
The event features about 22 performances that are repeated throughout the night for a total of 70+ shows. Performances are scheduled for 4-30 minute or 3-45 minute performances that rotate throughout the night. This allows attendees to schedule their attendance based on when they can/want to attend within their time frame. So, that means that you can come for a couple of shows, one show, or try to schedule to see up to 5 shows.
The 2025 New Year's Fest will host performances in 5 indoor performance locations, 1 heated tents, and live music from Bronson Park Stage. You need an admission button to attend the shows in the performance spaces. The admission button is $10 in advance, and $15 in Bronson Park starting at 5:00 p.m. The outdoor live stage, fireworks, and ball drop are all free. So is participating and riding the Holly Jolly Trolley (that runs from 6:00-11:00 pm).
