There will be a “strong” police presence at this weekend’s annual First Night festivities, which will be held at Boston City Hall Plaza for the first time.
A large number of officers from the Boston and MBTA police departments will be on hand to ensure residents and visitors ringing in the new year at the 49th annual event respect the family-oriented atmosphere organizers are striving for.
“This is a family-friendly event,” Police Commissioner Michael Cox said, “And we want to keep it that way. We ask you not to consume alcohol nor marijuana in public.”
An “abundance” of police officers will be stationed “in and around” the First Night activities, and there will be a “strong presence” throughout all city neighborhoods for the entirety of Sunday’s 13-hour New Year’s Eve festivities, Cox said.
Both Cox and MBTA Transit Police Chief Kenneth Green said, however, that there have been “no credible threats” received in relation to the event. The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security issued a warning earlier this month about “lone actor” threats around the holidays, due to the Israel-Hamas war.
“As always, if you see something, please say something,” Cox said at a Wednesday City Hall press conference.
First Night, Boston’s annual New Year’s Eve celebration, will be held at the newly-renovated City Hall Plaza for the first time, with free activities from noon to midnight, due to construction activity at Copley Plaza.
There will be programming inside City Hall, comedy at the Improv/Asylum, and six hours of free carousel rides on the Greenway. The event will also feature face painting, music and magic, First Night organizer Dusty Rhodes said, and sculptures that will be set up throughout Boston Harbor and City Hall Plaza.
A parade from City Hall Plaza to the Boston Common at 6 p.m. will lead up to “Family Fireworks over the Common” starting at 7 p.m. Midnight fireworks over Boston Harbor presented by Meet Boston will cap the night, the mayor’s office said.
“Please let the professionals do the fireworks shows,” said Patrick Ellis, fire marshal for the city of Boston, noting that a child who picked up an unexploded firework on Independence Day experienced a “life-altering consequence.”
Mayor Michelle Wu used her part of her time at the podium to “remind everyone that using, selling, and having fireworks is not only illegal, but dangerous, and not to consume alcohol or other substances in public spaces or prohibited private spaces.”
Rather, Ellis said, “Enjoy the night, enjoy the show.”
He added that the fire department will also be inspecting all bars, nightclubs and other places that host New Year’s Eve parties to ensure that overcrowding is not an issue, and that exits are not blocked at those venues.
Boston EMS will be deploying additional personnel at dispatch operations and in ambulances across the city to support emergency medical needs, Wu’s office said.
The mayor encouraged those taking part in First Night activities to take public transit, as traffic and parking will be impacted in the downtown area. All modes of MBTA transportation, including the subway and commuter rail, will be free after 8 p.m. on Sunday, Transit Police Chief Green added.
Subway service will be operating on a Sunday schedule, but service will be increased after 3 p.m. to “accommodate the expected large volume of ridership,” Green said.
“First Night is a beloved tradition in Boston and beyond, having created delightful experiences for neighborhood residents and visitors from around the world,” Wu said in a later statement. “Our newly-renovated City Hall Plaza is the perfect venue to welcome families from all over to ring in the new year.”