The longtime New Year's Eve multi-venue gala known as First Night Worcester is no longer, with First Night Worcester Inc., which celebrated its 35th�anniversary last December, opting to stop running the event.



The family-friendly celebration, billed as the second-longest running event of its kind in the country, could continue in a different form, but whether it goes off this year remains to be seen.�



�After careful review, we have decided the 35th�would be our last event,� Executive Director Howard McGinn said in an email. �We are grateful to the many supporters who have enabled us to meet our mission over these many years. Most of all, we thank the tens of thousands who have attended our annual event.�



First Night Worcester, which in recent years has struggled to draw large crowds, nonetheless survived three-plus decades as a family-friendly, arts-centered festival.



The decision to shutter the doors of First Night Worcester Inc. was a difficult one, according to Board President Kallin Johnson.



�The Board is confident it has reached the correct business decision,� Johnson said, but we�ll miss setting the stage for thousands of smiling faces on New Year�s Eve.�



One of the founders of First Night Worcester, Charlie Washburn, noted the event's numerous supporters throughout the years.



�Some of our financial supporters have been with us since the early years, and many others have been very loyal,� Washburn said. �The fact that First Night Worcester is the second-longest running event of its kind in the country speaks to the generosity of many in the community.�



With First Night Worcester Inc. no longer involved, the city appears poised to keep the tradition alive in some manner. It would do so in partnership with the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce and Discover Central Massachusetts.



�A lot of good things are happening throughout Worcester and in the downtown,� Chamber president and CEO Tim Murray said. �A community celebration to mark the beginning of the New Year should be one of them. The Chamber and Discover Central Massachusetts look forward to working with the city to develop a new event in downtown Worcester. Along with City Manager Ed Augustus, I want to thank the First Night board, management and volunteers for their great work over the years.�



As for the immediate future of a New Year's Eve event, Murray said the short-term goal is to fit some sort of celebration in with City Manager Ed Augustus Jr's call for 100 events on City Common.



"I think it is something we want to take a hard look at," Murray said by telephone with Worcester Magazine Tuesday afternoon.



That could mean a scaled-down version, which could perhaps be built up in coming years - or it could mean, much like the city did with baseball and hockey, taking a year off.



"We're certainly going to try to pull something off this year, maybe smaller [than First Night Worcester]," Murray said.



As for what led to the end of the original First Night Worcester, Murray said changing appetites among visitors was a factor.



"There's shelf lives for everybody and everything," he said. "More and more people are staying home for entertainment. There are lots of factors. [Planners] have done a great job trying to keep it ... relevant. They weren't facing challenges any other organization isn't currently facing."



Worcester Magazine will continue to follow this developing story.