Recent Grand Center, Inc Events

A “Kaleidoscope” of activities, colors, lights, musical entertainment and performances unfolds on New Year’s Eve in Grand Center for First Night® – Saint Louis, the family-friendly, visual and performing arts festival that celebrates the coming of the New Year.

In the spirit of this year’s theme, “Kaleidoscope,” the Grand Center district will be illuminated and animated in a stunning display of colorful lights and festive light projections on the district’s buildings and structures, including the College Church, Big Brothers Big Sisters, the Metropolitan Building, Strauss Park, Third Baptist Church and several public art displays through collaborative efforts with Craft Alliance and the Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts.

The opening ceremony kicks off at 6 p.m. Wednesday, December 31, at the Main Stage, located on Washington Boulevard near Grand Boulevard. Activities and performances continue the celebration in a mix of colorful, multi-cultural sounds, images and artistic interpretations that, like fragments in a kaleidoscope, come together to create an even more beautiful whole. Grand Center’s streetscapes, parks, churches, theaters and performance centers open their doors for more than 75 indoor and outdoor presentations and activities. The “Kaleidoscope” celebration lights up the night at the Countdown Stage, located on Grand near Lindell, with a fireworks display at 9 p.m. and culminates in a Grand Finale display at midnight. The combination of beauty and energy promises to deliver the most exciting First Night yet!

The First Night experience begins on Grand Boulevard near Lindell Boulevard, where guests can walk through a 24-foot long, life-sized kaleidoscope, created especially for the evening’s festivities. Throughout the night, revelers are invited to participate in a wide range of activities, including making wishes for the New Year in a “stained glass” display, creatively identifying their places of origin on a giant world map and make-and-take crafts of all varieties for the kids (or the kid inside!).

Guests will be treated to musical and performance art with Pearl Heart on the Main Stage, world music at the Sheldon Concert Hall, graffiti artists near the SLU green space between Olive and Lindell boulevards (adjacent to the Countdown Stage) and hypnotist Bryan Imbus. Other indoor and outdoor performance acts and participatory entertainment include face painting, theater troupes, puppet shows, drumming groups, and choral, pop and international music.

Adding to this year’s grand celebration, Grand Center is collaborating with both Craft Alliance and The Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts to provide large-scale, community art installations.

In partnership with Craft Alliance and under the direction of artist Catherine Magel, a 12-foot-high mosaic rabbit sculpture is being designed and constructed with a combination of ceramic objects, glass, mirror and tile. Students from Clyde C. Miller Career Academy, Metro High School and Cardinal Ritter College Prep School are engaged with this project through three separate one-week long studio intensives as well as a field trip to the Missouri Botanical Garden to experience the current “NIKI” exhibit. The “Mosaic Rabbit” will be unveiled at First Night.

In partnership with The Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts, and under the artistic direction of Sebastian Hungerer and Rainer Kehres, an extension of The Pulitzer’s previous exhibition of outdoor light installations, The Light Project, has been commissioned by Grand Center. Eight columns that explore the various nuances of light through the use of LED lighting and translucent materials are on display at Grand Public Arts Plaza through December 31. Four area schools assisted in the construction of this project: Cole Elementary, Loyola Academy, Cardinal Ritter College Prep School and Metro High School.

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First Night® – Saint Louis admission buttons will be sold in advance starting December 1 at area Borders and Dierbergs locations for $8 for adults and $4 for children. Buttons will also be sold at the event for $10 for adults and $5 for children. Children under 5 receive free admission. Plenty of parking will be available.

First Night® – Saint Louis, produced by Grand Center Inc., continues to be made possible through the generous funding of this year’s presenting sponsor, Edward Jones, and St. Louis foundations and corporations including Ameren UE, Boeing, Commerce Bank, KSDK, Peabody Energy, Smurfit-Stone and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

HOTEL PARTNER
Hilton St. Louis at the Ballpark is the Official Hotel of First Night. The First Night New Years Eve Package starts at $154 and includes:

• Overnight Accommodations
• Complimentary transportation to and from Grand Center
• First Night buttons (ONE BUTTON PER ROOM OCCUPANT)