NEWS PHOTO ANNA SMITH
Images of the 2024 New Year’s Eve Fest at the Big Marble Go Centre.
asmith@medicinehatnews.com
New Year’s Eve started a little earlier at the Big Marble Go Centre, permitting those young and young at heart to take part in festivities.
Starting at noon Tuesday, the Centre initiated a “full facility takeover” event, in which the different recreational options were completely free of charge, from skating and floor hockey to family Nerf wars.
“There’s options for people to still partake in true favorites, like Tot Time,” said Rebecca Hirsch, program coordinator for the Parks and Recreation department. “Just a variety of things to do, for people to stay active and enjoy that family time.”
The annual event is quickly becoming something of a Medicine Hat tradition, said Hirsch, who noted that it’s easily been put on since before the Centre was taken over by Big Marble Farms.
“It’s always really nice,” said Hirsch. “You get to see some people that obviously come year round, but also those we rarely or never see come in and enjoy the family time. It’s great to provide the option to kind of enjoy and get out of the house after Christmas Time.”
The afternoon presented an opportunity for those who may not usually come to the Big Marble Go Centre to see everything they have to offer without a cost, as well as a few paid fitness classes that were being hosted for those who might be looking for something to help with their 2025 fitness goals.
Turnout was quite high, Hirsch says, with part of the benefit of the layout of the facility being that it usually can keep the halls and lobby areas quite clear while still being packed in the recreational areas.
This clear nature, of course, wouldn’t last, as families gathered in the main lobby at 3:45 p.m. for a balloon drop to ring in the New Year a little ahead of schedule.
“We cater it more for the young kids, since they usually stay up until midnight,” said Hirsch. “So it’s a nice way to end the event, but also an opportunity for parents to kind of wrap things up for New Year’s for the kids, and then have an opportunity for the evening to have some time with friends or each other.”
Hirsch hopes that this party encourages more people to visit the Centre year round, or in the least to keep their eyes peeled, as it’s likely that a similar facility takeover will happen on Family Day.
