F.C.’s New Year’s Watch Night Celebration Looking to Expand This Year

In the City of Falls Church, this year’s New Year’s Eve free Watch Night celebration – from 7:00 p.m. to midnight, Dec. 31, along a closed-off, Sip and Strolling W. Broad Street downtown, between N. Maple Ave. and S. Washington Street – is looking to expand its scope by drawing in visitors from surrounding counties to enjoy a fun and memorable family-friendly New Year’s Eve.  

City resident organizers – Keith Thurston of the City, Arts, Theater, Culture, and History (CATCH) Foundation and Kim Stobo of Weichert Realtors are getting the “Mark Your Calendars!” message out to neighboring counties while putting together a full roster of fun activities, from “cozy places” such as “fire pits, tents, and warming stations,” to live bands and a DJ, to gaming trucks, bounce houses, climbing rocks, and obstacle courses for the kids. Two separate “Star Drops” marking the 2027 New Year will also be provided for the little ones at 9:00 p.m. and the adults at midnight.

This year, “Watch Night returns to downtown Falls Church with an expanded celebration, offering additional activities, live music, entertainment, and special features throughout the evening,” a Visit Falls Church announcement reads. “This annual tradition welcomes friends, neighbors, families, and visitors to gather and count down to the Star Drop at midnight.” With Broad Street closed-off, “attendees can visit outdoor tents, gather by fire pits, and stop by local restaurants. Enjoy food, meet friends, and experience the lively downtown atmosphere as midnight approaches.”

“Little City Sips is back with a NYE edition!,” the announcement continues. “Stop by participating Falls Church restaurants, purchase a featured drink, and take it with you as you stroll through the designated Little City Sips area. We’ll share the participating restaurants, featured drinks, and Sips Map as December gets closer. Guests must be 21+ to purchase or consume alcoholic beverages. Watch the “How to Sip in The Little City” video to learn more."

The Falls Church Independent met with volunteer event organizer Kim Stobo about this year’s New Year’s Eve festivities and the return of Watch Night along a closed-off Broad Street (last year’s Watch Night was held in indoor venues downtown). We were curious to know what’s in the works.

Falls Church’s Watch Night tradition began in 1998 as the City celebrated its 300 years of history in Virginia. The first Watch Night was organized by Chamber “Pillar of the Community” Barb Cram who served as president of Falls Church Arts for 10 years and the Grand Marshall of the Falls Church Memorial Day Parade in 2017. After Cram passed away in 2020, “Keith Thurston kind of took her place and has kept it going,” Stobo said. “And Keith has done a phenomenal job. So I stepped in just as a volunteer, lifelong City resident to kinda support Keith.” Corey Payne of the City’s Recreation and Parks Department is also coordinating the evening’s activities. 

We asked Stobo what people really need to know about this year’s Watch Night. “People need to know that it's on Broad Street, that it's a Sip and Stroll, and that, you know, all of these things are going on. I'm actually shocked at how many people don't know that it's happening. And I just think if it's going to be as big as we want it to be I want to make sure that all the other surrounding counties are super involved too because the only other New Year’s celebration is in Alexandria this year. And so, I really want it to be inclusive of everybody. Right? You know, come to Falls Church! Come and have fun!” 

“The walkability and the kid aspect of it" is also a selling point. "So you can be with your kid. I’ve never done New Year’s without my son, so it’s nice to be able to partake in both [the grown up and youth] activities. You know, to listen to a great band and then watch him have fun as well.”

“But I want to make sure it’s not just a City of Falls Church event. It's really important we have everybody from Greenway Downs and everyone from Arlington and Fairfax come. Right?” 

