Beverly Suspends Downtown New Year's Eve Celebration After 3 Decades

BEVERLY, MA — A downtown Beverly tradition for nearly three decades is being suspended this New Year's Eve because of declining attendance, funding and volunteers.

Beverly Main Streets Board of Directors Chair Paul Gentile said on Tuesday that the group will not be producing Beverly's New Year on Dec. 31. He said the decision to cancel this year's event involved "a process that we did not take lightly."

"Producing an event of this scope and magnitude requires a great deal of time, resources, and volunteer efforts," he said in a letter to the community. "Over the past five years, the event has seen a decrease in attendance and financial support, and it has also become increasingly difficult to find enough volunteers to safely and effectively manage the event.

"We are open to bringing future Beverly's New Year celebrations back, but it will require the proper funding and staffing to execute safely."

Genile acknowledged that Beverly's New Year has "a rich history in our community" and acknowledged the contributions of those who have helped organize previous events, as well as participants and attendees.

"The goal of the Downtown Winter Market, which is a brand new event, is to drive support to our
small business community," he said. "They are truly the heart of our downtown district, and shopping small keeps them in the focus of the holiday season.

"Support for our local businesses is the foundation of what Beverly Main Streets strives to accomplish."

He noted that Beverly Main Streets is an independent nonprofit that relies on community support and participation, inviting those looking to volunteer or financially support the organization's efforts to email info@bevmain.org.

This summer's Beverly Block Party, also organized by Beverly Main Streets, was postponed because of storms and was not rescheduled in September as had been hoped.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)