Courtesy photo On Wednesday, people are seen celebrating in downtown Alpena ahead of the midnight countdown to the new year.

ALPENA — Downtown Alpena rang in the New Year by raising a New Year’s Eve ball and fireworks for its second annual New Year’s Eve celebration. Anne Gentry, Alpena Downtown Development Authority (DDA) executive director, said this year’s celebration was “definitely bigger,” giving downtown businesses a last hurrah before the slow winter months hit.

Gentry said that more people visited downtown Alpena to countdown to midnight than the year prior, despite the cold temperatures that dipped into single digits, and snow. She added that every business she visited downtown on New Year’s Eve was “full with people getting warm and buying drinks.”

Overall, Gentry said that the celebration had good turnout and was bigger than 2024.

“We nearly doubled the amount of glow sticks we passed out,” Gentry added.

This year, the DDA added new additions to the festivities such as fireworks and a live band, High Speed.

“The band was a really good addition and they were surprised at how many people came out at midnight,” Gentry added. “They even played a little later than expected.”

Gentry said that the DDA hopes to incorporate live entertainment into next year’s celebration.

According to Gentry, the New Year’s Eve celebration “achieves two things.”

She explained that in prior years, New Year’s Eve “was pretty dead downtown” and there was not much foot traffic to restaurants or other businesses.

Two years into the new tradition, Gentry said that the celebration ends the year on a “high note” before the slower winter months creep in for downtown businesses, providing more visibility and chances for sales.

Gentry also explained that the annual celebration gives community members a free event to attend. She said a few new residents told her that they enjoyed the event because they were able to mingle with community members and make new connections.

Looking to next year, Gentry said that the DDA is interested in bringing back the fireworks as long as they get all the necessary approvals. She added that she has received positive feedback from the community regarding the fireworks.

“People could view them from different places in the city,” Gentry said.

Overall, Gentry said that the DDA is looking at a few ways to improve and expand the celebration for 2026.

Kayla Wikaryasz can be reached at 989-358-5688 or kwikaryasz@TheAlpenaNews.com.