If You: Consider Yourself Royalty
Your Party: Sleep No More: Royal Huntsman’s Ball
Sleep No More, the McKittrick Hotel; 6 p.m. onward; 530 W. 27th St., nr. Tenth Ave.; 212-904-1883
Everyone’s favorite immersive theater experience hosts a fancy New Year’s Eve ball with complimentary booze and the directive to dress in glamorous attire, “to hunt or be hunted.” A variety of ticket levels are available, with the option to include a showing of Sleep No More and a feast to kick off the evening; $125–$300.
If You: Enjoy Lithe Ladies
Your Party: Murray Hill’s Annual NYE Extravaganza!
Knitting Factory; 9:30 p.m.; 361 Metropolitan Ave., at
Havemeyer St., Williamsburg, Brooklyn; 347-529-6696
It’ll be booze, boobs, bawdy entertainment, and, uh, a monkey, with the bombshells of burlesque and their humble ringmaster Murray Hill at his annual NYE blowout. Tickets include a Champagne toast at midnight; $45–$100.
If You: Are a Cinephile
Your Party: Ward III’s True Romance
Ward III; 10 p.m.; 111 Reade St., nr. West Broadway; 212-240-9194
Bespoke drinkery Ward III pays homage to director Tony Scott’s life with a party themed after his 1993 crime romance (written by Quentin Tarantino). Food and an open bar fuel the festivities, with movie-themed cocktails; a D.J., should the night take you there; and, of course, the movie, projected on the back wall. Costumes aren’t mandatory, but bonus points if you dress like 1993 Christian Slater or Patricia Arquette; $175.
If You: Would Rather Talk to Mannequins
Your Party: New Year’s Eve at Madame Tussauds
Madame Tussauds; 8 p.m. (7 p.m. for VIP); 234 W. 42nd St., nr. Seventh Ave.; 800-246-8872
The celebrities at this shindig—just a block away from the ball drop—will be totally fake, but how different is that from real life? (Zing!) Snap your pics with them anyway while enjoying a buffet, passed hors d’oeuvres, a D.J., and a 4-D attraction (3-D cinema enhanced with special effects including wind, snow, mist, and scent.) $110–$1,695.
If You: Are Athletic
Your Party: SPiN New Years 2013
SPiN New York; 48 East 23rd St., nr. Park Ave. South; 212-982-8802
Is your New Year’s resolution to get better at Ping-Pong? Get a jump start at SPiN, where you can lob some balls in addition to partaking in a five-hour premium open bar, live D.J. festivities, and a photographer, should you want to capture some of your sweet moves for posterity; $15–$155.
If You: Wanna Strike out
Your Party: Bowling
Lucky Strike Lanes and Lounge; 8 p.m.; 624-660 W. 42nd St., nr. Eleventh Ave.; 646-829-0170
Bowlmor Times Square; 8 p.m.; 222 W. 44th St., nr. Eighth Ave.; 212-680-0012
Strike out this New Year—in a good way—with a couple of options for NYE bowling. Over in west Manhattan, Lucky Strike hosts five hours of open bar with unlimited bowling and fourteen plasma screens ($20–$175), while closer to Times Square you can ring in 2012 in the many rooms of Bowlmor, which will provide food, an open bar, a D.J., and your own paparazzi, should you want to remember the night; $45–$195.
If You: Are a Beer Aficionado
Your Party: Bar Hop
Beer Authority; 300 West 40th St., nr. Eighth Ave., 212-510-8415
The House of Brews; 8 p.m.; 363 W. 46th St., nr. Ninth Ave.; 212-245-0551
New York Beer Company; 321 West 44th St., nr. Ninth Ave.; 212-245-2337
Like beer? Get an all-access pass to three sudsy spots in midtown where at each location you’ll score open bar, dancing, and front-of-the-line access, so you won’t be stranded in the street at the midnight hour; $145.
If You: Love a Fright
Your Party: New Year’s Eve at Times Scare
Times Scare; 669 Eighth Ave., nr. 42nd St.; 212-586-7829
Halloween buffs will want to check out this year-round three-story mansion of the macabre, with its high-end and highly frightening haunted house, morgue-themed restaurant called the Crypt Café, and candelabra-lit bar serving up potent cocktails. Admission includes food and drink, but the magic show and haunted house are extra. We suggest you splurge; $75–$295.
If You: Like Your Funny Bone Tickled
Your Party: New Year’s Eve Spectacular at Carolines
Carolines on Broadway; 7:30 p.m. and 10 p.m.; 1626 Broadway, nr. 50th St.; 212-757-4100
There are two chances to get your last laughs of the year at the comedy club right where the action happens. Comedians Ardie Fuqua, Joe DeRosa, Vince August, Mark Normand, Nate Bargatze, and Dan Soder will be available for both shows, but only at the later one can you watch the ball drop on their ten-foot screen, with a live D.J. after midnight; $43.75–$114.50
If You: Long for the High Seas
Your Party: Take a Cruise
World Yacht, Pier 81, West 41st St., at the West Side Highway; 212-630-8100
Cornucopia Destiny, Pier 81, West 41st St., at the West Side Highway; 212-630-8100
Sail into 2013 on a boat! Have a date night on the World Yacht with a five-course dinner, premium open bar, and views of the fireworks; $231.95. Or plop the kids on the family-friendly Cornucopia Destiny, where admission also gets you fireworks views, along with D.J.-ed dancing, a buffet dinner, an open bar for adults, and a celebration cake for, well, everyone; $160–$225.
If You: Dig Balloons
Your Party: Webster Hall New Year’s Eve
Webster Hall; 8 p.m.; 125 E. 11th St., nr. Third Ave.; 212-353-1600
Oh, how Webster Hall loves their balloons. So much so that at their NYE shindig they’ll be dropping more than 100,000 at the stroke of midnight (the “largest in the free world,” they claim) alongside aerial performances, fire displays, an open bar, and D.J.’s. To soundtrack the balloon drop, of course; $50–$150.
If You: Hang With D.J.’s
Your Party: New Year’s Eve: Built by Meanred
Villain; 9 p.m.; 50 N. 3rd St., nr. Kent Ave., Williamsburg, Brooklyn; 718-599-0025
Party with some solid folk when D.J.’s Nick Catchdubs (Fools Gold Records), Samo Sound Boy, and Parisian producer Onra spin the tunes at this former textiles warehouse turned event space. A regular ticket gets you an open bar from 9 p.m. to 10 p.m., while a VIP ticket snags you an all-night open bar. Limited tickets available; $35–$100.
More Party Spots
1 Oak
230 Fifth
49 Grove
2nd Floor on Clinton
Abe & Arthur’s
Above Allen
Aspen Social
Avenue
Bounce
Bourbon Street
Capitale
Copacabana
Crimson
Culture Club
Dream Hotel
Ella
Element
Empire Room
Empire Hotel
Fashion 40 Lounge
Forum
Gansevoort Park Avenue
Gossip Bar
Greenhouse
Greenwich Village Country Club
Griffin
Hotel Chantelle
Inc. Lounge
Johnny Utah’s
Katra
Kiss & Fly
Le Poisson Rouge
Lexicon
Liberty Theater
Lucky Cheng’s
Mr. H
Public House
RdV
RSVP
Revival
Santos Party House
Stone Creek
Taj II
Tao
The Volstead
Tammany Hall
Tenjune
The Ainsworth
Yotel