New Year’s Eve marks the end of one year and the beginning of the next. It’s a time to join loved ones and friends for the biggest global celebration of the year. Cities around the world will ignite the sky with fireworks and laser shows. Hundreds, thousands, and millions will watch various objects fall in the countdown to 2025. Cool Springs Downtown District is hosting its fourth annual Night Circus: A District New Year’s Eve Spectacular on Dec. 31 from 7:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. at Festival Park.
The standard has been set and the party is going down at this year’s celebration. Festival Park will be transformed into an outdoor Night Circus, with amusements for all ages with circus performers, art displays, a kid's section with bounce houses, food trucks, a photo booth, and of course a “libation station” sponsored by Healy Wholesale.
Keeping the party going all night is ringmaster and emcee of the evening radio personality and local community KidsPeace organizer, Dominque Womack. This year’s entertainment lineup will host two of the 90’s greatest Hip-hop groups, Atlanta icons Arrested Development and Philly legends Digable Planets. Hitting the District Vibe Stage fresh off of touring with The Roots, Ashanti Bennett, Director of Special Projects for Cool Spring Downtown District, said, “90s hip-hop and R&B just seems to be one of the eras of music that has universal cross-appeal; when we look out at the crowd we see the full diversity of our community represented. While we [definitely] have ideas for shaking it up in the future, this year we are ready to give a little bit more of a good thing. We work with a couple of booking agents [that we] have developed a great relationship with over the years. I send them a short list of aspirational artists in the genre and we work our way through availability and budget to narrow that list down. We were so excited to be able to book Arrested Development and Digable Planets as they were coming off their successful 2024 tour with The Roots. We anticipate a show that folks will be talking about for some time to come!”
The District Vibe Stage lineup also includes a few local musicians, local DJs, and the Air Born Aerials. Several food trucks will be ready and available to feed the masses including Smokey's Legendary Grill, Big Erv's BBQ, Fry Papi, Carolina Diva Donut, Tropical Concession, The Carnival Cart and Popcorn-Is-Us.
For parents looking to get the little ones back in the house before midnight, there will be a special countdown for the kids.
“We want the whole family to come out to the Night Circus but we know it can be a late night for the little ones. To that end, we hold a children's countdown at 9 p.m. so that everyone can participate in the celebration. We will also have a children's area with games and a bounce house obstacle course,” Bennett said.
At midnight, Fayetteville’s 18-foot star will be lifted into the sky above the District Vibe Stage with the backdrop of illuminating fireworks, a picturesque beginning to the new year.
This year’s celebration has been a labor of love and enthusiasm for Bennett, the person behind some of the best events downtown.
“The Night Circus NYE Spectacular is one of my favorite events that I've worked on. I love to see the joy on people's faces when they come together to celebrate. When we did our first event, we were all coming out of the pandemic and it was so important to get people to gather and carouse and look to the future. So every year, when planning the Night Circus, I try to think about it in terms of joy making,” she said. “As a team, everything that we do is to amplify the spirit of the community that we love with bold vision. I like to think of the Night Circus as Downtown Fayetteville's love letter to our community, and a great example of that commitment. Our team puts a lot of heart into this event.”
“We want to thank our title sponsor, the City of Fayetteville, for bringing this event forward for our community. In addition, we would like to thank our other community sponsors: ABC11, Healy Wholesale, PWC, Metronet, Distinctly Fayetteville, The Arts Council of Fayetteville/Cumberland County, and the North Carolina Arts Council. Lastly, we couldn't pull off this kind of event without a little help from our friends,” said Bennet. “Thank you to everyone who has volunteered with us in the past. If you are interested in volunteering or learning more about the Night Circus, go to visitdowntownfayetteville.com for the volunteer link, performance schedule, and more. You can also follow Downtown Fayetteville and Cool Spring Downtown District on Facebook and Instagram to stay up-to-date on this event and others throughout the year.”

(Photo courtesy of Cool Spring District Facebook page)