Vermont Business Magazine It's time to start the countdown to one of Vermont’s most beloved seasonal traditions: Highlight, Burlington’s official New Year’s Eve celebration. Produced by Burlington City Arts (BCA) since 2018, Highlight has grown into a signature event that fills the city’s vibrant waterfront and downtown with music, unique art events, circus, food, fireworks, and unforgettable moments of wonder that bring people together.
Highlight has always been more than a New Year’s Eve party—it’s a reflection of Burlington’s spirit: welcoming, deeply creative, and built on collaboration. BCA created Highlight to showcase Vermont artists and innovators, and each year the event is shaped by the community it serves. One of the ways that happens is through BCA’s Bright Ideas Project, an open call that invites Vermont creators to dream up one-of-a-kind New Year's Eve events. BCA provides funding and production support to bring those ideas to life at Highlight. The result is a celebration that truly honors our creative community.
A Full Day of Festivities for Every Kind of Reveler
Highlight runs from 12 pm to 12:30 am on December 31, offering more than 12 hours of non-stop fun. BCA works to create a celebration where everyone—families, longtime residents, visitors, and first-time attendees—feels welcome, included, and safe.
The celebration begins at noon with family-friendly New Year’s favorites like Circus Smirkus at Contois Auditorium with three shows throughout the afternoon at 12, 2, and 4 pm, and Good Clean Fun at the Vermont Comedy Club with shows at 1, 3, and 5 pm.
Beginning at 2 PM, revelers can celebrate lakeside at Waterfront Fest—featuring bonfires, s’mores, kids' activities, food trucks, the Fluffy Bus, and a standout lineup of live music, including:
- Sonido Mal Maiz, exploring the psychedelic side of Latin music.
- The soulful sounds of Burlington’s own Dwight + Nicole
- Beloved local alt folk legend Bob Wagner
- Rising star of the indie scene, Dari Bay
- International touring indie folk legends with Vermont roots, The Barr Brothers (headlining at 8:30 pm)
Earlier in the afternoon, you can warm up for all the fun to come at the NYE Run/Walk to Highlight or dance the day away at Daytime Disco down the street at Foam Brewers.
When the sun goes down, Highlight lights up the night with Fireworks over Lake Champlain at 8 pm followed by the unique NYE tradition of burning a handcrafted wooden sculpture of mythical lake monster, Champ.
For a more mellow way to celebrate, grab a seat and settle in for an evening of Story & Song from 4–9:30 pm at the Unitarian Universalist Church, featuring:
- True tales from our community coming alive at The Moth StorySLAM
- Communal Shape Note Singing
- Musical performances by beloved local singer/songwriters Sam Amidon, Hannah Frances, and Henry Jamison
- Immersive video projections by Vanish Works
Settle in for an evening of astonishment and wonder that will send your spirits soaring at Highlighting New Heights, showcasing three unique aerial dance performances in Contois Auditorium from 6-9:15 pm.
- WABAAM! Circus Collective: Redamancy brings together circus and aerial dance to spectacular effect
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Soaring choreography and reactive visuals collide in Lunarcy for a fully immersive experience
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Feathers and Bone, presented by Burlington’s own Murmurations Aerial, will transport you to imagined realms
As the clock winds down towards midnight, Highlight keeps the party rolling right into 2026 with late-night events like:
- The Will to Dance at ECHO, a mini-music festival featuring Wild Leek River, Sonido Mal Maiz, Moondogs, NewMantra, and more, that celebrates the sonic diversity of Vermont’s music scene from 7 pm to 12:30 am.
- Candy Coated Dreams, an immersive shadow installation and liquid light dance party transforming ECHO into a vivid dreamscape at 10 pm.
- Boot stompin’ bluegrass and modern country with Ponyhustle at Foam Brewers at 10:30 pm, with the Tenderbellies opening at 8:30 pm.
- Vinyl Vibes: A NYE Dance Party, which will time-travel Contois Auditorium to the disco era for an unforgettable end to 2025
Community, Creativity, and Safety
“Arts-driven events like Highlight bring our city to life,” said Burlington City Arts Executive Director Doreen Kraft. “When you celebrate with us, you’re helping create a feeling of community, of safety, and of understanding.”
Highlight is just one piece of BCA’s commitment to strengthening Vermont's creative ecosystem. All year-round, BCA supports artists, presents exhibitions, commissions public art, and provides opportunities for people to learn, heal, and connect. Events like Highlight are only possible because of our community’s continued investment in BCA. When people ring in the New Year at Highlight, they’re experiencing the results of over forty years of dedication to the arts, artists, and connecting through creativity.
“After celebrating with us at Highlight, my hope is that people feel joy,” said Doreen Kraft. “I hope they feel connected to their neighbors. And that they experience firsthand how creativity can light up our city. Highlight shows what’s possible when a community believes in the arts—and believes in each other.”
Tickets
All-access passes are $18 now, before they go up to $20 on December 31. Families can snag special reserved floor seats for Circus Smirkus with the Big Top Button for $40.
Full lineup and details are available at HighlightBTV.org.
BCA invites everyone—near and far—to come downtown, celebrate safely, and welcome 2025 at the biggest, most joyful party of the year!
Press images and brand kit
Highlight New Year’s Eve is made possible by
Champion Sponsors: The WaterWheel Foundation, the Pomerleau Family Foundation, Tito's Handmade Vodka, Foam Brewers, Burlington Telecom, Neagley & Chase Construction Company, Burlington Electric Department, and Vermont Gas Systems
Supporting Sponsor: Lake Champlain Chocolates
Community Sponsors: Hello Burlington, Redstone, AARP Vermont, Courtyard by Marriott Burlington Harbor, Hotel Vermont, Paul Frank + Collins, Skinny Pancake
Media sponsors: Seven Days, WCAX, and Vermont Public
About Burlington City Arts
For over 40 years, Burlington City Arts (BCA) has helped cement Burlington, Vermont’s reputation as one of America’s most livable cities for the arts. Our physical locations include the BCA Center, a three-level, year-round exhibition space, as well as BCA Studios, which hosts art classes, camps, and open studio hours in our state-of-the-art facilities. BCA also produces city-wide festivals, events, concerts, film screenings, artist markets, and more. Funded by a unique public/private partnership in which private charitable contributions leverage City funding, BCA is dedicated to supporting artists while expanding access to arts-based education and experiences. BCA provides a national model for centering the arts in community impact, on sectors as varied as education, the environment, civic dialogue, and the economy.
12.5.2025. BURLINGTON, VERMONT – Burlington City Arts
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