More than 100,000 people rang in the new year in downtown Tempe under a burst of fireworks and a shower of confetti.

The Fiesta Bowl Block Party, Arizona's biggest New Year's Eve bash, turned Mill Avenue into a carnival of entertainment and flooded businesses with revelers.

The 27th annual party's eclectic entertainment and activities included marching bands, an illusionist, street performers, psychics, burlesque dancers, an outdoor sports club, a mini rock-and-roll museum, 30 live bands and a sing-along performance by Big Bang's Dueling Pianos.

Tempe spokeswoman Nikki Ripley said the mass celebration puts "Tempe on a national stage."

Tempe pays for security and cleanup at the Block Party and Insight Bowl, which cost the city $215,237 last year. Costs for the 2010 events are still being calculated.

Sgt. Steve Carbajal, a Tempe Police Department spokesman, said 11 people were arrested for misdemeanors, but no major crimes occurred. Most arrests involved celebrators who refused to leave after the party ended, he said.

The party's big entertainment draws included Jimmy Eat World's headlining pop-rock show and an outdoor dance club at Fifth Street and Mill, said Rich Ripley, a Fiesta Bowl employee who coordinates the party. This was the first year the club was hosted on Mill Avenue where droves of dancers rocked out in front of a massive music-video screen and under the stars.

"It was unbelievable. The area where Jimmy Eat World played filled up the whole parking lot all the way back to the street, and we'll definitely build on the dance club," he said.

The party is known for its rowdy younger crowd, but the Disney-themed play area, carnival rides and free admission for children 12 and younger attracted families, too.

The street party wrapped up at 12:30 a.m., sending the night owls into downtown's bars.

The Block Party creates an opportunity for Tempe businesses to market to a crowd that does not regularly visit the area, said Bret Mann of downtown's Fat Tuesday bar. Downtown businesses often work together on New Year's Eve to create a memorable experience, hoping to entice customers to return more than once a year.

This year, Fat Tuesday, Canteen Modern Tequila Bar and Robbie Fox's Public House, threw a joint party with a live band and four DJs.

"It was packed. We blocked off our whole back patio and people could order drinks from any of our bars," Mann said.

Watch Block-Party video: fiesta bowl.org/index.php/events/blockparty/.