Organizers for the 21st annual First Night Akron reported that the event brought approximately 13,000 revelers to Downtown Akron to enjoy New Year’s Eve in a safe, clean and family-friendly environment.
“Together we inspired, entertained and delighted our audience with a diverse group of artists and performers showcasing their craft in some of downtown’s best venues for a safe and wonderful start to 2017,” said Suzie Graham, Downtown Akron Partnership president. “Thank you to our venues, to Metro RTA for continued support with transportation between sites, to more than 200 volunteers, and to our incredible partners for the financial support that brings this event to our community. We also couldn’t do this event without the support of thousands of revelers.”
Seven downtown sites were filled with more than 40 artists and groups showcasing music, dance, theater, and interactive and visual arts.
Each year, First Night Akron conducts a survey to collect feedback from the audience to gather suggestions for planning future events. With much of last year’s input implemented for this year’s event, survey information truly is taken into consideration. The survey is available at firstnightakron.org. For every 300 respondents, a randomly chosen winner will receive a $100 gift certificate to a downtown business of his/her choice.
