First Night 2000, and Beyond

By Bruce Stewart and Shawn Connally

Notes from the Edge

Can you celebrate New Year's Eve 1999/2000 without drinking yourself silly? Can you take the kids out, maybe even grandma, for a couple of hours before you drink yourself silly? Can you do either of these if you're in New Zealand, land of the shrinking drinking age and rare-but-existent 24-hour bars?

The answer to all of these questions is an emphatic First Night 2000, baby.

Billed as a New Year's celebration with a difference, First Night 2000 is a participatory shin-dig with a strong focus on the local community here in Auckland, New Zealand. With a large line-up of music and entertainment, there's bound to always be something going on. The event will feature six different stages, simultaneously performing.

12-Hour Carnival-Style Party

Auckland's 12-hour carnival-style party is part of the international New Year's Eve program started in Boston in 1976, as an alternative to traditional drunken revelry. First Night in Auckland, however, will give it a definite multicultural twist and celebrate the diversity of arts, entertainment and music that flourish here.

With many popular local bands, especially geared toward the tastes of Auckland's younger citizenry, this should be a jumping affair. The organizers don't see it necessarily as an event people will come and stay at for 12 hours, but rather a free party that people should drop in on at any point during their celebrations. It starts at 1:00 PM and wraps up at 1:00 AM.

As a family-oriented event, First Night will be an alcohol and drug-free festival. With the afternoon including many workshops and activities, such as lantern-making and henna painting, there will be things to do for all ages.

First Night will feature performances ranging from hip-hop DJs, to graffiti artist demonstrations, to dancing and music of every possible persuasion.

Start Slow

The celebration will start slowly with a relaxing vibe in the afternoon. Jazz bands and roving entertainers will compete with activities and workshops throughout Aotea Square, located in the central downtown area. There will be lots of food stalls too, so revelers can stay nourished throughout.

In the early evening, the entertainment will focus on the arts of the Pacific, especially the youth. Pasifika Grooves will highlight local hip-hop DJs, graffiti art and break-dancing. Local musicians such as King Kapisi, Ma V Elle, and Instance Movement will rock the house.

Turn It Up

As the evening progresses, so does the volume. The party picks up the pace with some of New Zealand's current and future rock stars performing on the outdoor stage in Aotea Square. Local artists like Karen Hunter, Mahinarangi, and Black Lung will take the stage as midnight approaches.

Hunter is looking forward to the diversity of this event. "It's my intention to sing really positive lyrics that are an affirmation of people's choice to live the life they want to live."

The midnight hour will be celebrated with a "Millennium Ritual," a huge drumming event and procession of dancers and fire-dancers, under the massive fireworks display that will light up the city.

After the whole ritual is over, you won't want to miss the band Fluid, who dub themselves as "smoke-free rockquest veterans who mix punk rock and serious pop."

Sounds like a good way to ring in the New Year with families of all ages. We'll have our 4-year-old son in tow, so this is one we'll definitely check out. You can still partake of the fun, even if it's not in person with us. Visit www.themagicofchristmas.co.nz for pictures from the live, online camera in Aotea Square. We'll be sure to wave.

Other Celebrations

Some other millennial festivities we're finding out about here in NZ include the Floral Countdown at Albert Park, the party at Sky City Casino, and Cream2000, the largest dance party here in Auckland.

Floral Countdown: The City Parks staff is showing its enthusiasm for the new millennium by maintaining a huge floral clock, with a countdown message spelled out in flowers that changes weekly. This is bound to be the most fragrant millennial event.

Sky City Party: At the foot of Auckland's Sky Tower is the Sky City luxury hotel and casino. For those who think the millennium could be an especially lucky time, the casino is planning a massive party of its own. With a live stage featuring comedy and music, and 20,000 balloons dropping from the ceiling at the big moment, gamblers should be in for a good time.

Cream2000: Billed as an over-18 event for "sophisticated, young professional people," Cream2000 is being put on by Lightspeed Productions, one of the largest DJ organizations here in NZ. New Zealand this month changed the drinking age from 20 to 18. Yes, you read that right, they lowered it! So, suddenly 18-year-olds are sophisticated. In November, only 20-year-olds and up were thusly described.

Cream2000 will feature international DJs Carl Craig, Dick Johnson, Ben Davis and Miles Holloway, along with a crew of NZ local spinners, so this event should get everyone on the dance floor. Based on the successful Cream parties in England, the party will be linked via satellite to other Cream gatherings around the globe. Rave on.

More Still to Come!?

Yes, believe it. There're still more events planned in Auckland, and even a couple of huge, raging parties in other locales around this island country, that we haven't even discussed. Next week we'll look at some of the more commercial parties and concerts, plus some out-of-city and maybe out-of-body events planned.

We haven't even started on the big-time dawn happenings. Being the first place to see the sun rise on the new Millennium is a responsibility that New Zealand's citizens -- from yachties to hippies -- are taking very seriously. Stay tuned for boats, ceremonial dances and 2,000 people sticking their tongues out to greet the new century.

This article is Part I in a series:

Part I: Kia Ora! (Hello!)

Part II: This Is It

Part III: First Night 2000, and Beyond

Bruce Stewart is a freelance Web writer who frequently contributes to ZDNet, Web Tools, and Web Review. Shawn Connally is head of field production for the America's Cup official Web site, americascup.org. They are happily married geeks who -- before and after a seven-month stint in New Zealand -- live in Sonoma County, Calif., and occasionally collaborate on assignments for the Web.

Related Links:

The Y2K Page

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