First Night

Fri., Feb. 16, 2018

The first time Spokane had a community New Year’s festival, almost 20 years ago, there was only one other business open: Moreland Coffee. First Night saw 17,000 people downtown and the lines went around the block at Moreland’s.

The following year, many other businesses stayed open because they saw there was a market on New Year in the downtown. Since then, New Year’s events have grown enormously in smaller venues.

Thanks to the board members and volunteers of First Night Spokane for keeping the event alive for almost 20 years. Many many thousands of people in the region enjoyed having a non-alcoholic celebration that welcomed all ages. First Night left a great legacy.

Lois Irwin

Spokane

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