Next Wednesday, December 31, we’ll be counting down to 2026.
Today, we’re counting up ways to do that:
10 a.m. to 2 p.m. | Armada Brewing | New Year’s Eve Potluck Brunch. While promising to “take care of the basics in the kitchen,” Armada Brewing invites “you to bring your favorite dish to share,” with “bloody Marys, mimosas and plenty of Armada beers flowing all afternoon. It’s easygoing, community-style and the perfect way to ease into the celebrations.”
11:30 a.m. to noon | Blackstone Library (Branford) | Noon Year’s Eve Storytime. Tailored toward families with infants and toddlers, this event replete with “singing, dancing and reading” finishes with a bedtime-friendly countdown to noon.
4 & 5:30 p.m. | Mew Haven Cat Cafe | Mew Year’s Eve. “Celebrate the final days of 2025 with our 30+ cats! [Each] extended cat session includes free bubbly drinks and sparkly cat masks!”
7 p.m. | Anthony’s Ocean View | New Year’s Eve Annual Bash. The event hall overlooking New Haven Harbor offers a six-course meal, top shelf open bar and a DJed dance floor stocked with party props.
7 p.m. | Cascade Fine Catering (Hamden) | New Year’s Eve Party. Similarly, this banquet hall offers five courses of food, an open bar, a DJed dance floor and party favors.
7 p.m. | Firehouse 12 | New Year’s Eve Singles Mixer. This “pre-NYE” gathering for singles aged 40 and up promises “signature cocktails, elevated bites, guided mingling and chic vibes. Cocktail attire encouraged!”
7 p.m. | The Woodwinds (Branford) | New Year’s Eve. Here we have a third banquet hall option, serving dinner (six courses), drinks (“premium open bar”) and dancing (DJed by radio personality John “Cadillac” Saville).
8 p.m. | Barcade | New Year’s Eve at Barcade! You might be able to try your luck just showing up. Otherwise, different packages offer guaranteed entry, stacked with various combinations of gaming tokens, food/drink tickets, cash/open bar, reserved seating, take-home swag and a broadcast of the ball drop (presumably) in Times Square. Meanwhile, everyone will share a special tap list of “rare and obscure beers” plus a midnight prosecco toast.
8 p.m. | Rumaj | Midnight Mirage. An almost Vegas-like nightclub experience features DJs Donny D and Gell, party favors, “confetti blasters” and “NYE surprises.”
9 p.m. | 144Temple | 144Temple’s New Years Eve Bash. This nightclub promises “epic vibes, killer beats, and countdown fun” of its own.
9 p.m. | Barracuda | New Year's Eve: Cartagena Party. Expect “the tastes and sounds of Cartagena, Colombia,” with an open bar, tapas service, Latin DJ mix and “a champagne toast [with] las doce uvas de la suerte” (a “Spanish tradition of good luck grapes”).
9 p.m. | Cafe Nine | Invaders from Planet ‘S’. The Sanctuary dance party series heats a sci-fi crimp into its usual gothy coif with an aliens/outer space theme. Costumes encouraged.
9 p.m. | RAWA | Desi After Dark: A Global New Year’s Eve Celebration. “Bold flavors” come courtesy of an open buffet of “RAWA favorites” and Indian-style specials, while “high-energy beats” are the promise of a DJ “spinning Indian beats and global favorites all night long.”
9 p.m. | Stella Blues | New Year’s Extravaganza. It’s a night of live music featuring Hog Doctors, Maeve and Spaceship Musiq, with a “late late set” by DJ Zymatik.
9 p.m. | Three Sheets | Three Sheets NYE. “Music by DJ Last Call Paul. Theme TBA. Champagne toast at midnight!”
10 p.m. | Club Vandome | The Vandome New Year’s Eve Party. Dance in one room to bachata, salsa, merengue and reggaeton, or dance in the other to R&B, hip hop, dembow, Afrobeat and soca, or smoke hookah on the patio. Then join everyone else for a champagne toast with hats and noise makers.
Written by Dan Mims. Image by Nikolay Antonov/Shutterstock. Readers are encouraged to verify times, locations, prices and other details before attending events.
