Cancel

Open app

Search

First Night

4.5 (2 reviews)

First Night Photos

You might also consider

Recommended Reviews - First Night

Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
Yelp app icon
Browse more easily on the app
Review Feed Illustration
Photo of Michael K.
212
76
87

7 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

17 years ago

Helpful 3
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 0

Verify this business for free

Get access to customer & competitor insights.

Verify this business

Saratoga County Fairgrounds

Saratoga County Fairgrounds

3.0(7 reviews)
6.1 mi

Great experience, food is good rides are okay. But, while I was giving the lady $20 for the rides…read morepass (which is overpriced) I accidentally gave her $30 and instead of giving me the $10 back the girl I was with saw that she quickly took the extra $10 while I wasn't looking. Also, the ride that's like the Sasquatch at 6flags kinda shook concerningly when it got to the top ?? And the Ferris wheel made weird cracking noises ?? Also the truck show or whatever is ridiculously loud and obnoxious

Might you ask me the amount of Nascar T-shirts in attendance at the fair, I'd venture a guess at…read more"every one ever made." Boy, what a lousy experience this fair sure was.The whole place was a domestic violence dispute away from a being full blown trailer park with rides! The drive in was as terrible... A row of cars as far back as the eye could see. A young punk flipped me the bird for taking a right hand turn at a green light. When I was a young chap, I might've stepped out of my car and showed this delinquent how to have a little respect. Heck, I probably would have done it then and there if my grandchildren weren't in the car. The entrance was packed tighter than the streets of Chinatown with a whole mess of farm animals, all of which cost some damned amount to ride. My grandson wanted to ride the disheveled looking camel around in circles while my granddaughter complained about the poor treatment of fair animals or some shit. She's one of those soft liberal types, so I tried discreetly passing her my flask to take her aggravating edge off. "Grow up and pull off this." I said, before her dull father scolded me about her age. For crying out loud, she's 18! My father gave me my first whiskey at age 12 and it was a defining moment of my life. That's the problem with parenting these days. Everything is about what's right and wrong in the eyes of the law. Go ahead sonny, and play the straight and narrow, and don't complain when you get a damned liberal, PETA sympathizer as a daughter. The vendors were packed together tighter than the animal prison at the entrance. Steak hoagies, blooming onions, and deep fried foods that should never be deep fried out of moral concern. My grandson ate a deep fried snickers and complained about his stomach the rest of the night. We saw a bunch of rednecks in dilapidated vehicles crashing into other rednecks with dilapidated vehicles as an army of rednecks in the grandstands shouted favorably at all of this deplorable behavior. I don't see the appeal. I paid good money to bring the family into the house of mirrors, but it was a complete sham! It was just a few measly mirrors that was as much a maze as a deep fried snickers is a nutritious snack. At the end they tried to make me go down a slide saying I couldn't turn back, but I told that god damned carnie he'd have to bound my hands and feet before I went down that slide. The granddaughter hollered at him about my age, and that I've been known to sue. Bless her heart. After the mirror maze fiasco, I sat the next ride out. My granddaughter joined me and said we should see the grizzly bears while my dim son-in-law and grandson rode the scrambler. I asked her if she was just trying to get some of my liquor. She said yes. I laughed, patted her head, and we started walking towards the bears. I asked her why the hell she wanted to see some caged bears if she was such a sissy about animals in captivity. She told me she wasn't, but it pissed her father off and that, if I could keep a secret, she liked pissing her father off because he's a stooge. Heh... there's the Slotnick in her. I give the Fair 1 star because of the unfathomable amount of rednecks in attendance, the destruction of perfectly good vehicles, and the rides/attractions not worth their dues. Also, a full star off for that windy sunuvabitch for trying to make me go down that slide. I will not go back, but god knows I'll be dragged back next year.

Photos
Saratoga County Fairgrounds
Saratoga County Fairgrounds
Saratoga County Fairgrounds

See all

Saratoga Performing Arts Center - Billy Idol

Saratoga Performing Arts Center

2.7(167 reviews)
1.8 mi

This review is for the grounds of SPAC. Summer 2024. This…read moreplace has lost a lot of its charm. Oh, it is more efficient but now looks like a cheesy boardwalk in a honky think city. Bathroom lines move along faster, but it's NOT Proctors with an adult in charge, directing in the restroom. A volunteer or attendant really could help, especially after toilet paper runs out. TV Screens. They help. But you need more. If you're going to sell SO many tickets, LIVENaTION, I mean you, put screens all around the perimeters. $50 for a lawn ticket is a lot just for the experience of being there on the flat lawn. I can go to Tanglewood and at least have charm and not see anything. But THIS: To ALL singles, those couples who don't know the grounds super-well or have poor Night Vision, or expect to be tired or under-the-influence: You MUST get there early enough to park in one of the Route 50 lots, or have a designated Navigator. I joined some friends later and the Rt. 50 lots were full. I parked in one of the picnic area lots and followed the herd. Found my friends- no problem. THEN- afterwards... I DID have to eventually have a police officer drive me to my car. Several staff people gave me different directions to the Peerless Pool parking lot, and that was not good. It was a little frightening, no, more than a little, to be alone in the woods with cars full of rowdy drunks around. I was not that alone: there were several groups of people lost, as well, but they were equally frazzled. It's not well lighted ANYWHERE, especially the trails through the woods between lots. I finally said to 2 "rangers" that I'd look for my car for 5 more minutes and then call the police or an Uber. One ranger (volunteer?) pulled out a map, tried to write ON it, but that wasn't the biggest part of the problem. My phone had a virtual path to my car: through traffic, along roads, through dark woods. 20+ minutes, but the gps kept changing as I took wrong turns. It was dark, NOT well labeled/signage -wise. Not enough posted attendants who really knew the grounds. (A couple lost guys in suits looking for the VIP parking: "The employees were all hired yesterday. We have walked in a great big circle!" One hysterical woman who had a disabled parent with her: "I can't find my car!" These rangers asked a police officer to help me. Thankfully he did! I NEVER would have found my way at and would now be part of the SPAC lore of those still roaming the woods. Will it take a tragedy for physical and psychological safety to be honored? In San Francisco, they had escorts with signs outside the main entrance of a theater "Walk together to the train station." I suggest this for SPAC. "Walk together back to the "XYZ" lot. And MORE LIGHTING and MORE volunteers or attendants. Or bags or bread crumbs to drop on the way in. At least lighted, labeled TRAIL MARKERS.

