Volunteers, artists prepare for First Night Monterey

There is a lot of work for artists and volunteers of First Night Monterey, as the new year is just days away.

The celebration is in its 24th year and some who’ve volunteered since the beginning say they are just as excited as when it started.

“We knew about First Night from Boston, that’s where First Night began,” volunteer Sunny McCauley said.

First Night is a New Year’s celebration that started in 1975. Instead of going to a party, a group of young artists set up indoor and outdoor stages and performed for their community. They inspired similar events all over the country.

“When Paulette Lynch, who’s also from Boston, began First Night here, I was saying, ‘please, please, can I volunteer? I want to be a part of this’,” McCauley said.

McCauley came to her 24th volunteer meeting on Wednesday night before this year’s First Night Monterey, and she said it’s a big party every year.

“It was great for the community that’s nonalcoholic, family oriented–why not?” McCauley said.

Artists are also hard at work setting up for a celebration that usually attracts thousands.

“I’m making a cartoon board of the phases of the moon, explaining how it works,” resident artist Nina Parris said.

Musician and artist Jayson Fann built a drum out of a red wood tree trunk.

“I’m going to be having eight musicians who will be circulating on the stage, mostly percussionists from Brazil, Africa, Cuba and, you know, other places,” Fann said.

His multinational group of musicians will have a message in the new year.

“There’s been so much political and social division as a result of the elections, and some of the blatant bigotries that’s kind of going on in the country,” Fann said. “We want to move forward in 2017 in solidarity with our culturally diverse community”

This was a sentiment mirrored by others living on the Central Coast.

“The most fun about First Night for us is to see and deal with the people who come here and see how happy they are and having so much fun,” McCauley said.

Tickets are available online at $22 for adults and $15 for kids between six and 15.

Children five and under are free.