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New events to ring in 2023 in downtown Missoula

Missoula On Main
Posted at 2:57 PM, Dec 28, 2022
and last updated 2022-12-29 10:56:22-05

MISSOULA - Missoula will host its 29th year of celebrating arts and culture with a 12-hour New Year's Eve celebration on Saturday.

The event will feature many fan favorites as well as some new additions. Even the name is new. It’s not First Night Missoula anymore, the event is now called Missoula on Main.

“The reason for the name change is that a lot of the venues for the New Year's Eve celebrations are on Main Street between MCT, the library all the way down to the ZACC,” said Arts Missoula Executive Director Heather Adams.

“There are some activities happening off Main Street, but we wanted to focus on parking your car once and [cruising] the events all day long, from 12 noon until 12 midnight," Adams added.”

There will be 30 events happening in 12 hours and 20 of those events are free. Buttons won’t be needed anymore as people can get tickets online at https://missoulaonmain.org/.

There will be music and dancing, the symphony, a masquerade ball, and more including a street party on Main — and something new and exciting at the stroke of midnight.

"This year we have an egg drop. Think New York City Times Square ball drop but it's an egg. Our partners at the Wren — our naming sponsors — decided it would be cool to have an egg. So, for the last few months Arts Missoula has been collaborating with the UM School of Theater and Dance to create the egg. And we're working with a light artist named Brenden Hierro of Starlight Reunion to make a light show happen at midnight so you can stand in the street. It's free. There's food and beverages and get to see this light show. Countdown at 11 and countdown to midnight...[with] light show with an egg." - Arts Missoula Executive Director Heather Adams

The egg will be suspended and lowered from a 30-foot crane at the corner of Main and Pattee to usher in 2023.

People who purchase tickets between now and midnight on Friday for the ticketed events will get half off the regular price.