As the year draws to a close, Airdronians will have plenty of opportunities to mark the end of 2018 and the beginning of 2019 in style. The night’s festivities will kickoff at 6:30 p.m. when the City’s fireworks display lights up the night sky. According to airdrieparades.com, the fireworks will take place at Ed Eggerer Athletic Park, located behind Genesis Place Recreation Centre. Attendees are encouraged to dress warmly for the outdoor display, and to carpool as parking is limited. After the fireworks, Festival of Lights co-ordinator Michelle Pirzek said families are invited to head to Nose Creek Park for hours of music and family-friendly fun. “We’ve always had events on New Year’s Eve, and for as long as I know, it’s been a DJ dance party,” she said. The dance party will run from 7 to 9 p.m., when the light display turns off for the night. According to Pirzek, the Festival of Lights train will be on hand for rides around the park, the concession will be serving hot beverages and fire pits around Nose Creek Park will be roaring – visitors are welcome to bring their own roasting sticks and marshmallows. Pirzek added attendees are also encouraged to bring a monetary donation, to ensure the festival remains free to local families in the future. Adults looking for an affordable party can purchase a $10 ticket to an event at Bambino’s Neighbourhood Pub, running from 7 p.m. to 2 a.m. “We didn’t want to go with a big ticket price and have people have to decide whether to buy a ticket or go out, so we tried to meet in the middle and still offer a bunch of fun stuff,” said General Manager Jori Endberg. Bambino’s party – which has capacity for around 80 people – will feature music from Airdrie cover band All Day Sugar starting at 9 p.m., along with appetizers served at 10:30 p.m. and free champagne at midnight. Bassist Chris Simnett said All Day Sugar will play three one-hour sets to ring in the New Year, and the band plans to donate one food item to the Airdrie Food Bank for every ticket sold – with Bambino’s providing matching donations. Endberg said tickets to the party can be purchased at the pub. Alternatively, residents aged 18 and older can celebrate the new year and benefit a local organization by purchasing a ticket to Airdrie P.O.W.E.R.’s Mardi-Gras-themed gala at the Town and Country Centre. Crystal Boys, founder of Airdrie P.O.W.E.R, said funds from the gala will be used for security upgrades and renovations for a new day shelter the organization will open in early 2019. According to Boys, Airdrie P.O.W.E.R. aims to raise $20,000 through the gala, but needs full attendance to make that a reality. Doors for the event – now in its third year – open at 7 p.m., with a dinner served at 8 p.m. followed by dancing and local entertainment for the rest of the night. Boys said the gala will also feature a silent auction, door-prize giveaways and a free glass of champagne at midnight. “Overall, it’s just a really fun New Year’s Eve event where you can get dressed up, come out, enjoy a good dinner and have some great entertainment and dance the night away,” she said. Tickets cost $100 per person, or $650 for table of eight, and can be purchased by emailing [email protected]. Capacity for the gala is limited to 250 people. Regardless of where you ring in the New Year, Airdrie RCMP hopes to remind all residents to celebrate responsibly. "We want people to enjoy their holiday and their Christmas season; we also want them to be safe, as part of that," Cst. Jarom Leafloor said. "Our responsibility is to investigate and deter impaired driving, and we'll be out there using our tools to do that this holiday season."
