Downtown Mobile is putting the finishing touches on its New Year’s Eve celebration, with city officials promising the largest MoonPie Over Mobile bash yet as the Port City prepares to ring in 2013. The free, family-friendly event has grown into one of the region’s signature holiday traditions, drawing thousands to Bienville Square and the surrounding blocks each Dec. 31.
This year’s lineup includes a Mardi Gras-style parade, live music on three stages, a laser light show and a fireworks finale timed to the giant lighted MoonPie’s descent at midnight. Legendary Tuskegee-born group the Commodores, known for hits including “Easy” and “Brick House,” are set to headline the concert portion of the evening.
City spokesperson Barbara Drummond said the celebration has become a point of civic pride, giving Mobile a national moment in the spotlight as the giant MoonPie is hoisted and lowered from a downtown building in a nod to the ball drop in New York’s Times Square. She said the event is broadcast to viewers well beyond south Alabama, with dozens of cities across the country expected to tune in as the confetti falls at the stroke of midnight, another touch organizers borrowed directly from New York’s celebration.
“It’s New Year’s Eve in Mobile, Alabama,” Drummond said, adding that organizers wanted this year’s show to top every MoonPie Drop that came before it.
Beyond the concert and fireworks, three of downtown Mobile’s most popular attractions are opening their doors free of charge for the holiday. The Gulf Coast Exploreum plans to stay open until 10 p.m., giving visitors a chance to explore its first-floor exhibits, including the hands-on MyBodyworks anatomy exhibit and a range of interactive science displays.
“We don’t get to be free to the public very often, so here’s your opportunity to see what we have to offer,” said Gretchen Jaspering, executive director of the Gulf Coast Exploreum.
A short walk away, the History Museum of Mobile will also waive admission, letting visitors browse exhibits on the city’s history as well as the museum’s “Up, Up and Away” exhibit, which traces American history through comic books.
“Comic books are a mirror on modern American history,” said Scotty Kirkland, the museum’s curator of history. “So you can really see the way Americans have changed over time, the way they see themselves in a larger world represented through comic books.”
Once the parade passes and the fireworks fade, revelers can continue the celebration at the Mobile Carnival Museum, where exhibits on the city’s Mardi Gras traditions offer a preview of the Carnival season that follows close behind New Year’s festivities in the Port City.
City leaders are encouraging families to make a full evening of it downtown, combining the free museum visits with the concert, parade and MoonPie Drop for what has become an annual can’t-miss event for Mobile County residents and visitors alike.