Happy New Year!

Dec 31 First Ever First Night Austin!
2:00 p.m. - 12:00 a.m. (Saturday, January 1, 2006)
Congress Avenue to Auditorium Shores
firstnightaustin.org

You won't want to miss this new exciting event being launced in Downtown Austin on Saturday, December 31, 2005. It's a special New Year's Eve Celebration of the Arts called First Night Austin. This event is unique in that it programs and commissions artists to create works "in" and "on" the fabric of the city, i.e. outdoor plazas, sidewalks, hotel ballrooms, museums, building facades, lobbies, storefront windows and more.

First Night Austin also provides a festive and exciting new way to greet the New Year without the provision or promotion of alcohol.

All outdoor events are free and open and assessible to the public. To attend the indoor events, you will need a special First Night Austin 2006 Commemorative Button. These can be purchased in advance for $8 at HEB or on the day of the event for $10.

Here's a brief run down of the events, for a more complete listing of the program, visit First Night Austin's web site for details:

• 2:00 - 5:00 Family Events and Festival
• 5:30 - 6:30 Procession (procession starts at 9th & Congress, turns west on 2nd St. and ends at City Hall)
• 7:00 Family Finale
• 7:00 - 11:00 Evening Programming
• Midnight - Grand Finale - Focused on Town Lake
  

What a terrific way to bring in the New Year. Please plan to join us downtown on New Year's Eve!

For more details go to right now to firstnightaustin.org to learn more about this fabulous community-wide event.

Dec 30 George Carlin - Cancelled
Paramount Theatre, 713 Congress
(512) 472-5470, austintheatre.org

He's tried two times before to make it to Austin - let's hope this time George gets here. This insightful, and sometimes stout funny man has always pushed the envelope with his observant, angry and sarcastic stand-up comedy routines about everyday life. Now catch his act live! Two shows, Dec. 30. Tickets purchased for the September 24th date will be honored for these two shows at 8:00 and 10:00 p.m. Purchase tickets online or call (866) 4GET-TIX.

Dec 31 New Year's Eve Cruise Ship Crime
Spaghetti Warehouse, 117 W. 4th
(512) 404-9123, capcitymystery.com

New Year's Eve can always be murder - at least it can with the Capital City Mystery Players at Spaghetti Warehouse! The Capital City Mystery Players will perform an audience interactive comedy whodunit with dinner on on New Year's Eve - 7:00 and 10:00 p.m. The show is A New Year's Eve Cruise Ship Crime, set in the luxurious restaurant on board the largest luxury ship afloat, the fabulous Titanium, under the flag of Carnivore Cruise Lines. As with all our mystery dinner shows, the audience is enlisted to solve the crimes. And the super sleuth of the evening wins a fabulous prize! The package price per couple is only $119 (including tax and gratuity) for the dinner and show. Dinner includes salad, dessert, a choice of delicious entrees, plus a bottle of wine. The early show begins at 7 p.m. and the late show starts at 10 and goes right up to midnight, with a champagne toast. The reservation number is (512) 404-9123. It's a great way to celebrate the new year.

Don't Miss the fun at the Zach Scott
Zach Scott Theatre, 1510 T00mey Rd.
(512) 476-0541, zachscott.com

Austin's favorite Rockin' Party - The Rockin' Christmas Party ends this weekend (January 1). There a still great seats available for New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, but they are going fast.

Only two weeks left for David Sedaris' "The Santaland Diaries," (ends January 8) starring Lee Eddy as the "Little Macy's Elf."

And, if these two weren't enough sheer good fun, "Sheer Madness," Austin's Hit Comedy Whodunit and the longest-running comedy in Austin's history has been held over through January 29th. You won't want to miss this hilarious "murder amoung the curlers."

For times and details on all of the performances visit zachscott.com or call (512) 476-0541 x1 to charge your tickets.

Jan 3 - 8 A Tuna Christmas!!!
The Paramount Theatre, 713 Congress
(512) 472-5470, austintheatre.org

Enjoy the hilarious sequel to the hit comedy, Greater Tuna, starring the original cast, Joe Sears and Jaston Williams. Come spend the holidays with all your old favorite citizens of Tuna, Texas and make some new friends while you're there. Sears and Williams, along with some split-second costume changes, portray all 24 citizens of Texas' third smallest town, where the Lion's Club is too liberal and Patsy Cline never dies. This time, it's 24 hours before Christmas and all comic hell is about to break loose as the delightfully eccentric characters attempt to cope with seasonal traumas such as a disaster prone little theatre production of A Christmas Carol, and a yard decorating contest that is being sabotaged by a mysterious Christmas phantom! Bring the whole family and join in the holiday fun! Go to www.gettix.net to purchase tickets or call (866) 4GET-TIX.

Dec 30-31 ASO + Five by Design's Radio Days
Palmer Events Center, Barton Springs Rd.
(512) 476-6064, austinsymphony.org

Join the Austin Symphony and ride the airwaves through the early 1940's when Five by Design takes you on a sentimental journey to a simpler time jam-packed with Big Band sounds and hot rhythms. You'll reminisce to such hits as "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy," "Chattanooga Choo-Choo," and many others. Ring in the New Year with a look back at one of the best musical decades of the 20th century. Concert time both days: 8:00 p.m.

