Hooves clopped in tandem up Lackawanna Avenue, two large draft horses pulling a white-lit wagon full of families.
Music reverberated through the Mall at Steamtown as a small crowd of people listened to Continental Italian Serenades croon classic songs from the mid-1900s.
People gathered to watch improvisation comedy shows, bands, poets, story-tellers and more Monday night during the 14th annual First Night Scranton New Year's Eve celebration downtown.
Mary and Ken Cornell, who ventured down from their Hill Section home for their first-ever First Night Scranton, waited for the beginning of "Here We are in Spain," an improvisation comedy group at the Federal Building.
"We were born and raised here, but this is the first time we came down," Mrs. Cornell said. "It seems like Scranton is getting more people here to see things."
About 3,500 people picked up their event buttons and hopped from event to event, said First Night project director Paige Balitski, a number "on par" with past turnouts.
She said the response from people has been positive, with a lot of event-goers praising the array of acts and options to visit. "People are into the variety," she said.
For children, there were no shortage of activities, including a clown, a Wild West Entertainment show, a juggler and horse-drawn carriage rides.
Jay Snyder and his children, Sara, 20, and Kyle, 10, munched on warm pretzels after venturing out from the warmth of the mall where they'd watched a magic show, hula hoopers and face painters, to explore what the city had to offer. "It's nice, wholesome fun," Mr. Snyder said.
Contact the writer: ksullivan@timesshamrock.com, @ksullivanTT on Twitter