First Night Tri-Cities won’t happen this year, should be back in 2016

First Night Tri-Cities won’t go on as usual this year.

The local New Year’s Eve tradition is taking a break after nearly two decades offering family fun.

But it’s expected to be back in 2016 in a new location — the Gesa Carousel of Dreams and Southridge Sports and Events Complex in Kennewick.

The carousel is planning a smaller New Year’s celebration this year. It will run 3 to 9 p.m. Dec. 31 and include kid-friendly entertainment, food and carousel rides.

“We’re looking at it as a test run. This is a great start to moving New Year’s festivities to the carousel,” said Parker Hodge, carousel executive director.

Hodge was part of the First Night Tri-Cities board for years. Earlier this year, the band of volunteers — whose ranks had dwindled — decided to seek another group to take on the event.

Staff and volunteers at the carousel were among those who submitted a proposal, and eventually won out.

But by then — around the beginning of June — the group already had lost several months of planning time.

“Had there been more time, we would have been able to pull it off. But we didn’t want to do it and not do it well. We owed it to the community, sponsors and performers to put together a high quality event,” Hodge said.

Hodge wasn’t the carousel’s director when First Night handed over the event. He worked for years at the Herald before joining the carousel this fall after the former director stepped down.

This year’s New Year’s at the Carousel will include entertainment such as a photo booth, face painting, jugglers and magicians.

Admission is $6 per person and includes all the entertainment, plus two rides on the carousel.

Concessions also will be open and additional carousel tokens can be purchased.

Hodge said this year amounts to “hitting the pause button” when it comes to First Night Tri-Cities.

The tax exempt status and business license still are in place, and the planning done before the decision to take a break won’t go to waste, he said.

“We’re maintaining everything so the ball can be picked up and run with next year,” he said.

Organizers are looking for people in the community to help with next year’s First Night Tri-Cities. If interested, go to www.facebook.com/FirstNightTriCities.

This story was originally published December 17, 2015 at 5:11 PM with the headline "First Night Tri-Cities won’t happen this year, should be back in 2016."