Here's how Boston is preparing for a safe — and easily accessible — First Night

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, Police Commissioner Michael Cox, and other officials laid out safety plans Wednesday for upcoming New Year’s Eve celebrations in Boston. 

For the first time, First Night celebrations will be hosted on City Hall Plaza, which is newly refurbished. There will be more than 13 hours of activities, including two fireworks displays, making for an exciting night for revelers and a complicated night for public safety officials. A full schedule of events can be found online. 

Police presence

Extra police officers will be working throughout the city. 

“We will have officers in abundance in and around the activities for First Night, for both the day and evening,” Cox said. 

He reminded the public that First Night celebrations are meant to be family-friendly, and that consuming alcohol or marijuana in public will not be tolerated. 

Cox encouraged everyone to be vigilant on New Year’s Eve, whether they are participating in First Night events downtown or celebrating in other areas. Anyone who sees large parties getting out of control should dial 911, he said. 

“It takes all of us to make sure that we’re safe, but we need to know about it,” Cox said. 

He also warned that drones should not be flown over the city on New Year’s Eve. 

Fireworks and fire safety

Multiple officials warned about the dangers that fireworks pose, and their illegality in Massachusetts. Captain Patrick Ellis of the Boston Fire Department said that people need to leave fireworks to the professionals, and emphasized that there will be two displays on Sunday night.

One fireworks show will occur at 7 p.m. over the Boston Common. The other will occur at midnight over Boston Harbor. 

Ellis said that people need to be aware of how using illegal fireworks influences children.  

“This last Independence Day prior, we had a life-altering consequence for a child that picked up an unexploded firework,” he said. 

Extra fire department staff will be working Sunday to make sure that businesses hosting New Year’s Eve events comply with fire codes, making sure they are not too crowded and that exits are not blocked. 

“They are for-profit venues and sometimes they go a little too far with packing people in,” Ellis said. 

MBTA and transportation 

The MBTA will be free starting at 8 p.m. on Sunday. Subways will operate on a regular Sunday schedule, but service will increase starting at 3 p.m. to accommodate the expected crowds of people heading into the city. 

There are currently no known threats, “credible or otherwise,” to suggest that the MBTA or any First Night events are targets of criminal activity, MBTA Transit Police Chief Kenneth Green said. Extra Transit Police officers will be working, including both uniformed and plainclothes officers.

Anyone riding the T Sunday should be extra aware of their surroundings, especially of children and the elderly. Green encouraged riders to download the MBTA’s “See Say” app, which makes reporting suspicious activity easier.  

Boston officials are urging people to avoid driving into the city, as parking restrictions will be in place along a parade route from City Hall Plaza to Boston Common.