Stobo’s put a lot of effort into finding just the right music to appeal to a broad range of New Year’s Eve audiences. “We have two bands, a high school band, The Pocket Threes, from O'Connell High School…. We watched them the other night at Stratford. We had an event, and they played, and they were really good. And then we have the lead band, Eclectic Company. We're excited about both of them. Eclectic Company is definitely eclectic. I love them. They play everything from Go Go to Sublime. I mean, anybody who could go from Chris Stapleton all the way to Go Go is pretty eclectic. So that’s a good choice…. And then we also have a DJ, DJ Kevin…. an actual DJ from Falls Church.” [Laughs].

Strobo’s excited that this year’s Watch Night will include a Sip and Stroll. “So, you're going to be able to walk into an establishment, buy a drink, and then walk along the street that’s within the boundaries…. It’s still in the same boundary as the original Sip and Stroll. So, you could be at the Stratford, buy a drink, and then walk down to the New Year’s Eve event. Or, at Clare and Don’s or the Four P’s, or Dogwood Tavern. It’s fantastic.” 

Unlike last year, most of the evening’s activities will be taking place outdoors, but there will still be some inside features. “You could go inside to get a face painting or other things, but the main event is on Broad Street,” Stobo said.

Another new feature this year: Watch Night will be running “sprinter van” shuttle buses from East and West Falls Church Metro stops directly to the downtown area for New Year’s Eve. “So that should help draw people in as well,” Stobo said.

As a mom to an 11-year old boy, Stobo is especially appreciative of Watch Night features that allow adults and kids to enjoy free activities within close proximity. “The biggest thing for me is that everything is free. Right? I don’t want to be sitting in a line where you have to buy anything…. I also wanted to make sure everything was in eyesight. So, if I'm listening to the band, I can see my child bouncing in a bounce house.”

The three Watch Night gaming trucks will provide a fun activity for kids’ enjoyment while allowing parents/guardians to know where their kids are. “Having an 11 year-old, that’s a good outlet for them,” Stobo said. “They have gaming consoles and I believe they can take something like 25 kids per truck. And the kids just start gaming. Plus, there’s a karaoke machine.”

We asked Stobo to elaborate on all the different activities planned for young people. In addition to “cozy places” and a “warm tent provided by Stratford," they’ll have sparkly lights, a mechanical bull, rock climbing, turbo tubs, a human whirl, a large fun slide, a wrecking ball (where the sand-filled ball swings and kids try not to be knocked over), and an obstacle course – where “you just run through and it sort of has bags that kind of knock you off course as you end with the slide.”

Stobo is also excited to have two separate Star Drops this year, one for the kids at 9:00 p.m. and the other for the adults at midnight. Watch Night will also take place rain or shine, though the bounce houses can’t operate in the rain. But, there will be places for people to stay warm and dry.

Stobo is currently looking for an emcee for the evening and has a Falls Church resident in mind. “I’ll text him right now!,” she said. She’s also looking into having the F.C. Volunteer Fire Department offer a Touch-a-Truck and she's also perhaps adding a Magic Show. “Yeah, if I can get a magician or something like that, it would be perfect. Because then the kids could just sit and watch and enjoy.” She wants to make sure, however, that “there aren’t too many parts” to the whole operation, “because then it can kind of get lost” in the mix.

To pump up the publicity for this year’s Watch Night, Stobo has been including flyers in elementary school Go-Home folders and sending announcements to local radio stations and publications in nearby jurisdictions. 

She’d also like to send out viral social media posts and is wondering how to put together a small committee of high school students to take charge of the task. “Honestly, I feel like if you want to get anything done at this point, I think high schoolers are just great at social media,” she said with a laugh.

“I think 2027, New Year's Eve, should just be very inclusive, like the surrounding counties and everybody coming and just spending an evening together and the whole thing just being inclusive,” Stobo said enthusiastically. “Come, have fun, and let’s have a great night together – and celebrate togetherness” for the New Year, she said.

To help sponsor Watch Night, go here. Or, contact Kim Stobo via email at krs9878@aol.com, or by calling 703-532-3280 (TTY 711) for more information. VisitFallsChurch.com/watch-night.

By Christopher Jones