Dec 31 New Year's Eve Balloon Drop
Austin Children's Museum, 2nd & Colorado
(512) 472-2499, austinkids.org

Celebrate New Year's Even at the Austin Children's Museum. Enjoy Balloon drops at Noon and 2:00 p.m. There will be party hats, crafts, snacks and fun exhibits. $5.50 per person, $3.50 ages 12-24 mo., 0-12 mo. are FREE, Members are FREE. Call 472-2499 to pre-pay for admission or pay at the door. (Members, please call to reserve you spot.) The cost of admission applies for a whole day of FUN!


Still On Display Downtown...

To 12/30: Eastern European Video, Arthouse at the Jones Center, arthousetexas.org
To 12/31: Ansel Adams: A Legacy, Harry Ransom Center, hrc.utexas.edu
To 12/31: The Fourth Season, f8 Fine Art Gallery, f8fineart.com
To 12/31: Collecting Latino Art, Mexic-Arte Museum, mexic-artemuseum.org
To 12/31: 5 x 7 Holiday Art Sale, Arthouse at the Jones Center, arthousetexas.org
To 12/31: Temporary Dividers, ars ipsa gallery, arsipsa.com
To 12/31: Holiday Punch, Studio 107, studio107.com
To 1/2: Jerry Uelsmann & Maggie Taylor, Oswald Gallery, oswaldgallery.com
To 1/7: Critter Art, Art on 5th, arton5th.com
To 1/13: Andrew Anderson/John Pavlicek - New Work, Spazio Interiors, spaziointeriors.com
To 1/15: Reflecting Time, Scarbrough Building, thanksgivingimage.com
To 1/15: The Art of Dr. Seuss, Austin Museum of Art, amoa.org
To 1/15: A Tom Lea Retrospective, Austin Museum of Art, amoa.org
To 1/21: Sydney Yeager, d berman gallery, dbermangallery.com
To 1/27: Japan & Nature, Austin Children's Museum, austinkids.org
To 2/06: Courtesy, Service, Protection, Texas Capitol Visitors Center,
TexasCapitolVisitorsCenter.com
To 2/7: Photography Showcase, Shoreline Grill, oswaldgallery.com

You Have a Lunch on January 31!
Four Seasons, 98 San Jacinto
(512) 469-7166, rsvp@downtownaustin.com

Mark your calendars and plan to join us for a presentation by one of the nation's most provocative urban voices, Roberta Brandes Gratz, author of "The Living City," during the Speakers Series and Luncheon on Wednesday, Jan 31. This event is co-sponsored by the Downtown Austin Alliance, the Heritage Society of Austin and Preservation Austin. RSVP by 1/27. Prices are $35 each or $35/table of six. Please plan to be with us for this fascinating presentation.

Through Jan 31 Community Cultural Planning Survey
(512) 974-7860, surveymonkey.com

The City of Austin's Cultural Arts Division of Economic Growth & Redevelopment Services
Office is studying and developing a plan for the cultural arts development of downtown Austin. Your input is needed. The group wants to talk to and hear from non-profit, for-profit, community-based arts, culture and creative organizations, business, individual artists and arts workers.

Learn more about the project and take the survey at surveymonkey.com. For questions about the project, please contact Janet Seibert, who is managing the project at (512) 974-7860 or janet.seibert@ci.austin.tx.us.

12/31 First Night Austin
Congress to Auditorium Shores
firstnightaustin.org

Several roads will be closed from noon until 1:00 a.m. for this New Year's Eve celebration:

• Guadalupe and Lavaca, between W. 3rd and Cesar Chavez
• W. Cesar Chavez, between San Antonio St. and Colorado
  
• W. 2nd St. between San Antonio and Colorado
• The Drake (S. 1st St.) Bridge

Additionally, beginning at 5:30 p.m., there will be a procession down Congress, from 9th St. to 2nd St., and west on 2nd St. to City Hall. The procession will last approximately one hour and traffic on cross streets will be diverted until it has passed.

W. 9th St., between Congress and Lavaca, will be closed from 12:30 p.m. until 5:30 p.m. to stage the procession participants.

12/31 New Year's Eve on Sixth Street

To accommodate the large crowds that are expected downtown for New
Year's Eve celebrations, several streets will be closed in the E. 6th
Street entertainment district:

E. 6th St. - between the IH-35 frontage road and Brazos Street
Sabine, Red River, Neches, Trinity, and San Jacinto - between E. 5th
St. and E. 7th St.

Barricades will be in place no later than 9:00 p.m. and will remain
in place until early on the morning of January 1.

Closures will not begin before 8 p.m. unless the Austin Police
Department determines public safety dictates otherwise.

BEST OF DOWNTOWN
KLRU TV, klru.org/Programming

Emmy-award winning DOWNTOWN celebrates Austinism - asual, cosmopolitan, techie, hippie, artistic...Words used to describe Downtown Austin are as diverse as the people, who live, work, play and develope here. Catch the "Best of DOWNTOWN as it profiles the special people, places and stories that make DOWNTOWN: As Austin As It Gets.TM

Showtimes:

Dec 29, 2005, 7:30 p.m.
Dec 30, 2005, 9:00 p.m.

Mark Your Calendars!

Jan 31 Roberta Brandes Gratz - Author of "The Living City" Speaks to Austin
Four Seasons, 98 San Jacinto
(512) 469-7166, rsvp@downtownaustin.com