The City of Fayetteville and the Cool Spring Downtown District are pleased to announce the return of Night Circus: A District New Year’s Eve Spectacular for its fourth year. This year, organizers are excited to bring two legendary bands, Digable Planets and Arrested Development, to the Night Circus stage. 

Digable Planets burst onto the music scene in 1993 with their Grammy-winning single, “Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat).” Made up of Ishmael Butler (“Butterfly”), Craig Irving (“Doodlebug”) and Mary Ann Vieira (“Ladybug Mecca”), the trio carved out a unique style of jazz-informed, Afrofuturist-tinged Hip-Hop. More than 30 years after their debut album, Reachin’ (A New Refutation of Time And Space) their music still shines and the iconic group continues to bring their celebrated stage show to excited crowds around the world. In 2015, the group embarked upon a string of wildly successful live shows and has been very active as a tight touring unit ever since. 

With numerous album releases, and world tours, Arrested Development has been ground-breaking in hip-hop culture. True hip-hop trailblazers since 1991, Arrested Development has been cultural champions of consciousness and empowerment across the planet, producing a unique clash of rhythms and style with incomparable lyricism and storytelling that continues to contrast the expected look and sound of hip-hop culture. Their album, “3 Years, 5 Months and 2 Days in the Life of…,” earned them two Grammy awards for Best New Artist and Best Rap Single (Tennessee), two MTV awards, a Soul Train Music Award and the NAACP Image Award. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame named their smash hit “Tennessee” one of the 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll.

Along with these powerhouse headliners, the Night Circus NYE Spectacular will be filled with a variety of circus-like attractions including stilt walkers, fire dancers, roving magicians, festive food and drink, children’s activities and more in an atmosphere alive with color, lights and sound. The party atmosphere will be amplified by the rousing rhythms of local DJs and local musicians on the District Vibe at NYE Stage, pumping up the crowd energy leading up to Digable Planets and Arrested Development taking the stage. At midnight, organizers will raise the custom-designed radiant 18ft multi-colored NYE star that is a symbol of the City of Fayetteville into the sky, illuminated by a spectacular burst of fireworks, as the community rings in the New Year together. 

Cool Spring Downtown District curates and hosts the Night Circus NYE Spectacular on behalf of the City of Fayetteville. Current sponsors for this year’s celebration at the time of this release include the City of Fayetteville, ABC11, Healy Wholesale, PWC, The Art Council of Fayetteville-Cumberland County, The NC Arts Council, and Metronet. Additional sponsorships are pending. 

Organizations and individuals interested in becoming a sponsor should contact Bianca Shoneman, President/CEO of Cool Spring Downtown District at (910) 223-1089 or Bianca@CoolSpringFay.org. Anyone interested in becoming a volunteer should contact info@coolspringfay.org. Local musicians interested in auditioning for the District Vibe at NYE stage should follow Cool Spring Downtown District and Downtown Fayetteville on Facebook and Instagram for upcoming announcements and additional information.