First Night 2013 Battle of the Bands at New Connie Bean Center

One of the hallmarks of New Year's is out with the old and in with the new and that will certainly ring true on New Year's Eve when the First Night 2013 Battle of the Bands takes place at the new Connie Bean Recreation Center.

According to the Pro Portsmouth web site, the competition will be held in the new facility located next to the Portsmouth Middle School after the former Connie Bean Recreation Center closed last summer and was subsequently sold to a private developer in December.

"For years, we featured up and coming bands at the Middle School Gym," said Pro Portsmouth Executive Director Barbara Massar in a prepared statement on the group's web site. "When we brought that element back to First Night in 2010, the school's gym was not an option, so we set up our Battle of the Bands at the Connie Bean. Now for 2012, we'll be at the new Connie Bean which is part of the Recreation Department's facility on Parrot Avenue – perfect."

Massar also noted that while Pro Portsmouth officials recognized the former Connie Bean was an important community gathering place, they are grateful the city is allowing them to hold the Battle of the Bands in the new facility.

"If you've been a part of our events – First Night, Children's Day and Market Square Day – you know that the Connie Bean on Daniel Street was an integral site for us. But we move forward and we're grateful that the City is allowing us to utilize the new facility on Parrot Avenue," Massar said.

The Battle of the Bands competition will be held from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. with the first band taking the stage at 8 p.m., according to Pro Portsmouth officials. The winner will perform at the 36th annual Market Square Day on June 8.

In 2011, Old Adobe won the First Night 2012 competition and in 2010, The Grounded took home the top prize at First Night 2011.