With the year coming quickly to a close, many are scrambling for last-minute gifts for the holidays… but what about New Year’s Eve plans? While many in the region shell out hundreds of dollars for tickets to loud parties in packed venues, braving roads with impaired drivers and checkpoints, the City of Falls Church offers a free night of entertainment, just a short walk from any corner of town — and with tons of activities for the whole family, there’s no need for a babysitter!
A beloved Little City tradition since 1998, the Annual Watch Night New Year’s Eve Celebration is back this year to ring in the New Year in style! The event is open to the public, free to attend, and fun for the whole family. Watch Night is a collaboration between The Little City CATCH Foundation, City government, various businesses and organizations, and citizen volunteers, created to provide a family-friendly way for the community to celebrate the New Year safely.
Watch Night began on 12/31/1998, the year of the 300th Anniversary of the city’s founding, with the activism and enthusiasm of the late Barb Cram (who passed away in June 2020) credited with bringing the event to fruition. The celebration took place for over 20 consecutive years until the pandemic shut the event down in 2020 and 2021.
Watch Night returned last year, but was moved indoors at the last minute due to rain. This year the New Year’s Eve forecast appears to be clear, with partly cloudy skies, low wind, a high of 48 degrees, and a brisk (but seasonal) low of 29 degrees.
The Little City’s wide variety of restaurants will remain open during the event, so come hungry (and thirsty), and plan on supporting these local businesses! Fire pits and fireplaces for warming will be setup along Fun Alley and the Main Stage. The fun will continue until midnight, when the famous Big Star will drop to usher in 2024.
The evening’s festivities are divided between three areas: The Falls Church Episcopal, The Falls Church Presbyterian Church, and Fun Alley (100 block of W. Broad St.) at the Main Stage. Each area provides its own lineup of live activities and entertainment.
“Watch Night Falls Church 2023 has a great mix of music and entertainment,” said Keith Thurston, President of the CATCH (City of Arts, Theater, Culture, and History) Foundation, “with favorites like the Northern Lights Dance Orchestra, new groups for us like local indie rock band Indigo Boulevard, and the DMV Skyline Band rocking the outdoor stage at midnight.”
The Falls Church Episcopal (115 E. Fairfax St.) will provide a special free guided tour of the historic church at 6:00 p.m. Don’t miss this rare opportunity to tour the place where the Declaration of Independence and Emancipation Proclamation were read to the citizens of Falls Church, and where George Washington and George Mason were active parishioners and served on the Church Vestry. A performance by indie rock group Indigo Boulevard will follow from 7:30 p.m. — 9:30 p.m.
The Falls Church Presbyterian Church (225 E. Broad St.) will begin the night at 7:00 p.m., with the Victorian Society at Falls Church setup to capture family and individual portraits in stylish Victorian attire, puppet shows by puppeteer Robert Brown, and a professional face painter. Live music will start with an interactive music performance for children and adults led by Antoinette and Rodriguez with the band 20kV at 7:00 p.m., followed by swing dancing with the Northern Lights Big Band Orchestra from 8:30 p.m. — 10:30 p.m.
The 100 block of W. Broad St. (from Washington St. to Maple Ave.) will be closed to vehicle traffic from 5:00 p.m. until 2:00 a.m. It will then begin to transform into “Fun Alley,” which will open at 7:00 p.m. packed with children’s amusements galore — including moonbounces, rock climbing walls, spinning rides, karaoke, and more!
The Main Stage of the event, set up at the N. Maple Ave. end of Fun Alley, will feature live entertainment from 7:00 p.m. — midnight, led by Master of Ceremonies Jeffrey Garofalo. The lineup will kick off with Meridian High School’s own singer/songwriter Ruby Jones playing original compositions on acoustic guitar, followed by No Better Off, and the DMV Skyline Band. The night will culminate with a countdown beginning at 11:55 p.m., when the Big Star lowers as 2024 arrives.
A piece of Falls Church history dating back to before the Civil War, the Big Star first appeared in 1852 outside the Star Tavern, which stood at the corner of Broad and Washington for decades. The star became an area landmark, and though the building was replaced by a bank in 1924 (and then George Mason Square in 1984), a historic marker placed at the intersection now commemorates it. In 1948, a big lighted star fixture was installed on top of the water tower behind the State Theatre, which remained for many years. That star was eventually rediscovered in storage, restored, and now ushers in the New Year each year during Watch Night.
Parking for Watch Night will be available along Park Ave. (follow event signage). For those taking public transportation, the East Falls Church Metrorail Station is the closest WMATA rail station, about a ten-minute walk from the festivities. WMATA Bus route 28A runs between West Falls Church and East Falls Church Metrorail Stations, providing direct access to festivities at its stop at W. Broad St. & S. Maple Ave. WMATA Bus service will operate until 2:00 a.m. Metrorail service currently shows a regular Sunday schedule with stations closing at Midnight, however in previous years they announced extended service hours closer to the holiday (as well as fare-free rides for bus and rail from 8:00 p.m. until close).
