History

HISTORY OF WATCH NIGHT

Watch Night was parented by the City of Falls Church Tricentennial Eve which was held December 31, 1998. The event was produced by the Tricentennial Committee that was established in 1995 to celebrate 300 years of Falls Church history.

Streets were closed to traffic and traffic was diverted away from the crossroads of Route 7 and Route 29 providing a walkable venue for all of the amusements, music, and venue locations. At that time the main stage was at the crossroads of Washington and Broad Streets. Now the City Police close the 100 block of East Broad to North and South Maple, and the parking lot between Park Avenue and East Broad St serves as the Grand FunAlley. The East Broad block leads to the East and North Fairfax Streets venues as well as those on North Maple Avenue

That 1998 event was repeated following the big success of Tricentennial Eve and was later named WATCH NIGHT.

THE GUIDING PRINCIPLES OF WATCH NIGHT

Free and open to the public and located in the Crossroads area of downtown Falls Church

Fun for all ages and family friendly

Event is issue free, without political or social messages that may divide the community

Venues are organized and funded by local organizations, businesses and citizen contributions and manned by volunteers

Event is pedestrian friendly and organized so that citizens can walk safely and easily between venues

Supports local entertainers, artists and businesses with its venues

Managed on a budget that uses the resources of local businesses, government, organizations and individuals to reduce costs and build community

Organized to minimize overall administration and encourage focus on each venue by the various

sponsoring organizations

WATCH NIGHT is an important part of the Falls Church City culture.