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SALT LAKE CITY — The giant mirror ball that will replace fireworks at this year's downtown EVE celebration was unveiled Monday night, much to the excitement of disco ball fanatic Jackie Hobbs.
The Holladay resident grinned as she climbed up into the sparkling, 20-foot-wide ball and raised her hands over her head for a picture.
"I love disco balls," Hobbs said, as her husband and two sons nodded in the background. "I think this is a great alternative to fireworks. My friends and I donated thousands of dollars to make this happen. … We have a bigger disco ball than New York City. That's pretty amazing."
Hobbs boasts that she has a dozen disco balls in her collection, including a few suspended in the basement of her home where the family hosts its annual New Year's Eve dance party. This year, they will be dancing at EVE.
The annual downtown party, organized by the Downtown Alliance, includes performances, activities and events for revelers of all ages through midnight Wednesday.
Tickets also include admission to The Leonardo, Discovery Gateway, the Clark Planetarium, Off Broadway Theatre, Broadway Centre Theatre. On Tuesday, the first 1,000 ticket holders to present their wristband or receipt at the Salt Palace Visitors Center box office will receive lower-bowl seats to that night's Utah Jazz matchup with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
We have a bigger disco ball than New York City. That's pretty amazing.
–Jackie Hobbs, Holladay resident
Inside the Salt Palace, family activities like rooms filled with beach balls, bounce houses, and a giant Lego pit are open all three evenings. Food from a variety of vendors and drinks from local breweries are also available.
Free sing-alongs and musical performances at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building and Salt Lake Tabernacle will also be open to the public Tuesday and Wednesday night.
Local artist Derek Dyer, who designed the mirror ball, said it can either rotate on a pedestal, as it will do Tuesday night, or be hoisted into the air, where it will hang above the EVE party at the Salt Palace for a laser show Wednesday night.
At two stories tall, it's even bigger than the giant mirror ball Dyer built 12 years ago, a Guinness World Record in its time. The EVE pollution-free centerpiece weighs 2,300 pounds, features 1,200 mirrors and is made up mostly of materials from local companies.
It's appropriate for a New Year's celebration, Dyer told a small audience at the unveiling Monday, as a way of "reflecting on who you are and who you want to be."
EVE tickets can be purchased online at eveslc.com, or in person at the Salt Palace. A full schedule of events is available on the event site.
New Year's Eve activities:
- Noon: Kid countdown at Discovery Gateway
- 5 p.m. Broadway sing-along in the Assembly Hall
- 5:30-10:30 p.m.: Live performances in Joseph Smith Building lobby
- 6 p.m.: Salt Palace activities (BallRoom, BounceTown, BrickYard, HoopDeDoo)
- 6:15 p.m.: Rumba Libre salsa and latin dancing
- 6:15 p.m.: Sky City DJ Plaza
- 7 p.m.: Laughing Stock Comedy and Improv
- 7:30-11:45 p.m.: Live performances at Salt Palace (Folk Hoggan, Westward the Tide, Fictionist)
