Don’t have NYE plans? LouisvilleKY has you covered

Celebrate the New Year at Lou Year’s Eve

New event showcases city’s arts & culture while providing a family-friendly option for New Year’s Eve

Louisville, KY (December 28, 2016) – The inaugural Lou Year’s Eve celebration will feature 40 performances and activities at 15 different venues and museums this Saturday, December 31st from 2:00pm-midnight. Activities will take place both inside and outside, and the event will be held rain or shine. West Main Street will be closed to traffic between 4th and 9th Streets with rolling street closures beginning at 6:00am on December 31st and ending at 6:00am on January 1st.

Programming highlights include an intimate set with Louisville native and The Voice contestant Dave Moisan, performances by the Louisville Ballet and Actors Theatre of Louisville, an ice sculptor, and a series of interactive art pieces created by local artist and muralist Braylyn Resko Stewart.

lou years eve

The family and children’s activities will be held from 2:00pm-5:00pm in five museums between 7th and 9th Streets, including a scavenger hunt, hands-on art projects, caricatures, magicians, puppet shows, balloon makers, storytelling, and more. At 5:00pm, the Louisville Lion Dance Team will lead a People’s Procession made up of everyone who wants to join in to march down West Main Street from 9th Street to 5th Street, ending at the Main Stage.

The Main Stage will be built on the street in front of the Kentucky Center for the Arts, 501 W. Main Street, and will rev up at 6:00pm with opening remarks from Mayor Greg Fischer and Councilwoman Barbara Sexton Smith. Live performances include country-rock-blues band Wildwood, followed by DJ Glenn Smith, and then a concert by “bourbon jazz” band Billy Goat Strut Revue. An adult beverage garden will open at 6:00pm, and other evening activities include improv shows, poetry readings, and performances by Small Time Napoleon and Kentucky Shakespeare. The finale of the event will include acountdown to midnight with fun surprises, and the raising of Kentucky’s largest disco ball by crane.

Local food trucks will participate and several restaurants will offer specials for event attendees. Tickets are available online for $8 in advance/$10 at the door for adults, $5 for children ages 6-12, and free admission for children 5 and under. A very limited number of VIP tickets are available for $175, and includes entrance to SCENE, the new restaurant in the Kentucky Center for the Arts which overlooks the Main Street activities, and will offer a cash bar and complimentary hors d’oeuvres prepared by Bristol Catering.

Sponsors of the 2016 Lou Year’s Eve include Old 502 Winery, Deco Paper Products, Hilliard Lyons, Commonwealth Bank & Trust, The Gheens Foundation, Axxis, Inc., Goodwood Brewing, Highland Cleaners, Tilford, Dobbins & Schmidt, PLLC, the Louisville Convention & Visitors Bureau, and Doe-Anderson, Inc.

For a detailed list of performers, the event schedule, and purchase tickets visit www.louyearseve.com. Follow @louyearseve on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.

About ACE
Lou Year’s Eve is presented by Arts and Cultural Events, Inc. (ACE), a nonprofit foundation whose mission is to produce quality events that highlight the work of Louisville’s most imaginative and celebrated artists in an effort to enrich our community and inspire greater love for the visual and performing arts. For more information, please email us at info@louyearseve.com.