Community Tradition: Support First Night Hartford 2026!

This New Year's Eve, thousands of Hartford residents and visitors will gather in the capital city's historic Downtown for our FREE 37th Annual First Night Hartford festival featuring fireworks, live music & art, food trucks, local vendors, vintage fashion, and plenty more!

Our inclusive, all-ages arts & culture celebration aims to bring Hartford together in our public park and around downtown for joy, recreation, dancing, food, and fun. This festival is independently produced by the same team that brings you Hartford Bonanza, our newer Independence Day community celebration, and is funded by YOU--the people who live in and visit Hartford, our corporate & small business neighbors, and the private foundations who value Hartford's vibrant arts & cultural scene. (First Night Hartford and Hartford Bonanza are offered through your generous, community-centric support & our cultural ecosystem partners--these events are not organized or currently funded by the City of Hartford.)

Nearby indoor venues around Downtown will be activated with more live music & DJs, comedy, interactive art installations, dance lessons, and family-friendly art-making activities; gain entry to all indoor venues with an all-access First Night Hartford 2026 button ($5 kids; $15 adults; available for sale in late October). Donations now, during our team's planning and preparations, help us confidently expand programming, hire more artists, and offer even more options for your New Year's Eve community fun. 

Your tax-deductible donation of any amount supports our goals to offer artistic performances and other excellent programming that reflect our creative city back to itself, inspire civic joy, and create unique opportunities for togetherness and Hartford pride. 

With your help, we will raise $5,000 or more in this important First Night Hartford Fundraising Campaign as we serve our growing audiences, celebrate our ambitious, community-centric mission, and close out 2025 strong thanks to your generous, ongoing support. 

Your donation will help cover expenses paid by our 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization on behalf of the capital city community these two annual celebrations serve. Questions about our nonprofit organization and its projects? We'd love to connect! Email [email protected].