The Haywood Hotel, Tapestry Collection by Hilton, is working with other local groups to present the community's first New Year's Eve celebration in more than two decades.
The New Year's Eve Block Party will kick off at 7 p.m. on Dec. 31 in the area of Washington Avenue and Locust Street.
The event is free and open to the public.
The night will include live music, a DJ, a New Year's countdown and ball-drop, 360 camera, prize drawings/giveaways and more.
The color theme for party attire is black, gold and sequins.
A reduced rate will also be offered for an overnight stay at The Haywood to help prevent revelers from drinking and driving.
Lance Jonio, operations manager for The Haywood, said plans for a public New Year's Eve event began to take shape almost immediately after a Halloween party that was hosted at the hotel's Well Bar in October.
"We were discussing with some of our friends how we love the events that are happening in El Dorado and how the community gets engaged with it and how we wish more could be done outside of (the Christmas season)," Jonio explained.
He said between 400 and 500 people flowed in and out of The Well Bar during the Halloween party and organizers figured they could draw similar a crowd for New Year's Eve.
As news about the end-of-year event began to spread throughout the community, support and positive feedback quickly swelled, more so than organizers initially anticipated, with some people even reportedly canceling out-of-town plans to remain in the city for the block party, Jonio noted.
"It's been overwhelming. We're excited. We knew it definitely was going to be something we were expecting from the regular people who come to bar, kind of like our Halloween party," he shared. "It has definitely grown in the past two or three weeks into something bigger."
The enthusiasm is understandable from a community that seems to be craving such an event.
The block party will be the first community-wide New Year's Eve celebration since the city and Main Street El Dorado teamed up to host a downtown bash to usher in the new millennium in 1999/2000.
The event drew hundreds of people to the downtown square and included a ball-drop and free commemorative coins that marked the occasion.
A second such event that was planned the following year was snowed out. However, the inclement weather did not stop a few brave souls from venturing downtown to ring in the new year.
There has not been a community New Year's Eve celebration held downtown since then.
Jonio said the block party will feature the same ball that was used for the 1999 ball-drop, noting that organizers have recovered the 7-foot ball from storage, dusted it off and modernized it by adding more lights and making a few other changes.
Organizers also reached out to MSE and the El Dorado-Union County Chamber of Commerce for assistance in planning the event.
On Nov. 20, MSE approached the El Dorado City Council with a request to extend the hours of the city's downtown entertainment district for the block party.
MSE Executive Director Beth Brumley asked for a special-event extension of the normal hours for the entertainment district, which allows for the public consumption and carry of alcoholic beverages on streets and sidewalks within the district from noon until 2 a.m. on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and holidays.
The district covers several blocks downtown. Its boundaries are marked with signs.
The city council adopted an ordinance in 2019 to establish the district.
A recent amendment to the ordinance bans alcoholic beverages that are purchased outside the district.
The city ordinance also allows organizations with special-event or temporary permits to request an extension of the normal operational hours for the district.
Brumley noted that New Year's Eve is on Sunday and the council granted the request.
Jonio said streets will be blocked in the area of South Washington and Locust and attendees will be allowed to bring their alcoholic beverages outside to party and watch the ball drop within the designated area.
Karen Hicks, vice president of membership and events for the chamber of commerce, will serve as an announcer for the ball-drop, along with Steve Biernacki, executive director of the South Arkansas Historical Preservation Society.
Activities
Local band Black Strap will kick off a live music performance at 9 p.m. and DJ Carter will provide entertainment "on the ones and twos" from 11:30 p.m. until 1 a.m.
Starting at 11 p.m., champagne will be available for $5 for each serving from The Haywood.
Drinks and bar appetizers, including cheeseburger sliders, will be on sale at The Well Bar from 9 until 11 p.m.
Jonio said organizers are also looking to set up portable bars to sell drinks throughout the night.
Food trucks will be onsite to offer more food options, as will a stand selling novelty items.
From 10 p.m. until 1 a.m., photographers and videographers will be on hand with a 360 camera and photo and boomerang video opportunities, with materials tailored to the 2024 New Year's theme.
Announcements will precede the New Year's Eve countdown and ball-drop at 11:45 p.m.
Attendees will be able to enter a drawing to win a free night's stay at The Haywood and a couple's massage from Kyle & Co Lash and Skin Studio.
The drawing will take place and the winners announced just before the ball drop.
Additionally, attendees will have the opportunity to take advantage of a discounted rate for a room at The Haywood for the night of Dec. 31.
Rooms may be booked at $129 and will come with a complimentary bottle of champagne.
Jonio said Hilton corporate officials agreed to a request from local Haywood staffers to offer the reduced rate as a safety measure.
"It's just to help keep people off street. We didn't want people to drink and have to drive to go home," he said.
Families may also bring their children to the block party. However, children are not permitted in The Well Bar or the outdoor patio that adjoins the hotel, he stressed.
Bar patrons and party attendees who consume alcohol must be at least 21 years old.
The block party and special offers are part of an ongoing effort by The Haywood to reaffirm its commitment to engage with the community, draw people downtown and spread awareness about the hotel and what it has to offer.
The 70-room boutique hotel opened in 2020 as an auxiliary business for the Murphy Arts District.
"A lot of people don't know The Haywood is here, so it's not only about doing something for the community but also to show we're here for the community and we want to be present for the community as much as possible," Jonio said.
"Hopefully, people will come out (for the block party) and it will be a great experience. We're happy to see the community get together and come out and enjoy downtown," he continued.