M Bar New Year
M Bar and Lounge, 10 p.m.
776 Boylston St., Boston
Free, 21+, 617-535-8800
www.mandarinoriental.com
Celebrate with style in this slick-looking bar with the help of their special Grey Goose cocktails: Molten Cioccolato, the Lemon Drop, the White Christmas and the elegantly-titled Deluxe. Ah Grey Goose, the vodka so smooth you’ll swear you’re drinking water — until you stand up, that is.
Big Top New Year’s Eve
9 p.m., Royale
279 Tremont St., Boston
$60-65, 617-338-7699
www.royaleboston.com
“Feel the fun of the circus as we do what NO OTHER CLUB IN BOSTON CAN,” the website boasts. It doesn’t say exactly what this superlative ability of Royale is, so we can only assume the club will turn into a giant robot and stalk away to parts unknown at midnight, its occupants trapped inside, their fates never to be known. Or maybe there are just some cool acrobatics going down.
8th Annual Global Gala New Year’s Eve Bash
9 p.m., Lir Irish Pub
903 Boylston St., Boston
$65-95, 21+,
www.bostonypa.com
A dinner buffet and gift bags are among the perks at this party, which the promoters claim will combine “distinctive Irish, Chinese and Casino decor,” with each floor representing one of three cities: Monte Carlo, Shanghai and Dublin. It’ll be like Epcot’s World Showcase, but with way more booze!
New Year’s Eve Fireworks Dinner Cruise
8 p.m., Spirit of Boston
200 Seaport Blvd., Boston
$140, 21+, 866-310-2466
www.spiritofboston.com
Hop aboard the Spirit of Boston for a New Year’s shindig on the high seas. A serious buffet, DJ and open bar lead up to a fireworks display.
Timeless: A Bond Evening
9 p.m., Calderwood Pavilion, Boston Center for the Arts
527 Tremont St., Boston
$70-149, 21+, 617-340-2349
www.synergynye.com
This one bills itself as “the most exclusive New Years Eve Party in Boston.” How can they even say that? Wouldn’t a truly exclusive party not even advertise, but instead send its invitations privately via carrier pigeons, encounters with mysterious men in black and secret ham radio frequencies? Regardless, the James Bond and “Old Hollywood” themes sound pretty fun. Careful with those dry martinis though.
Yum: A Less Than Appropriate NYE
10 p.m., Savant Project
1625 Tremont St., Boston
$25, 21+, 617-566-5958
www.savantproject.com
With all these slick clubs trying to class it the heck up this New Year’s, we were pleased to see the Savant Project will be serving such uncouth delights as bacon and fried twinkies at their party. Not only that, but the next morning you can join them for a hangover brunch. It’ll be like your one-night stand actually stuck around!
40+ New Year’s Eve
7:30 p.m., Seaport Boston Hotel
One Seaport Ln., Boston
$39-135, 21+, 781-444-7771
www.bostoneventguide.com
Tired of all these young people making you feel old when you just want to party? This New Year’s bash is for you, a haven for you to feel mature while doing all the same things they’re doing in other clubs. Packages include a dinner and cocktail/hors d’oeuvres reception plus the party, the reception and the party or just the party itself.
New Year’s Eve with the Tim Gearan Band
9 p.m. Atwood’s Tavern
877 Cambridge St., Cambridge
$25, 617-864-2792
www.atwoodstavern.com
Tim knows how to rock in a New Year almost as well as vintage Dick Clark. The guy had been doing a Monday night residency at Toad for 14 years. And if he can make a Monday feel like a party, imagine what he can do for the partiest of party nights. The price of admission gets you a champagne toast and an opening performance courtesy of Paul Janovitz.
Rock n’ Roll Heaven
8 p.m., Middle East Downstairs
480 Mass. Ave., Cambridge
$25, 18+, 866-777-8932
www.mideastclub.com
Dress up as a dead rock star for this live music cover night featuring the following local bands: Letterday as AC/DC, The Organ Beats as Queen, Cradle to the Grave as The Clash. The band Waltham will take the stage at midnight. It doesn’t say who they’re going to pretend to be, so we’ll assume they’re going as the town of Waltham.
Copley Square Ice Sculptures
9 a.m. to midnight
Copley Square
Boylston St. and Dartmouth St., Boston
www.firstnightboston.org
Eric Fontecchio and Alfred Georgs of Brookline Ice, using chainsaws and more subtle instruments, will conjure images of the monuments of ancient Egypt from blocks of ice. When they’re done, it’ll be a sight to see — surely worth a pit stop at some point during your night. A rival group is doing ice sculptures on the Boston Common.
NEAS Anime Screenings
1:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. Hynes Convention Center
Room 312
900 Boylston St., Boston
Free with First Night Button
www.neanime.org
True geeks know that any occasion, from Mardi Gras to New Year’s, is a fitting one on which to ask “Perhaps some anime is in order?” In service of this fact, the folks behind Anime Boston will be screening 10 anime films as part of First Night. Catch a couple, and then go and get wasted with Hello Kitty and Hamtaro.
