First Night Chatham is not just alive but thriving, and while it’s evolved with the eras since that 1991 start, it stands as a full-on fun, easy to navigate and inviting to all ages celebration.
Cue the cameras for a Hallmark movie, the kind centered on an event that harkens an era gone by; a time when community celebration was all about joy.
We zoom in on the annual town New Year’s Eve festivities which embrace all ages, bring together locals and invite visitors to share in the happiness. It celebrates the arts in every way. And it’s all in a spectacular setting with a quaint and walkable downtown and a beautiful coastal view.
You can experience all this without streaming. Because in Chatham, a quintessential Cape Cod town, a something-for-everyone New Year’s Eve celebration still exists. And just like any good holiday flick portrays, we’re all as welcome as a local for the day.
First Night Chatham (firstnightchatham.com/) was founded in 1991 pretty much the way a movie would script it.
In Scene One, well-known local Marie Williams has an idea: With all the New Year’s celebrations happening in big cities around the country (there are thought to have been more than 400 back in the early 90’s; today it’s less than 30), Williams walked into Puritan Clothing on the main road of town and asked the manager, aptly named Marge, if she thought it was a good idea.
Cut to their flurry of meetings: within weeks they had the backing of the police, fire, and all town officials. By February, they’d formed a full volunteer committee.
