9 NYC New Year’s Eve parties to close out 2024

Another year in the books. As much of society prepares to celebrate the transition from one Gregorian calendar year into the next, New York venues are getting ready for one of their biggest budget nights of the year.

Time may be just a construct, and this rock of ours continuously orbits the sun, but New Yorkers sure do turn Earth's annual revolution into a giant celebration.

If you're looking to join in the revelry, here are a wide variety of parties to keep the champagne flowing and any worries at bay.

The Prospect Park and Central Park fireworks, which were canceled this year due to the ongoing drought, are not on this list, though Prospect Park is hosting a New Year's Eve celebration with a light display.

Also not on this list is the Pratt Steam Whistle, a legendary New York New Year’s tradition last marked a decade ago. It is gone but not forgotten, just as 2024 soon will be.

Xanadu Roller Arts’ holographic extravaganza

Xanadu — a 16,000-square-foot roller rink and nightclub that opened this summer in the heart of Bushwick — is ending its first year of existence with a “holographic extravaganza.” (In other words, wear glittery metallics.) The Dec. 31 bash will include skating, raving and performances, and will feature hip-hop group Spank Rock’s first show in 12 years.

"There's going to be a secret dance party in the bathroom — Club Flush, as we're calling it," owner Varun Kataria said.

Tickets for entry before midnight are $62 as of this writing, while general admission tickets after 1 a.m. are around $33. Both can be purchased online.

Skating will go from 9 to 11 p.m., followed by three hours of music and then a party until 8 a.m., with a continental breakfast at 6 a.m.

St. John the Divine’s New Year’s Eve Concert for Peace

For a more tranquil start to the new year, consider attending the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine’s New Year’s Eve Concert for Peace. The event, which is now in its 40th year, will feature a performance of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony by the Cathedral Choirs and Orchestra on the 200th anniversary of the composition’s premiere.

The event will go from 7 to 8:30 p.m., and tickets start at $45. The Cathedral is located at 1047 Amsterdam Ave. in Morningside Heights.

New York Road Runners’ Midnight Run

Get a running start to 2025 by participating in New York Road Runners’ annual Midnight Run. The race is open to active NYRR members and will start and finish at Central Park's 72nd Street Transverse, with participants running a 4-mile inner loop in the park. The event’s traditional firework display will not happen this year as a result of the drought. For more information and to register, see NYRR’s website.

The more punk, less mainstream, still on wheels Time’s UP! Annual Future Positive New Year’s Eve Bike Ride will also be happening again this year. There are three meeting locations, with a shared final destination of Central Park’s Belvedere Castle.

Coney Island’s Hot Fix Sideshow

It’s common knowledge that on New Year’s Day, hundreds gather on Brooklyn’s southern shores to run into the frigid Atlantic Ocean together as part of the annual Coney Island Polar Bear Plunge. Less known is the fact that Coney Island is also a great place to welcome the new year. The boardwalk is free and sure to be a vibe on Dec. 31, but for those looking for ticketed amusements, there’s also Hot Fix Sideshow’s Ball Drop and Darkwave Disco Dance Party at 1208 Surf Ave. The evening of eccentric entertainment will include tarot, fire eating, sword swallowing, tattooing and more. Tickets are $75.

House of Yes’ Bubble Bash

The nightclub that is now synonymous with a certain flavor of Bushwick is once again throwing a rager to ring in the new year. From 9 p.m. to 4 a.m., House of Yes will be hosting Bubble Bash-themed party with two rooms of music, four DJs and a host of participatory activities, the details of which will be released the week of the event. A Pinterest board of outfit inspiration encourages translucent and metallic looks.

Tickets as of this writing are $100 for entry at any time and $45 for entry after 1:30 a.m.

MUNDO’s Global warehouse rave

From the creators of the South Bronx’s viral bodega rave party series comes an end-of-year fête. MUNDO’s “global warehouse rave” at a secret location — the address of which was recently revealed as 696 E 135th St. in the Bronx — will feature food by Bronx-based empanada purveyor Empanology, beats by local DJs and MUNDO’s signature nutcrackers.

The party starts at 10 p.m. and tickets start at $50.

Littlefield's ABBA Lang Syne New Year's celebration

Indie Gowanus performance space Littlefield is ushering in the new year with disco hits performed live by an ABBA tribute band. After the main event and once 2025 has arrived, the party will immediately transition into the afterparty, Take A Chance On Me On NYE: A Post-Midnight New Year's Eve Disco Dance Party. Tickets to the ABBA Lang Syne main event are currently priced at around $35 and include free entry to the afterparty. Doors open at 9 p.m.

Rubulad’s Fancy Pants Ball

For more quirk and less club, head over to Rubulad’s Fancy Pants Ball. The indoor-outdoor venue is a granddaddy of Brooklyn’s DIY artist scene that is completely decked out in wild décor. Its New Year’s jamboree includes live music spanning genres, along with burlesque performances and such enigmatic delights as “Non Fake Pony Rides,” “Daupo’s Dice of Destiny” and a DJ named “Reaganomics.”

The event will go from 8 p.m. until “dawn and beyond,” and costs $30 in advance.

Times Square Applebee's access

To close out this list, we have the king of New Year’s — its angel and its devil, its dream and its nightmare: Times Square. Here, once a year, diapered adults create a crush of humanity to bear witness as a large ball succumbs to gravity.

And, for $749 and up, Applebee's is offering tickets to what functionally amounts to indoor seats and clean bathroom access close to the madness.

Yes, there will be DJs, and yes, there will be food — but the price tag is steep because it’s Times Square on New Year’s Eve.

“A limited few will have the chance to attend this epic once-in-a-lifetime experience,” Applebee's' website writes. It's happening at both its 42nd and 50th street locations.

For locals with a grand to burn and out-of-towners with an earnest dream of witnessing the annual insanity, this is … definitely happening.