Still wondering what to do tonight? Do you like crowds? quiet? adults-only? family-friendly? Luckily, there’s something for everyone:
Neighborhood(ish)
El Rey Theater (5515 Wilshire Blvd.) – Royal Machines (Dave Navarro (guitars), Billy Morrison (guitars), Mark McGrath (lead vocals), Donovan Leitch, Jr. (vocals), Chris Chaney (bass guitars) and Josh Freese (drums).) With special guests Christopher Wonder, Dayle Gloria and more. Doors open at 9 p.m. and the concert starts at 10 p.m. Tickets $60. 21-and-over only.
John C. Fremont Library (6121 Melrose Ave.) – Rockin’ New Year’s Eve Party, 3:00 pm. Includes stories, a puppet show, snacks, crafts, count down to the new year (a little early), dance, and celebrate with a bit of sparkling cider. All ages welcome. Free.
Little Bar (757 S. La Brea) – New Year’s Eve Party – 5 p.m to close. No cover. Complimentary champagne.
Tom Bergin’s House of Irish Coffee (840 S. Fairfax) – 1936 anniversary bash (celebrating the year the neighborhood institution opened), featuring an oyster bar, $36.19 prime rib prix fixe menu and “plenty of bubbly.” Also, new $10 winter cocktails, including Roasted Pecan O’Fashioned and Cranberry Sauc’d. Dress in your best 1930s attire. DJ will be spinning old school and new tunes.
Wiltern Theater (3790 Wilshire Blvd.) – Comedian Joe Rogan, with special guests Duncan Trussell, Ari Shaffir, Joey Diaz, and honeyhoney
Hollywood
Egyptian Theater (6712 Hollywood Blvd.) – 7th Annual Cleopatra’s NYE Ball. Party in the courtyard and two themed indoor areas, featuring DJs spinning Top 40, Hip-Hop and House mash-ups, a spectacular LED wall, dazzling light show, and five-hour premium open bar. 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. Egyptian costumes preferred but not required. 21 and over.
TCL Chinese Imax (Hollywood & Highland) – Exclusive Casino Royale Party. Casino tables, roulette, craps, black jack, with music on a state of the art sound system, and a balloon drop at midnight. 21+. “Step off the red carpet and into a festive Tinseltown fantasy.” Choose from a wide range of VIP packages named for Hollywood legends, like the Fred & Ginger Champagne Package for Two ($400) and the Marilyn Monroe Platinum VIP Package for 10 ($1,950).
Downtown
Clifton’s Cafe (648 S. Broadway) – New Year’s Eve Extravaganza with Dita von Tese. Also includes the Big Butter Jazz Band, Blacktop Trio, The Dapper DJ, Dave Hernandez, DJ Anduze, burluesque, magic and other surprises. Note that individual tickets are sold out, but VIP tickets and tables still available.
Grand Park (200 N. Grand Ave.) – Third Annual family-friendly Countdown to 2016 party. 8:00 p.m. – 1:00 a.m. Family friendly. No alcohol. Live music on three stages, art, photo booths, DJ, food trucks and a live, interactive countdown at midnight. Crowd level: maximum (some estimates predict up to to 50,000 people will attend!)
Lucky Strike Bowl at LA Live (800 W. Olympic Blvd.) – “Bowl your way into 2016” party. No cover charge. 9 pm to 2 am. Free champagne at midnight. Featuring music by DJ B-STING, food, drink and more. Dress to impress (dress code will be enforced!). 21+. RSVP to [email protected] .
Staples Center (1111 S. Figueroa) – Mötley Crüe final show. Ring in the New Year with the last show of the legendary band’s final tour.
Union Station (800 N. Alameda St.) – Prohibition New Year’s Eve – DJ, live jazz and burlesque, oyster bar, in the ultimate 1930s Deco location. 21 and over, formal dress required
Walt Disney Concert Hall (111 S. Grand Ave.) – New Year’s Eve with Gladys Knight. The legendary soul singer plays two shows, at 7:00 and 10:30 p.m.
Others
LA Zoo (5333 Zoo Drive) – Family New Year’s Eve – Enjoy the enchanting Zoo Lights, with a skip-the-line admission, dinner buffet, soft drinks, dessert, carousel ride, crafts, DJ and a live broadcast of the Times Square ball drop at 9 p.m. Toast the East Coast “new year” with champagne for the adults (21+) and sparkling cider for the youngsters. Photo op and cash bar also available. After the party, guests are welcome to experience Zoo Lights until closing at 10 p.m. $65 for adults (13 and older) and $40 for children ages 2-12.
Your favorite restaurants, clubs and hotels probably all have special menus, events and deals tonight – check their websites for more information.
Your House – For those who would prefer to welcome the new year in the cozy comfort of home, and who may not want (or don’t want the kiddos) to stay up until midnight, the Netflix video streaming service will provide fake New Year’s countdowns with favorite animated and live-action characters. Options include the Project Mc2 girls, Inspector Gadget, Oona and Baba of Puffin Rock,Mr. Peabody & Sherman and King Julien. Another benefit: you can take the money you’ve saved by avoiding the big-ticket events and donate it to your favorite charity – donations made to non-profit organizations before midnight tonight will be deductible on your 2015 taxes.
And, finally:
From our friends at LAPD:
Don’t fire guns! As New Year’s Eve approaches, the Los Angeles Police Department is launching its Citywide Gunfire Reduction Campaign. The campaign reminds residents that ringing in the New Year with gunfire is illegal, dangerous, and will not be tolerated in the City of Los Angeles. A bullet fired into the air can climb two miles into the air and remain in flight for more than a minute. As it falls, it can reach a velocity of 300 to 700 feet per second, which is sufficient to penetrate the human skull. So please remember…what goes up, must come down. Discharging a firearm into the air is a felony punishable by one year in state prison, and if a bullet kills anyone, murder charges will result. Please call police if you see anyone firing guns into the air.
From our friends at Metro:
To help ensure a safe celebration for one and all (and avoid parking issues at big venues!), let Metro be your designated driver. The city transit service is providing free rides on all buses and trains from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. tonight.
Happy New Year!
