Organizers of several New Year’s Eve celebrations in Maine have decided to cancel or scale back events amid warnings from President Biden’s chief medical adviser to avoid large gatherings during the height of the omicron surge.
The organizers of New Year Gorham announced Monday that they are switching to a virtual format because of the recent surge in COVID-19 cases. The State Theatre in Portland and the Portland House of Music both announced they were canceling shows scheduled for New Year’s Eve.
“It was an incredibly difficult decision. We didn’t want to set up a super-spreader event in Gorham,” said Virginia Wilder Cross, a town councilor and member of the New Year Gorham Committee.
In addition to the increase in cases, she said, they took into consideration that the event was geared largely toward children, some of whom have not yet been fully vaccinated.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, Biden’s medical adviser, recommended in an interview with CNN on Monday that people stay away from large New Year’s Eve gatherings where the vaccination status of others is unknown.
“When you’re talking about a New Year’s Eve party where you have thirty, forty, fifty people celebrating, you do not know the status of their vaccination, I would recommend strongly: stay away from that this year. There will be other years to do that, but not this year,” Fauci told CNN.
Though Fauci warned against attending parties and going to crowded bars, he did not directly address outdoor events with large crowds.
Last week, New York City announced that it will limit crowds and add more health and safety measures at the New Year’s Eve ball drop in Times Square, a celebration that typically attracts thousands of people. First Night Boston is set to return Friday and will feature fireworks, ice sculptures, a parade and live performers. People will be required to wear a mask indoors.
New Year Gorham activities that are affected include interactive wildlife and science shows, dance studio workshops, face-painting and an evening of performances by musical groups, a magician and a storyteller. The fireworks, however, will go on as planned at 9 p.m. and people are invited to gather on the high school athletic fields for the show. Wilder Cross said the outdoor setting gives plenty of room for folks to spread out during the show.
Details of the updated New Year Gorham schedule and information for the Wildlife Encounters Zoom event are posted on the New Year Gorham Facebook page. Last year, Gorham’s annual event was pre-recorded and aired on public access. During a fireworks display, families had to stay in their cars.
Not everyone was canceling New Year’s Eve celebrations, especially those events that will primarily take place outside.
L.L. Bean was still planning as of Monday to host its “KidNight” News Year’s Eve celebration beginning at 11 a.m. Friday in Discovery Park – an outdoor park and skating rink next to the company’s flagship retail store. Live music, juggling, ice skating and comedy acts will be included in an array of events that will culminate at 6 p.m. with a fireworks display over Freeport, according to a schedule posted on L.L. Bean’s Facebook page.
The city of Auburn will host New Year’s Auburn on Friday night, an event that the city is billing as Maine’s biggest and best new year’s celebration. Auburn Mayor Jason Levesque said in an email Monday evening that there are no plans to cancel the event, which has the potential to attract thousands of people.
“As the venue is outside and substantially large (equivalent to three city blocks), we can handle several thousand people very easily while maintaining appropriate social distancing,” Levesque said. “We also encourage everyone to wear a face covering such as a scarf, not only because they help limit COVID-19 spread but because it might be a little cold that night.”
New Year’s Auburn will feature live music, food trucks and a beer garden. The activities, which begin at 6 p.m., will be capped off by a fireworks display at 10 p.m.
In another large outdoor gathering, Old Orchard Beach will host its annual Last Blast New Year’s Eve Beach Party on the strip of beach near the town amusement park and pier. A large bonfire will be set up on the beach around 4:30 p.m. Friday and people can toss their Christmas trees into the fire. A fireworks display will be held at 7:30 p.m.
The surge in COVID cases did cause two popular entertainment venues in southern Maine to cancel planned celebrations.
A member of the Ghost of Paul Revere folk trio, which was scheduled to perform at the State Theater in Portland on Friday night, went on Facebook Monday afternoon to announce that band members had contracted COVID and would be unable to perform because they are self-quarantining. Ticket holders will be able to request a ticket refund within the next 30 days.
In his Facebook post, guitarist Griffin Sherry urged the public to wear a mask, to get vaccinated and to get boosted.
“We’ve been very safe and we still got it,” Sherry said.
The Portland House of Music announced on its Facebook page Monday that it has decided to cancel all its shows, including a New Years Eve performance by the Maine Dead Project. A performance by Max Felker on Jan. 13 also was canceled.
“Unfortunately, due to rising COVID cases and out of an abundance of caution for our staff, patrons and community, we’ve decided to cancel or postpone all shows at Portland House of Music and Events through Jan. 13, 2022,” the venue said in its post. Ticket purchases will be refunded.
Several indoor music, food and entertainment venues in Portland still were planning to host New Year’s Eve celebrations as of Monday, but many of those venues will require guests to provide proof of vaccination or evidence of a negative COVID test before they are allowed entry.
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