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Vail offers tips for safe New Year’s Eve celebration

VAIL, Colorado – New Year’s Eve in Vail will include adjustments in bus service and the presence of police and fire personnel to ensure that a safe and fun atmosphere is provided for residents and guests. For the first time in more than 10 years, the town will be rescinding an overnight curfew and eliminating late-night checkpoints in Vail Village due to the long-term success of its public safety campaign. Police Chief Dwight Henninger says additional foot patrols in the pedestrian areas will be used to maintain a family-friendly environment during the holiday.

Adjustments in bus service, implemented in previous years, will be retained to reduce last-minute crowding and to allow for effective service for those returning home, according to Henninger. As a result, Vail Transit and ECO Regional Transit will temporarily suspend inbound and outbound bus service in Vail between 10 p.m. and midnight on New Year’s Eve. Free outbound service by both carriers will resume at midnight with the last ECO bus leaving the Vail Transportation Center at approximately 2 a.m. The late-night ECO Transit service will be offered for free. In addition, Vail will provide in-town shuttle service every 15 minutes between the Vail Village and Lionshead parking structures from 10:30 p.m. to approximately 2:30 a.m. Regular in-town service will resume at 6:30 a.m. New Year’s Day.-

The town of Vail first implemented its public safety measures during the 2001 Fourth of July and New Year’s Eve holidays to reduce crowding and underage drinking in Vail Village. Since then, the Town Council has adopted legislation giving the town the option to relax or reinstate the public safety measures when circumstances warrant. Patrols by the Gore Range DUI Task Force will also take place on New Year’s Eve. Those who plan to consume alcohol are encouraged to plan ahead and take the bus, or arrange for a designated driver or an alternative ride home. For exceptional circumstances, vehicles may be left overnight in the parking structures, compliments of the Town of Vail. Vehicles must be retrieved by 11 a.m. the next day by using an overnight parking authorization receipt available from the Visitor Information Centers, which open at 8:30 a.m.



Family entertainment options for New Year’s Eve include the Vail Mountain Torchlight Ski Down Parade at 6:15 p.m. from Golden Peak, immediately followed by a fireworks show. The event is free and open to the public. After the Torchlight Parade and Fireworks, a family New Year’s Eve celebration will be held at Adventure Ridge from 7 to 9 p.m. The Eagle Bahn Gondola and select activities are free. All children must be accompanied by a chaperone. Call 970-754-8245 for more information.

For ages 21 and over, a full-band performance by Thievery Corporation takes place at Dobson Arena beginning at 9 p.m. with a midnight balloon drop, confetti storm and champagne toast. Tickets for Vail NYE 2013 are available at http://www.vailnye.com.-

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For more information on Vail’s public safety measures, contact the Vail Police Department at 970-479-2210.


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