Published: 12/25/2020 8:01:12 PM NORTHAMPTON — Since 1985, the city has welcomed the new year with a downtown festival offering music, dancing, comedy and more. And what started as a fairly modest event morphed over the years into a 12-hour entertainment extravaganza every New Year’s Eve, with dozens of performers doing their thing at up to 24 different venues. This year, First Night Northampton will continue, but the pandemic, not surprisingly, has forced organizers to revamp the format. Another 12 hours worth of entertainment is on tap, but it will all be presented virtually, with 25 acts performing sets ranging between 25 and 30 minutes. That the event is taking place at all, says chief producer Steve Sanderson, is a testament to the continued support of area businesses and organizations, the willingness of performers to appear for reduced fees — and in some cases for nothing — and the simple belief that the show needed to go on.