Clear bags mandatory for free Famously Hot New Year Celebration with Salt-N-Pepa

Plus, everything to know about the free #FHNY party on New Year’s Eve in downtown, Columbia S.C.

Diverse communities from near and far will come together on New Year’s Eve in downtown Columbia, S.C., for a free concert by superstar hip-hop duo Salt-N-Pepa at Famously Hot New Year. This year, South Carolina’s largest NYE celebration will implement a mandatory clear bag policy. View details and make plans for #FHNY at http://www.famouslyhotnewyear.com/.

In addition to the free outdoor concert, the evening includes a midnight countdown, a street festival with vendors for food, merchandise, beer, wine and bubbly, and the biggest NYE fireworks display in the state — all adjacent to the historic S.C. State House — on Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2019.

Thousands of locals and visitors alike will dance in the streets and enjoy time with family and friends in downtown Columbia’s vibrant, walkable lifestyle districts. Brimming with Southern hospitality, Famously Hot New Year brings a festive atmosphere to a downtown area filled with hotels, restaurants and shops for those planning a visit to celebrate New Year’s Eve in South Carolina’s capital city — the “real Southern hot spot.”

New This Year: Famously Hot New Year Mandatory Clear Bag Policy
To provide a safer, more enjoyable environment for all attendees, Famously Hot New Year is implementing a mandatory clear bag policy. This policy is similar to those implemented throughout Columbia, S.C. and the country, complying with a new level of security expected of large, heavily-attended events. The new policy will allow for a more efficient entry for FHNY attendees by limiting the size and type of bags that may be brought into the festival.

Approved Bags
• Clear plastic, vinyl or PVC bags that do not exceed 12″ x 6″ x 12″ — a logo no larger than 4.5″ x 3.4″ can be displayed on one side of a permissible clear bag
• One-gallon clear plastic freezer bag [Ziploc bag or similar]
• Small clutch bags no larger than 4.5″ x 6.5″ — approximately the size of a hand, with or without a handle or strap
• Medically necessary items [after proper inspection and tagging]

Prohibited Bags Include, but are not Limited to:
• Purses larger than a 4.5″ x 6.5″ clutch bag
• Briefcases
• Backpacks
• Fanny packs
• Diaper bags
• Cinch/Drawstring bags
• Luggage of any kind
• Computer bags
• Binocular cases
• Camera bags

All bags will be subject to search upon arrival, and any bags that exceed the permitted size will not be allowed in. Approved, clear bags are available at local and online retailers such as Todd & Moore, Walmart and Amazon. An inexpensive one-gallon Ziploc-style bag may also be used. For more information on what not to bring, visit www.famouslyhotnewyear.com/faqs.

The Concert
Salt-N-Pepa — the first female hip-hop act to receive a Grammy and attain platinum status — will headline Famously Hot New Year with a free, outdoor concert. With hit songs including “Push It,” “Shake Your Thang,” “Shoop” and “Whatta Man,” hip-hop legends Cheryl “Salt” James and Sandra “Pepa” Denton have sold more than 12 million albums to date. Learn more about Salt-N-Pepa at www.famouslyhotnewyear.com/live-concert.

Charleston, S.C., locals The High Divers will support. With anthemic choruses, lush three-part harmonies and rhythms rooted just as deeply in Motown as in rock ’n’ roll, the band is a fixture of the South Carolina music scene with a growing national profile.

Columbia’s own dynamic Cottontown Soul Society will open the show. With deeply funky rhythms and soaring vocals, the diverse family of Columbia music-scene veterans has a style that transcends time and genre to connect individually with every listener.

Special appearances by the popular regional performer DJ Prince Ice will take place throughout the evening.

Once again, the stage will be situated at Gervais and Sumter Streets in downtown Columbia, S.C., one short block from the iconic S.C. State House dome, where fireworks will sparkle after a midnight countdown.

Live Broadcast, Celebrity Emcees
Famously Hot New Year will be broadcast live on TV by WLTX News 19! Co-anchor of WLTX’s “News19 This Morning,” Brandon Taylor, Q 93.5/WARQ’s DJ Croghan, and 101.3/The Big DM’s DeeDee Renee will act as emcees.

