Tonight is First Night -- Annapolis' annual nonalcoholic arts and entertainment festival -- but yesterday was first morning, the beginning of the setup.
Construction of the main tent began about 9 a.m., 39 hours before midnight 2003. Contractors at the capital city's downtown dock unfolded tarps that will become a covering for crowds at First Night's midnight finale.
Organizers said 39 hours of preparation were all the time they needed.
"First Night's been doing it so long, it's kind of second nature," said lighting contractor Bob Crain, who was setting up lights around City Dock.
This is the 12th annual event, and if there's anything organizers learned this year, it's that throwing a big New Year's party is a lot easier 15 months after 9/11 than it was three months after the terrorist attacks.
"We haven't had any sudden changes to the plan," said First Night spokeswoman Cindy Edson.
Last year, the fallout from Sept. 11 forced organizers to move the festivities from the Naval Academy campus, where the fireworks show took place. That eliminated the $1,000-per- minute midnight fireworks display, which usually lasts 10 to 15 minutes, and several venues. This year it's back to normal.
"Nothing says midnight like fireworks," Edson said. "We're asking everyone to come out and play."
She said she expects 16,000 people -- about the same crowd as last year -- to celebrate 2003 at the nine-hour-plus festival spread around downtown's brick sidewalks. First Act, a three-hour performance for children, begins at 3 p.m. in the Navy's Halsey Field House. Featured artist will be Nathan and the Zydeco Cha Chas, a Louisiana band.
This year's First Night event will have a Mardi Gras theme. Entertainers will be among the 150 music, theater and comedy performances sprinkled around 33 sites in the historic downtown area.
The acts will range from "Gone With the Wind in 20 Minutes," a one-man version of Margaret Mitchell's novel, to reggae and rock music.
The traditional midnight dropping of a lighted blue crab at the dock has been replaced this year by a countdown from Mayor Ellen O. Moyer, who will count from aboard a powerboat in the downtown marina.
The First Night concept was developed 26 years ago in Boston by artists seeking a different kind of revelry. It has spread to more than 200 cities, mostly in the United States.
The Annapolis event has more than tripled its regular crowd over the past decade.
"It's not exactly Times Square, but we do the same thing," Crain said.
But "it's family oriented," he added.
First Night facts
Hours: 3 p.m. to midnight
Cost: $20 for ages 12 and older; $10 for ages 6 to 12; children younger than 6 admitted free.
Also: Valid photo ID is required to enter the Naval Academy grounds. All bags are subject to search.
Parking: Available for $6 at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. Shuttle buses will run until 12:45 a.m.
More information: www. firstnightannapolis.org