First Night Monterey 2022 was supposed to be a big comeback of togetherness. The dream was to “gather families, neighbors and strangers together once again,” Executive Director Ellen Martin said, weeks before the event. But then came the first signs of another surge in Covid-19 cases, and an aggressive new variant on the horizon.
Two days before Christmas, on Dec. 23, Martin started to consider possible modifications. “Maybe I will have to close a room or two,” she says, referring to the indoor parts of the evening. Fortunately, First Night Monterey is to a large extent an outdoor event, so the majority of the attractions will definitely take place. But one band (of 24 groups that committed) has pulled out and (in a sign of the times) but Monterey Fire Department joined in, with a downtown vaccination event planned from 4-7pm.
Even now, as the Weekly goes to print, we can only talk tentatively and hope for the best. Martin has been running the show for the last 15 years, but her accumulated experience was challenged in 2020 when the event was forced to migrate online (it was still “very much a success,” she says.)
So what does this year have in store? As always, First Night takes care of the youngest members of the audience first. Kids’ Night Out starts at 3pm on the lawn in front of Colton Hall, featuring two hours of music, face painting, chalk, clowns, bubbles and storytelling. Afterward, a procession of Japanese drummers, Celtic and folk bands, a Latin Jazz Collective and more will march down a closed Alvarado Street.
The evening part of the event (Festival of the Arts, beginning at 6pm) is scheduled to take place outside and inside, in locations such as the Golden State Theatre and Monterey Conference Center. One of two final bands is a samba street dance band that brings great dancing and “high energy,” Martin says.
In spite of the challenges, Martin managed to gather 60 volunteers to run this nine-hour-long entertainment marathon, with an emphasis on safety; crew members and attendees will be asked to show proof of vaccination.
The theme this year is “New Beginnings”—though it’s not yet clear what that means for 2022.
Here’s to a festive celebration—but maybe hold off on kissing a stranger at midnight.
First Night Monterey happens on Friday, Dec. 31. $29/adults; $18/youth ages 16 and below; free/children under 5. For more visit firstnightmonterey.org