You might need your rain gear, but join us downtown for the 5th annual New Year's Eve Block Party beginning at 5:30pm Saturday! The event is sponsored by Riverside Automotive Group & will be held at the intersection of Craven & Pollock streets. This is a rain or shine event.

While the weather may affect some event amenities, we still plan to celebrate. The New Year’s Eve Block Party will include family-friendly activities, a variety of food trucks, & of course, the bear drop. Again this year, Parks & Recreation will host two bear drops: a bear cub drop at 9pm for kids (along the 300 block of Craven Street), and the City Hall bear drop at midnight. For adults, a beer garden will be set up in the 300 block of Pollock Street hosted by the Craven Arts Council.  The band “Crush” will take the stage for a concert beginning at 8:45pm & play for approximately 3 hours.

While the weather holds, Union Point Park will be lit up with holiday displays and the ice skating rink will be open Saturday from 10am-2pm and 4pm-8pm. Skate sessions cost $5 and last approximately 45-minutes. The $5 fee includes skate rental, although guests are welcome to bring their own ice skates (no roller skates, rollerblades, or skateboards are allowed).