Saturday night, it’s in one year and out the other. Here are 21 ways to go from ’22 to ’23.
Themes Do Come True
“Come party like it’s 1955” at Fair Haven Oyster Company, where a $125 ticket gets you a three-hour Atomic Age open bar featuring “our riffs on vintage cocktails” as well as “an assortment of passed hors d’oeuvres like classic pigs in a blanket, roasted oysters, a little caviar and much more.”
Going even further back, a “Prohibition-style” party at GATHER promises “festivities, open bar, non alc drinks too, giveaways
Returning for a sequel, a vampire theme raises the stakes at The State House, with “goth, industrial, and other music to satisfy your inner nocturnal creature”; an “outfit contest” for those dressed in their “vampiric best”; and a “blood” shot toast at midnight. “It’s a night that totally bites! And sucks! But in a good way!”
Boasting equally sharp teeth but much more fuzziness, it’s a happy mew year at Mew Haven Cat Cafe, where today and tomorrow, sparkling cider and party favors enliven extended 80-minute reserved hangouts with “our amazing rescue cats.”
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Globally themed bar/restaurant El Segundo throws a globally themed party, with hourly champagne toasts as other time zones hit midnight and, otherwise, “food and drink specials all night and a night full of dancing.”
Apparently walking the line between “a gorgeous magical art show” and “art parody,” a ticketed NYE Art Show Extravaganza at Madeline’s Empanaderia offers courses of “heavily passed appetizers,” complimentary cocktails, “festive party favors” and that art.
At Ordinary, meanwhile, the theme is… ordinariness. The bar promises “an oasis away from… the stressors” of New Year’s Eve. “No big party. No costly cover charge to get a table. No funny plastic golden sparkly top hats or those confounded loud whiz bangers. No bottle service… And absolutely no dancing of any kind!”
Shakin’ and Stirred
Then there are the parties where dancing is the prime objective: a blacklight party at Toad’s Place; simultaneous Latin and hip hop/pop dance floors at Club Vandome; and high-ceilinged nightclub experiences at Rumaj Nightclub and, in Hamden, Spotlight Arena.
Live from New Haven
Live music haven Stella Blues has one of the city’s least pretentious dance floors, and tonight should be no exception, powered by rock and funk jams from King Bolete.
A BYOB (and bring-your-own-snacks) “Neverending Yearending Bash” at Volume Two: A Neverending Books Collective promises “freak sets” by Bookers, FiFac and Human Flourishing, plus “all the chill vibes and bonhomie you’ve come to expect from the bookstore.”
Also promising to be an intimate experience is a party at Christopher Martins, where the Kevin Saint James Band and their “timeless ‘saloon-singer’ jazz favorites” lead the charge.
Cavernous College Street Music Hall, meanwhile, features a greatest-hits set by legacy alt-rockers They Might Be Giants with opening salvos by accomplished songwriter Jonathan Coulton.
And 168 York Street Cafe stages what it stages best, offering a “fierce drag show” performed by Ill Elle and Moxie Angel Aura and hosted by Frizzie Borden and Rory Roux Lay.
Open Wide
Oak Haven Table & Bar is offering three-course prix fixe dinners across three seatings, followed by a ’90s Throwback After-Party featuring themed cocktails and shots, a complimentary midnight toast, themed party favors and decorations and an invitation to dress the part.
Perhaps expecting a crowd, Barcade is offering premium VIP privileges to go with its normal mix of “classic arcade games, American craft beer and great food.” Two of the three packages include reserved seating, five hours of top-shelf open bar service, an app-and-entree ticket and comped tokens and gift cards.
A four-course meal and six-hour top-shelf open bar, plus a DJed dance floor and party props, are the highlights of this year’s ticketed New Year’s Eve Bash at Anthony’s Ocean View.
“Style and taste” are on the menu at new upscale cafe The Luke, located where ROIA used to be. “Dinner party seating” starts at 9, Ionne hits the decks at 10 and a cocktail party vibe joins the mix at 11.
Last but not least, a ticketed New Year’s Eve Open Bar Experience at Barracuda offers a few hours of all-you-can-drink “beer, wine
Whatever blows your noisemaker, have a happy New Haven New Year’s, everyone.
Written by Dan Mims. Image by Nikolay Antonov/Shutterstock. Readers are encouraged to verify times, locations, prices and other details before attending events.
