Lucy and David Fountain Announced as Honorary Chairs of First Night Raleigh 2017

Caroline Russell, President of the Artsplosure Board of Directors, today announced that David and Lucy Fountain are the honorary chairs for Artsplosure’s 26th presentation of First Night Raleigh. The annual New Year’s Eve arts festival will take place on Saturday, Dec. in a 20+ block area of downtown Raleigh.

The Fountains have a long history of support and involvement with some of the state’s leading nonprofit causes. She expressed the Board’s appreciation that they have chosen to lend their leadership to Artsplosure’s First Night Raleigh.

Married the same year as the initial First Night Raleigh celebration, David and Lucy Fountain are excited to serve as the honorary co-chairs of First Night Raleigh 2017. David is Duke Energy’s North Carolina President. He joined the Carolina Power & Light (CP&L) Legal Department in 2000 and previously served as the vice president of Progress Energy’s legal department, and as senior vice president of Duke Energy’s office of general counsel in Raleigh. David currently chairs the Leadership North Carolina board and is also active on the boards of the North Carolina Chamber, the YMCA of the Triangle, the Alexander Family YMCA and the Shepherd’s Table Soup Kitchen. In addition, he enjoyed his tenure as the chair of the Marbles Kids Museum board. Lucy is the immediate past President of the Saint Mary’s School Parents’ Association. She is also a past vice president of the National Charity League’s Dogwood Chapter and is a sustaining member of the Junior League of Raleigh. David and Lucy received their undergraduate degrees and their law degrees from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and are the parents of three daughters.

This year’s First Night Raleigh festivities kick off at 2:00 pm with the new “DIY Fest” at N.C. Museum of History, N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences and outside on the Bicentennial Plaza. The First Night ferris wheel and pirate ship rides open to the public at 2:00 pm as does Artsplosure’s “Art Putt,” a playable nine-hole miniature golf course created by local artists.

Performances on the outdoor main stage begin at 5:20 pm, with the people’s procession following shortly after at 6 pm Parents and children alike can ring in the New Year with the early countdown at 7:00 pm An array of evening performances also begin at 7:00 pm in multiple indoor and outdoor venues.

The Countdown to Midnight begins at 9:30 pm and concludes at midnight with the famous Raleigh acorn drop and fireworks finale.

A complete list of the full lineup can be found at FirstNightRaleigh.com, with tickets going on sale online on Dec. 1 and in stores on December 12 for $10* when purchased in advance.

*Plus local and state sales tax.