By Alexandra Pecci
Correspondent

Say goodbye to 2009 and hello to a brand new decade at First Nights in Portsmouth and Boston.

In Portsmouth, events and performances are scheduled throughout the day and night, said Barbara Massar, executive director of Pro Portsmouth, the nonprofit group that produces First Night.

And in Boston, more than 200 exhibitions and performances are planned, also throughout the day and night, according to First Night Director Geri Guardino.

“It’s a special year. It’s the start of a new decade,” Guardino said. “We always try to make it exciting, mix it up.”

The bad economy was tough on First Night Portsmouth, so organizers turned to the people of the Seacoast for help.

“We called it a Community Initiative for First Night, where people became shareholders and they bought shares of First Night,” Massar said. “It was a really nice response. I kept having these George Bailey from ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ moments. It was real affirmation.”

Thanks to the Community Initiative, the entire First Night Portsmouth program will be available. In fact, they’ve also added two new venues this year: Great Bay Academy of Dance and The Players’ Ring.

All Portsmouth programs are about 45 minutes long, so people can go from venue to venue and pack in as much as they can.

“Everything’s appropriate for all ages,” Massar said.

There’s a Street Dance from 5 p.m. to midnight at Market Square, hosted by the WSCA Portsmouth Community Radio DJs.

“There are literally people dancing in the street all night. It’s a lot of fun,” Massar said. “You’re walking down the street and all of a sudden you hear K.C. and the Sunshine Band.”

And the Portsmouth fireworks start at 7:30 at South Mill Pond, to allow families to see them.

“There’s something really different about fireworks in the winter on a First Night,” Massar said. “You’re bundled up and you’re huddling with your friends and family to stay warm.”

The 34th annual First Night Boston celebration includes music and dance, theater and film, and everything in between.

A highlight is the Grand Procession, a parade that Guardino says is at “the heart of First Night,” bringing together the diverse people and cultures of Boston, from New Orleans-style bands to costumed carnival dancers and musicians.

“Every First Night is really about the city in which it takes place,” Guardino said. “For us to engage all of the neighborhoods and bring them together downtown to perform and strut their stuff is just wonderful.”

And it’s great for all ages, Guardino said. “It’s a really nice way to turn kids on to the different cultures of Boston.”

There are two sets of fireworks in Boston. The 7 p.m. family fireworks are over Boston Common after the Grand Procession and the midnight fireworks ring in the New Year over Boston Harbor.

First Night Portsmouth Events
OUTDOORS
Ice Sculpture: Beginning at 2 p.m., Market Square/North Church.
Street Dance: 5 p.m. to midnight at Pleasant Street at Market Square; hosted by the WSCA Portsmouth Community Radio DJs.
Fireworks: 7:30 p.m. at South Mill Pond.
INDOOR EVENTS
The Connie Bean Center
Abracadabra! Magic with Phil Smith, 5:15 to 6 p.m. and 6:15 to 7 p.m.
On your mark, get set … draw!, caricatures by Bob Nilson, ongoing from 5 to 7 p.m.
Create a First Night Headband with The Headband Lady, ongoing from 5 to 7 p.m.
Face Painting anyone? Ongoing from 5 to 7 p.m.
Foté, West African drumming, 8:15 to 9 p.m. and 9:15 to 10 p.m.
Scharff Brothers, a couple of brothers with guitars playing some great tunes, 10:30 to 11 p.m. and 11:15 p.m. to midnight
Great Bay Academy of Dance
The Great Bay Academy of Dance performs selections from their repertoire, including “The Nutcracker,” and lead the crowd in Interactive Movement.
Performances are 3:15 p.m. to 3:45 p.m., 4:30 to 5 p.m., and 5:45 to 6:15 p.m.
Interactive Movement sessions take place from 4 to 4:20 p.m. and 5:15 to 5:35 p.m.
Middle Street Baptist Hall
Seacoast Vocal Union, fine choral singing, 5:30 to 6 p.m. and 6:30 to 7 p.m.
Jeff Warner & Friends, maritime and traditional folk music, 8:15 to 9 p.m., 9:30 to 10:15 p.m., and 10:45 to  11:30 p.m.
The North Church
Peter Sheridan, music, puppets and storytelling, 5:15 to 6 p.m. and 6:15 to 7 p.m.
T.J. Wheeler & Co., jazz, blues, and a celebration of the 20th anniversary of TJ’s program, “Hope, Heroes and the Blues,” 8:15 to 9 p.m., 9:30 to 10:15 p.m., and 10:45 to midnight.
The Players’ Ring
“The Long Christmas Dinner,” a production of Thornton Wilder’s one-act play by Generic Theatre, 5 p.m., 6 p.m., 8 p.m., and 9 p.m.
The South Church/’The UU’
Salt River, fine folk, 5 to 5:45 p.m. and 6:15 to 7 p.m.
Ryan Thomson & Son, fiddlers, 8 to 8:45 p.m. and 9 to 9:45 p.m.
Rock My Soul, gospel, 10 to 10:45 p.m. and 11:15 to midnight.
Temple Israel Hall
All Together Now, Beatles cover band, 8:15 to 9 p.m., 9:30 to 10:15 p.m. and 10:45 to 11:30 p.m.
United Methodist Church Hall
Randy Armstrong, acoustic, world fusion, 8:15 to 9 p.m., 9:30 to 10:15 p.m. and 10:45 to 11:30 p.m.
W.E.S.T. – West End Studio Theatre
“Christmas 1910,” an original adaptation of South Berwick author Gladys Hasty Carroll’s memoir by Pontine Theatre, 5 to 5:30 p.m. and 6 to 6:30 p.m.
New Hampshire Theatre Project
“A New Year Story Celebration,” featuring stories, skits and tales of wonder for all ages by  New Hampshire Theatre Project artists, 8:30 to 9 p.m. and 9:30 to 10 p.m.
First Night Boston Events
For kids:
The family-friendly event is free for kids under 4, alcohol free, handicapped and stroller accessible, and one-stop-shopping for parents, said First Night Director Geri Guardino.

