Boston First Night - Where to Buy Tickets

Hi, We are from Canada and we'll be staying in Boston for New Year. Where can we buy tickets in advance for the New Year's celebration (the general admission)? Can we do it on line? Thanks -

Susan's reply: That's terrific that you'll be coming to Boston for New Year's Eve. First Night is a wonderful celebration, with so much going on all day and all night.

Unfortunately, you can't buy the tickets on line, as what you actually get is a physical button, not a ticket, which lets you into all the indoor events for free.

But don't worry, they're sold in tons of places and you can easily get once when you're here, either before the First Night event (New Year's Eve) or ahead of time.

You can find a complete list of where the buttons are sold here: http://www.firstnight.org/retailers/

However, if you are not from Boston, it will be hard to sort out the places right in the middle of the city vs those that may be nowhere near where you're staying. So let me provide a few tips about the easiest places to find.

Since I don't know where you'll be staying in Boston, I'll assume that you'll be in the central downtown part of the city at some point. If that's your location, easy places to get the buttons include the Visitor Information Center at the edge of Boston Common (148 Tremont Street), the Bostix booths at Faneuil Hall Marketplace (Historic Downtown) and Copley Square in Back Bay (608 Boylston Street). If you're near the waterfront, you can go to the New England Aquarium. If you're near the Boston Public Garden, the Park Plaza Hotel has them. If you're staying somewhere in Fenway, the Museum of Fine Arts (Huntington Ave) has them, as does the Shaw's Supermarket on the street level at Prudential Center off Huntington Ave. Or, look for an Au Bon Pain coffee shop/bakery - they're scattered throughout the Downtown and Back Bay areas.

One more quick tip - right now (Dec. 26) the weather prediction for Dec 31st is for temperatures in the mid-40s but the temperature will drop at night and may certainly be colder during the day. However, many events take place inside, so chances are you'll be inside and outside, perhaps many times through the course of the day. So dressing in layers is a good strategy to sweltering when you're inside (or freezing when outside).

One more First Night tip for getting the most value from your buttons, as not everyone knows this: once you have the buttons, a number of cultural venues will extend the value, meaning that you'll get discounts or even free admission before and after New Year's Eve. You can find a list at http://www.firstnight.org/cultural-partner-offers/before-december-31st/
and at http://www.firstnight.org/cultural-partner-offers/after-december-31st/
Hopefully you'll have time for some of these during your visit.

Also, another good way to save on museums, cruises, tours, the aquarium, etc., is to get a Boston discount card which gives you free admission and also lets you avoid lines (which is a big deal at popular places such as the Aquarium and Museum of Science).

Have a wonderful time here in Boston, and Happy New Year!

Susan
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