Famously Hot New Year Celebration Schedule
6:30 p.m. | Concert gates open
6:30 – 7:30 p.m. | DJ Prince Ice
7:30 – 8:30 p.m. | Cottontown Soul Society
9 – 10 p.m. | The High Divers
10:30 – 11:55 p.m. | Salt-N-Pepa (Full set)
11:55 p.m. | Countdown with Mayor Benjamin and fireworks
12:30 a.m. | Beer, wine and bubbly sales end
1 a.m. | Gates close

How to Get There and Back Safely
The COMET
Attendees will be able to take unlimited, free rides on The COMET buses to and from FHNY after 8 p.m. No COMET bus pass is required for free rides beginning at 8 p.m. If you are using The COMET services to get to FHNY prior to 8 p.m., a COMET bus pass will be required.

Buses to Famously Hot New Year will begin at 6 p.m. on Dec. 31, with the last pickup from the festival at Sumter and Lady Streets at 1:30 a.m. the night of the event.

Individuals planning to ride The COMET to the event can do so by hopping on at a stop along one of many routes across the Midlands or by driving to one of four easy park-and-ride locations.

If taking the bus before 8 p.m., riders can pay in cash on The COMET at the beginning of their first ride (exact change required); on their mobile phones using the handy Catch The COMET app, on which riders can monitor bus routes in real time; or at COMET Central, the main downtown Transit Center at the corner of Sumter and Laurel Streets, where cash, checks and major credit/debit cards are accepted.

View a full list of bus stops, routes and park-and-ride locations online.

This year’s park-and-ride locations include the following:
• Harbison Area: Near the Harbison Walmart parking lot near Sam’s Club gas station
• Northeast Columbia: Village at Sandhill near Fashion Drive
• Two Notch Road: Columbia Place Mall at Columbia Mall Road near Faust Avenue
• Forest Drive: Park at Trenholm Plaza, board across the street near the Forest Acres clock

Alert Cab Discounts
Those who need a safe ride home can take an Alert Cab, for which the first $10 of each taxi cab fare is complimentary, thanks to Budweiser. Guests can catch an Alert Cab on the corner of Sumter and Lady Streets.

Parking
Public parking is complimentary at all City of Columbia downtown parking deck facilities from Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2019 at 5 p.m. until Thursday, Jan. 2, 2020 at 3 a.m. (late Wednesday night). View a full list of parking garages online.

Citywide on-street meter operations will also be complimentary after 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2019 and all day on Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2020.

Street Closures
Guests who drive to Famously Hot New Year are encouraged to note the following street closures and openings in downtown Columbia, S.C.

Monday, Dec. 30 Closures
8 a.m.
• 1200 block of Gervais St., between Main St. and Sumter St.

Tuesday, Dec. 31 Closures
7 a.m.
• 1100 and 1200 blocks of Gervais St., between Assembly St. and Sumter St.
• Half block area of 1200 block of Main St., south of the entrance to the NBSC parking garage
9 a.m.
• 900 block of South Main St., from Pendleton St. to College St.
4 p.m.
• Remainder of 1200 block of Main St., between Lady St. and Gervais St.
11:30 p.m.
• 1100 and 1200 blocks of Pendleton St.

Wednesday, Jan. 1 Reopenings
12:30 a.m.
• 1100 and 1200 blocks of Pendleton St.
2 a.m.
• 900 block of South Main St., from Pendleton St. to College St.
8 a.m.
• 1200 block of Main St., between Lady St. and Gervais St.
9 a.m.
• 1200 block of Gervais St., between Main St. and Sumter St.
• 1100 and 1200 blocks of Gervais St., between Assembly St. and Sumter St.
• Half block area of 1200 block of Main St., south of the entrance to the NBSC parking garage

 

About Famously Hot New Year

Famously Hot New Year is South Carolina’s largest free New Year’s Eve celebration, with a free, evening-length concert by a national headliner and the biggest NYE fireworks display in South Carolina, adjacent to the historic S.C. State House in downtown Columbia, S.C. Since 2011, Famously Hot New Year has gathered diverse communities to enjoy the free concert and fireworks; regional food vendors; plentiful cash bars with beer, wine and bubbly; a festival atmosphere and more in the Real Southern Hot Spot. Follow @FamouslyHotNYE and #FHNY on social media, and plan your #FHNY weekend at www.famouslyhotnewyear.com.

Headliner: Salt-N-Pepa (R&B, hip-hop) Instagram: @saltnpepaofficial, Facebook, Twitter: @thesaltnpepa
Support: The High Divers (Motown, rock ’n’ roll) Instagram, Facebook, Twitter: @thehighdivers
Opener: Cottontown Soul Society (jazz, funk) Instagram: @cottontownsoul