First Night Boston starts with the Fed Ex Family Festival at 1 p.m. at the Hynes Convention Center, which is perfect for families who want to escape the cold. Families will get “their buttons’ worth” just from the afternoon activities, Guardino said.

“They can go right in the Hynes convention center and stay there all day,” Guardino said. “And then if they want to they can come out and watch the grand procession and the 7 p.m. fireworks and call it a day.”

Highlights of the Fed Ex Family Festival
A Different Spin, a circus and fine arts entertainment troupe.
ImprovBoston Kids Comedy, geared toward kids ages 8 to 12 years, with improv scenes, games and lots of audience participation.
Maximum Velocity, a professional stunt team with riders and skaters.
SkyRiders, a professional acrobatic trampoline team.

For adults:
Film festivals, including Bollywood and Roxbury.
Cruise Boston Harbor on New Year’s Eve, a one-hour harbor cruise, free to First Night button holders.
Improv Asylum, giving free tickets to 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. performances on Dec. 31.
Countdowns to Midnight, from the steps of the Boston Public Library and Copley Square.

Getting around and getting a button in Boston:
Most First Night Boston activities are within a square mile downtown in the Back Bay, the common, and Tremont Street areas.

“But it does go beyond that” Guardino said, such as the waterfront for the midnight fireworks.

There’s a free, continuous shuttle service for First Night button holders along Boston’s waterfront and seaport area that departs approximately every 10 to 15 minutes.

Although there’s discounted parking with the First Night button, “We always recommend that people should bag their cars and come in on the T,” Guardino said.

The T and Purple Line are free after 8 p.m. and they run well after midnight. Check out the First Night guide for parking options.

Check the Web site, www.firstnight.org, for places to a buy a button on First Night. It costs $18 for adults and is free for kids under 4. Early birds can also buy buttons online by December 26 for $15.

To make it easy to get around, Guardino said families should study their guides, look for four or five things that they want to see and do, and map out where they take place.

Bundle up the kids
Take the following tips from the American Academy of Pediatrics to make sure your kids stay toasty and safe during the First Night festivities:

Dress infants and children warmly for outdoor activities. Several thin layers will keep them dry and warm. Clothing for children should consist of thermal long johns, turtlenecks, one or two shirts, pants, sweater, coat, warm socks, boots, gloves or mittens, and a hat.

The rule of thumb for older babies and young children is to dress them in one more layer of clothing than an adult would wear in the same conditions.

The sun’s rays can still cause sunburn in the winter, especially when they reflect off snow.  Make sure to cover your child’s exposed skin with sunscreen.

Warm up inside periodically throughout the day and night.