Año Viejo Celebration at EOTEC Will Send Off 2023, Welcome 2024

The City of Hermiston is introducing a new New Year’s Eve tradition to kick off 2024 — an Año Viejo Celebration at the Eastern Oregon Trade & Event Center.

This free community event will celebrate the Latin American tradition of ushering out the old year by symbolically burning a life-size “viejo” (old man) dummy filled with regrets, bad habits, and difficulties and celebrating the incoming new year with fireworks. The tradition is most commonly celebrated in Ecuador and Colombia.

The indoor EOTEC Event Center will be full of family-friendly events, food vendors, and entertainment and the outdoor grounds will have a bonfire and smaller fires for warmth. It will also be the final opportunity to enjoy the Festival of Lights display.

People are invited to bring their own viejo dolls to throw in the outdoor bon fire at midnight, or write down something they’d like to leave behind and stuff it in the 2023 viejo before it’s lit on fire at midnight. There will be a contest for most creative doll. (Dolls may not represent a specific individual).

The event begins at 8 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 31 and concludes at 1 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 1. Food and merchandise vendors, musicians and dancers interested in participating can contact Al Davis at 913-953-2299 or adavis@eotechermiston.com.