Twin Ports Prepare For a Lively New Year’s Eve

DULUTH/SUPERIOR — Authorities are expecting a busier New Year’s Eve this year with it falling on a Friday and local businesses and law enforcement have been planning all day to make sure they have their bases covered heading in to 2022.

Last year’s holiday was a bit quieter coming out of the pandemic and that combined with the a holiday falling on a weekend is adding pressure on safety protocols.

“For restaurants and bars it’s always been an extremely busy holiday, we’re always busy here Friday nights so we’re anticipating a little bit bigger crowds than normal,” Dwight Wynn-Kimball, Waiter At 310 Pub In Duluth said.

And over in Superior, they’re expecting the same thing.

“Well, we’re expecting a very busy night and we’ll be open all night long providing a fun, clean friendly atmosphere for the LGBT trans community and friends and family and everyone that’s out there,” Alvin Berg, Co-Owner of Flame Nightclub said.

And preparations have taken place all week to get bars stocked up for partygoers.

“We’ve had to order a lot of product because we usually go through, we’re usually very busy it’s one of our busiest nights of the years except for pride weekend,” Berg said.

Duluth bars close at the normal time of 2 A.M. but if you want the party to continue, right across the bridge in superior they’re open all night, so business owners and law enforcement are ready for crowds from near and far.

“Yeah normally they’re closed at 2 A.M., normally that’s when things settle down for us, we can get our reports written, but they’re going to be open all night and so we’re definitely going a little busier we know that, we’ll have a few extra people working,”  Matt Swanson, Officer for the Superior Police Department said.

“Usually at around 12, 1, 2 in the morning we get a huge influx of customers from the Duluth area and hopefully they’ll all be cabbing over, and so the party starts again at about 2 in the morning,” Berg said.

Those working behind the scenes to keep the night fun for everyone, ask that those taking part in the festivities, plan their nights well.

“You know I’m hoping that everyone understands that Uber and Lyft is a good thing to do. We usually try to make sure that anybody who is driving has a driver with them, or knows their options,” Wynn-Kimball added.

Some may take an Uber home, or ride with a friend, and end up leaving their car overnight.
But police officers say to remember, you could also be at risk of having alcohol in your system the next morning, and if you’re pulled over, that’s still a DUI.

“If there’s still alcohol in their system, that can certainly happen, and again that’s where were just asking people to be smart, and make good decisions, and I suppose you got to re-evaluate yourself in the morning if that’s what you were out doing if you were smart and left your car somewhere the night before,” Officer Swanson said.

Law enforcement asks everyone to drink responsibly this weekend, but it’s also important this frigid New Year’s Eve, to make sure you’re not exposed to the cold for too long.