Editor's Note: This article was updated on Dec. 31 to reflect the new face mask guidance of the event.

"The circus arrives without warning," writes Erin Morgenstern in her New York Times bestselling book, "The Night Circus."

At dusk, on Dec. 31st, on the lawn of Festival Park, just a stone's throw from downtown Fayetteville, the circus is coming to town. This circus will not be the regular circus with striped tents, clowns or elephants but rather a night circus. With it comes fire breathers, jugglers, stilt walkers and an assortment of food and spirits — enough entertainment to keep curiosity peaked and crowds amped.

This New Year's Eve, the Night Circus will be open, but it will open for one night only.

The saying goes, nothing good happens after 10 p.m. However, in this case, for this one night, Bianca Shoneman, President and CEO of Cool Spring Downtown District, promises this won't be the case. The Cool Spring Downtown District and the City of Fayetteville are throwing a New Year's Eve party to remember.

Night Circus: A District New Year's Eve Spectacular is set to be a night full of fantastical artists, food and throwback tunes for all the '90s music lovers out there.

Shoneman says a New Year's Eve event of this magnitude has not happened in more than a decade. This event will include a '90s dance party that starts around 10 p.m. with headliners Coolio, Rob Base, C + C Music Factory and All-4-One.

"We felt like we could all use some good cheer," Shoneman said. "I think the goal of the city council is to create a new tradition … We were looking to do something different than the standard festival you might see."

And, according to Shoneman, it takes a lot of money to pull off an event like this — $165,000, to be exact. Part of allocating those funds includes commissioning a long-term asset, an 18-foot star, that will be raised to the sky on New Year's Eve.

"Since we represent the Can-Do City, instead of dropping something like many communities do, we are going to lift the star because we have an up-and-coming spirit."

The plan this New Year's Eve is to lift the star 110 feet into the air at the stroke of midnight, and simultaneously, fireworks will ignite, and a sign that reads America's Can-Do City will light up.

The star was constructed by local sign makers, Blashfield Sign Company. Owner, Matt Blashfield, noted that the star is an odd one-of-a-kind item, very precise in design and construction and at times, production was arduous.

The star itself took 45 days and $45,000 to construct and is exactly 18-feet tall from each point on the star.

"It was a challenge with all the material and shipping delays the world is experiencing … We did this thing together. It was the epitome of teamwork," Blashfield said.

The City officials hope this event will foster a sense of community and ignite a new annual tradition for Cumberland County.

Tammy Thurman, Senior Community and Local Government Manager for Piedmont Natural Gas, a sponsor of the event, explained that in contrast, community members are used to traveling and watching other cities and states celebrate the new year; the community can now celebrate it in their own city.

This addition to Fayetteville's livability is just the sort of thing Shoneman said she and others who work for the city aim to achieve.

"People are starting to believe in the life, work, play, shop here … this notion of creating a great place to live that we've been working on for years. The city is creating a more livable community," Shoneman said.

They have also planned a smaller; no fireworks included, star lift around 9 p.m. for those families with little ones they want to tuck safely into bed before midnight.

This portion of the night will incorporate music from local DJs, including Fayetteville's only female turntablist, DJ Miracle. At 10 p.m., the other musicians will take over, and the music will change. Shoneman and others are hoping the event will be well-attended. If it is, she says they are looking to use the Night Circus in years to come.

"At this point, we hope the theme sticks. It's such a good theme. I hope it's well-received," she said.

The event will include carnival games, LED jugglers, fire breathers, magicians, aerialists, a Ferris Wheel and a carousel. There will be 11 food providers, and three beer tents and champagne bottles will be available for purchase. Food trucks and wine and beer vendors will take both cards and cash.

Night Circus will start at 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 31 and run until 12:30 a.m. January 1, 2022. The event is free to all. Mechanical rides and carnival games will also be available for a fee. Attendees can find parking in service lots around downtown Fayetteville for $5.

There will also be a free shuttle running from Fort Bragg to the event from 6:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. For additional information on the event call 910-223-1089.

Face masks will be required upon entry to the event. 22,000 face masks will be available to attendees who do not bring their own. The face masks were donated to the event by an anonymous donor and the Cape Fear Valley Regional Hospital. Non-vaccinated attendees are encouraged to take a COVID test within 24 hours of the event. Vaccinated attendees are encouraged to provide proof of vaccination.