If you’re planning to attend a ticketed event for NYE in D.C., now is the time to pick a party. From Irish pubs to luxe hotels, there is no shortage of places to wear your best sequins and kiss 2018 goodbye.
DC Fray New Year’s Eve parties
That’s right, parties. Pick your poison with fetês at both Kelly’s Irish Times in Capitol Hill and Grand Central in Adams Morgan. You might get drafted onto a kickball league, but you won’t find a better price for premium liquor open bar and heavy hors d’oeuvres.
$59-$89
Boudoir Bohème
Want to start 2019 out with a bang? Say goodbye to the weirdness (I still don’t understand the eating Tide Pods thing) that was 2018 by getting even weirder at the NYE edition of Boudoir Boheme. Dip your toe into D.C.’s surprisingly–or perhaps unsurprisingly–robust kink scene with some sexy fun at a secret location.
$65-$250
Eyes Wide Shut
If you’d rather just pretend you’re down to get weird, Dirty Martini is throwing an Eyes Wide Shut-themed bash with open bar, hors d’oeuvres, and champagne. Don’t want to be stuck in one place all night? Purchase an all-access pass that will get you into the parties at Dirty Martini, Living Room, and District Anchor.
$69-$178 ($29 after midnight)
Jack Rose Champagne & Grain
Like whiskey and fear nuclear attacks? Go underground for Jack Rose’s one-night pop-up of beloved cocktail den Dram & Grain before it reopens down the street at sister restaurant The Imperial. champagne & Grain will also offer an open bar, a “Best of the Best” menu of Dram & Grain’s 2018 favorites, vintage champagne cocktails, and heavy hors d’oeuvres.
$125
New Year’s Eve International Gala
Do you like saying “go big or go home?” Do sports mascots excite you? The International Gala at the Omni Shoreham sells out every year for a reason: it’s the biggest NYE spectacle in D.C. With 20 themed international celebrations spanning seven rooms (five of which are ballrooms), this gala is ideal for those who want all the sights and thrills of an enormous embassy party without the pesky geopolitics. Plus, for some reason, Teddy, of the Nats racing presidents fame, will be there.
$119-$229
Midnight in Paris
The same folks behind the renowned (and already sold-out) Gatsby Masquerade Ball are throwing a second party this year at La Vie on the Wharf. Enjoy open bar, hors d’oeuvres, live entertainment, live-streaming of the Times Square ball drop, and a photobooth in one of the most decadently Instagrammable (if notably poorly reviewed) restaurants to open this year.
$125-$200
Be on a boat
Are your Arlington friends and District friends embroiled in a civil war over which side of the river to revel on December 31st? Split the difference with a river cruise on the Potomac. Go deluxe with an Odyssey or Spirit cruise with panoramic views, a seated dinner, roof deck access, and music.
$199-$429
Make a dinner date
Do you prefer to remain seated while celebrating? Put your money where your mouth is and make a reservation now for a lavish dinner instead of a party. Ellē, NoPa, Mirabelle, The Oval Room, Rasika, Lupo Verde, The Hay-Adams, The Bombay Club, Ambar, Cuba Libre, Slate Wine Bar + Bistro, Blue Duck Tavern, Compass Rose, City Winery, and The Smith are all offering prix fixe New Year’s Eve feasts. If you aren’t feeling fancy, find more moderately priced celebratory dinner options courtesy of hometown hero, José Andrés. China Chilcano, Zaytinya, Jaleo, and Oyamel with specials, midnight bubbly, and prix fixe menu options, too.
Dance to live music
Parties revolving around musical acts abound. Peaches O’Dell returns to headline the Black Cat’s New Year’s Eve Ball. The Anthem will host Trombone Shorty with George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic. Combine holidays with a New Years Eve Mardi Gras show at Songbyrd. You’ll find Black Alley—which describes its music as a “genre-bending sound called ‘Hood Rock’” will be at The Wine Garden at City Winery. At City Winery itself, Bela Dona headlines. Over at The Hamilton Live, you’ll find a reunited The Bridge. Blues Alley Jazz plays host to Cyrus Chestnut, while the Kennedy Center is going jazzy with Patti Austin’s Bebop Hip Hop Ella.
