Tbilisi hosts 10 days of family-friendly New Year celebrations

Tbilisi is coming alive for 10 days of celebrations to welcome the arrival of a new year.

People of all ages are encouraged to venture into central Tbilisi to enjoy a range of cultural, sporting and public activities to celebrate the New Year.

Festivities will begin on Friday evening and continue for 10 days, ending with a main celebration on New Year’s Eve at Freedom Square.

Over the 10-day festival more than a dozen musical artists including Tbilisi Big Band, singer Nina Sublatti and the band Loudspeakers will entertain crowds at Rose Revolution Square, which has been closed for traffic and transformed into a festive area.

Daily concerts of all music genres and DJ sets will suit all musical tastes and create a festive atmosphere in the central city. Revellers will also be able to taste drinks and cakes in specially decorated areas.

Streets in Georgia's capital have been illuminated with special lighting to celebrate the festive season. Photo by N.Alavidze/Agenda.ge.

Rose Revolution Square will also host a souvenir fair, selling New Year's Tree decorations and craft items, while actors from the Tbilisi Movement Theatre and the State Pantomime Theatre will stage carnival activities.

More events have been organised for people interested in sports; streetball games, parkour performances and trampoline shows were all included in the special 10-day program.

Festive lights in a Tbilisi street.  Photo by N.Alavidze/Agenda.ge.

Young children can also enjoy the festivities, as fairytale characters and puppet theatre troupes will present shows and take photos with their young fans.

In an effort to make transportation easier on New Year’s Eve, Tbilisi Mayor David Narmania announced the Tbilisi Metro would be free for passengers from 11pm on December 31 to 4am on January 1, while the aerial gondola from Rike Park to Narikala Fortress will also be free from 11pm on December 31 to 3am on January 1, 2016.

The special New Year celebratory events will conclude on January 3.