ROTTEN customer service. In fact NO customer service. I called the box office several times just to…read moreask a few simple questions about upcoming concerts. They never answer the phone nor do they return messages. RUDE, LAZY and SHAMEFUL !!!!

Photos
Saratoga Performing Arts Center - Encanto Sing Along Concert

Encanto Sing Along Concert

Saratoga Performing Arts Center - Joan Jett

Joan Jett

Saratoga Performing Arts Center - Endless lines

See all

Endless lines

Universal Preservation Hall - View of stage from the side while standing.

Universal Preservation Hall

4.8(6 reviews)
0.2 mi

Went to see Finnegan's Wake. Very nice place. There is a bar upstairs and for our show we sat at…read moreround tables throughout the room as we were part of the show. There are two parking lots close by and I appreciated that it was all well lit outside. I look forward to seeing other shows here.

What an incredible, intimate venue in the Spa City! I went…read moreto a concert on Saturday night and immediately felt welcome from the moment I walked up to the venue. They have people standing outside to ensure you're welcomed and informed of the correct entrance on the side of the building. I found that incredibly helpful! Upon walking in, another staff member was there to point us in the right direction of the ticket booth. When we got to the main lobby, another staff member asked if it was our first time there. We said yes and they welcomed us and gave us helpful information, including the location of the bathrooms, ticket booth and bar. We walked up two flights of stairs to the main room where our seats were located and throughout the journey upstairs, there were staff members there to ensure we knew where to go. When we walked into the main room, we were blown away with how beautiful the former church was. The lighting was incredible and since it's a smaller venue, the floor seats were so close to the stage. Overall, the acoustics were awesome and the show we saw was great. Their programming is really good and there's always something new to discover! Throughout the night, we must've interacted with nearly a dozen staff members - most of whom were volunteers. Their passion for UPH was infectious and I can't overstate how welcomed we felt. Highly recommend this venue!

Photos
Universal Preservation Hall - Atrium area upon entering.

Atrium area upon entering.

Universal Preservation Hall - Stadium and balcony seating with unobstructed views.

Stadium and balcony seating with unobstructed views.

Universal Preservation Hall

See all

9 Maple Ave

9 Maple Ave

4.2(105 reviews)
0.4 mi
•$$$

What a gem. What a vibe. WHAT a cocktail menu…read more Tucked away, totally unpretentious, but with a STAGGERING, almost-unbelievable range of martinis and martini-adjacent cocktails in this fall/winter-perfect, cozy, mostly-paneled speakeasy that's also evocative of a semi-secret lobby bar of an old hotel (it's not though!) Even the music selections made it sound like prohibition era jazz standards were drifting in from another room. It manages to be simultaneously totally old school and totally hip, fancy-feeling and swanky, but also with the ease of a local watering hole... no easy feat. From t-shirts to suits, locals to newbies, it has a totally come-as-you-are, everybody's-welcome atmosphere. Even the locals made us feel at home, giving us great insight into several restaurants all less than a block or two away. Wines and beers also available, but mixology is the main act here. We were there over two separate bartender shifts, both times on a quiet Sunday late-afternoon into evening, but both gents have it all down to a science without forsaking the art of crafting a cocktail. They pushed my formerly-favorite Manhattan (at NYC's King Cole Bar, there, as much for the environs as the drink) squarely out of the top spot, and as I told our bartender after I spied a semi-hidden bottle of Chartreuse and he offered to make an off-the-menu Last Word, it was the first time I fully understood that drink. That hard-to-find liquid green-gold is in VERY good hands at 9 Maple! Perfect for date night, but also welcoming to the lone visitor in search of a PERFECTLY crafted, amply -poured cocktail. Eat before you arrive, or pop back after dinner for a nightcap. Although we were there for off-season, an outdoor courtyard hints at higher traffic when the weather's warmer and the horses are racing. And even off-season, Jazz band nights attract a crowd. This place should really be on more national Top Cocktail Bars lists. It's that good.

We had a stellar experience on 1/19. Whoever the bartender was (wish we got his name) was just…read moreperfection! We had a gin martini and a pistachio martini, both were amazing and very fair pricing as well. So happy we found this spot. It's small, but wonderful and intimate. All of the patrons were chatting with each other over drinks at the bar and we really enjoyed every moment. We even made our way back later that night for the perfect espresso martini

Photos
9 Maple Ave - Espresso martini

Espresso martini

9 Maple Ave - Bourbon Old Fashioned and Midnight Martini

Bourbon Old Fashioned and Midnight Martini

9 Maple Ave - That's a Manhattan.

See all

That's a Manhattan.

First Night - festivals - Updated May 2026

Loading...
Loading...
Loading...