Fireworks burst over Boston Tuesday night as tens of thousands rang in 2020 by celebrating First Night, the city’s annual New Year’s Eve festival.
As the clock struck midnight, bright colors illuminated the skyline, marking the start of a new year and decade. The display was the second of two set off as part of First Night.
The first followed a buoyant parade down Boylston Street, and went off at 7 p.m., a time chosen to allow families with young children to join in the fun.
“I love all the colors and the fireworks, they’re my favorite,” said Max LaRosa, 10, who attended with members of his South Shore youth hockey team. “I’m looking forward to a good boom.”
Monty Urmilevicius, a 23-year-old student from Lithuania, was happy the pyrotechnic show went off early.
“It’s awesome. I love how it’s not too late, too. If this was at midnight, I would probably not go,” said Urmilevicious, who was attending First Night for his first time. “Seeing all the people smiling, still in the holiday mood is great. Even though Christmas is over, you can still feel that holiday energy.”
The celebration was peaceful, and Boston police had reported no information about any arrests as of 4 a.m.
Earlier Tuesday, a light drizzle fell over Copley Square, where growing crowds assembled to admire ice sculptures and enjoy live musical performances. The light rain petered away as night fell, and temperatures in Boston hovered in the upper 30s for much of the day and into Tuesday night, according to the National Weather Service.
Gail Latimore, 60, of Hyde Park, beamed as she danced along to the classic 1965 Frankie Valli song “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” performed by a singer known as Paco. She had come to the celebration with her daughters, a high school student and a graduate student at Boston University.
“We always come down to New Year’s Eve,” Latimore explained. “We come to Newbury Street just to eat and relax, and then sometimes we catch the show. It’s nice. . . . And I’m staying warm by dancing, you know, moving up and down. I like the music.”
D.J. Krauthoff, 46, and her wife Jen Krauthoff, 37, of Brighton, were celebrating their third year of a family tradition: bringing their children — ages 3, 6, and 9 — to the celebration and renting a hotel room downtown to make it all more manageable.
“They’re going to get to stay out to see the [7 p.m.] fireworks, and then we’re going to go [to the hotel], and they’re going to stay up until they can party no longer,” D.J. Krauthoff said.
Jen Krauthoff said the kids were excited to take the T into downtown and have a hotel adventure.
“They love the concerts,” she added. “We usually do all the library stuff. . . . We’re just out to enjoy the weather, the time, the events.”
The Krauthoffs’ oldest child, Kalea, said she was excited to meet up with family friends later and to hear music — “I like the singing,” she said — though she admitted that Paco’s classic rock was not her favorite genre.
Every New Year is special for First Night first-timer Ebtisam Ashour because she was born Jan. 1.
Ashour, a food writer from Egypt who is teaching for a year at Williams College in Western Massachusetts, turns 31 on Wednesday. She said the holiday is always “more exciting, because everybody’s celebrating my birthday.”
Ashour came to spend a few days in Boston for the holiday — and her personal celebration.
“It’s interesting, quiet, and diverse — which I like,” the first-time visitor said of Boston. She was planning to attend a dinner part later with friends, she said, and she had only one, modest New Year’s resolution.
“I’m trying my best to survive the winter,” said Ashour, who has been adjusting to December in New England by dressing in lots of layers.
Earlier, before kicking off the festivities, organizers paid tribute to a worker who died while setting up for the celebration.
Brandon J. McSweeney, 34, was killed Saturday morning when a 3,500-pound ballast, which was to serve as the base for a light tower, fell onto him. IATSE Local 11, a labor union representing theatrical stagehands, said Tuesday that it would offer “free, confidential, professional, third-party counseling services” to workers who were affected by McSweeney’s death.
Shortly after 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, First Night announcer Mike Testa stood on the Copley Square stage, solemnly removed his hat, and asked people to remember McSweeney, who worked for United Staging & Rigging.
“On Saturday morning while helping to assist with First Night setup, as he had for concerts and shows for many years, Brandon was killed in a tragic accident," Testa said. "The talented and loving man from Sherborn is being remembered fondly by all who knew him. . . . His loving presence will sorely be missed by family, friends and co-workers alike.”
Testa then asked for a moment of silence in honor of McSweeney.
Among the crowd was Dusty Rhodes, president of Conventures Inc., which organizes First Night.
“All of us who are involved with the production of First Night are sending our deepest condolences to the [McSweeney] family,” she said. “We are all like a family.”
Amanda Kaufman of the Globe Staff contributed to this report.
Jeremy C. Fox can be reached at jeremy.fox@globe.com. Follow him @jeremycfox.