The Village of Potsdam is pleased to announce First Night Potsdam, a new family-friendly New Year’s Eve celebration filled with music, activities, and fireworks.
The inaugural event will take place on Wednesday, December 31, with free and low-cost activities offered throughout the day at locations across the village, culminating in a free outdoor dance party in Ives Park beginning at 7 p.m. Attendees can warm up around fire rings, roast marshmallows, dance, and pick up free glow necklaces and commemorative First Night pins. The night’s highlight will be a fireworks display over the Raquette River at 8 p.m.
First Night Potsdam is co-sponsored by the St. Lawrence County Arts Council. The fireworks display presented by Young Explosives has been generously funded by a grant from Brookfield Renewable, N.A.
“We hope the community will join us for a magical celebration ringing in the New Year with pride,” said Mayor Alexandra Jacobs Wilke. “The Village of Potsdam is proud to host St. Lawrence County’s only New Year’s Eve fireworks display and to welcome revelers to usher in 2026 together.”
First Night Potsdam features a full slate of daytime activities designed especially for families. Highlights include a new exhibit and themed activity at the Potsdam Public Museum, children’s programming at the Potsdam Public Library, the North Country Children’s Museum’s popular “Noon” Year’s Eve Ball Drop, free open skating and stick/puck time at Pine Street Arena, and a lively early-evening matinee punk show at the Creative Spirit Arts Center, complete with free hot cocoa and cider.
Following the fireworks, attendees are encouraged to linger in Ives Park to mingle and dance or head downtown to enjoy New Year’s Eve dining and live music at local restaurants and venues through midnight and beyond.
Village officials hope First Night Potsdam will become a new annual tradition that blends community spirit, winter fun, and a shared celebration of the New Year in the heart of Potsdam. For more information visit www.villageofpotsdamny.gov.