Allow us to be the first to say goodbye to 2018. With old acquaintances—both forgotten and remembered—we’ll take a cup o’ kindness yet, and we’ll start with these New Year’s Eve parties around the North Bay. From delectable dinners to cabaret shows and blowout concerts, here’s a selection of ways to ring in 2019.
Noon Year’s Eve
Ring in the New Year with your little ones at the Bay Area Discovery Museum. Glitter crowns, photo booths, confetti cannons (no, this is not your 21st birthday redo). Kids will love the celebratory ball drop at noon, then dance to DJ Mancub and get busy at various art activities. In addition, the family can enjoy access to the museum’s indoor and outdoor exhibits. Fort Baker, 557 McReynolds Road, Sausalito. 9am to 2pm. $14–$15. 415.339.3900.
New Year’s Eve Standup Comedy Showcase
Osher Marin JCC’s ninth annual New Year’s Eve event will have you laughing harder than Emmanuel Macron hearing Trump try to pronounce the name of a French Champagne. This year, the showcase finds five smart and clean comedians on the bill, hosted by Maureen Langen, winner of the prestigious MAC award. The rest of the lineup includes standup stars like Karen Rontowski, who has appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman, and Brian Kiley, head writer for Conan O’Brien’s show. A selection of cocktails, beer and wine start the party, and a midnight toast wraps it up. 200 N. San Pedro Road, San Rafael. Pre-show party starts at 7:30pm. $29 and up. 415.444.8000.
Terrapin Crossroads
Terrapin will be offering two days of musical talent to provide the soundtrack to your farewell to 2018, featuring jazz and bluegrass bands Sunday and two nights of the established Americana band, Leftover Salmon. Leftover Salmon will be hitting the stage performing what they have dubbed jamgrass—a type of music using the fundamental elements of bluegrass to create a more wild and free sound, pushing the genre into a more psychedelic direction. The band has headlined festivals from coast to coast, incorporating influences across America into their music. 100 Yacht Club Drive, San Rafael. $50; two-day pass, $80. VIP packages starting at $105. 415.524.2773.
Sweetwater Music Hall
Eric Lindell will be performing this year at the Sweetwater Music Hall, revisiting his Northern California roots and playing music that transcends genre. Really, how do you categorize the unique blend of West Coast rock and roll, Gulf Coast R&B, and Memphis soul with a sprinkle of honky-tonk? Lindell’s style is both intriguing and fresh, so if you’re looking for some quality music, spend the last night of the year with one of the foremost songwriters in the music industry today. Sweetwater Music Hall, 19 Corte Madera Ave., Mill Valley. 8pm; 21 and over. $60 and up. 415.388.3850.
Glow NYE Blacklight Party
The ever-enchanting Harmonia Wellness Center and social club says farewell to 2018 and welcomes 2019 with a loving and eclectic community celebration. Start the night in the with an “intent” ceremony, then enjoy a yoga class to really earn the Champagne cocktails and chocolate that follows. Also, did we mention this event is all underneath blacklights, so you can enter 2019 glowing? There will be tarot card readings, DJ dance party and a full bar. After midnight, let it all hang down by sipping on elixirs and Champagne, dancing and basking in the glow of the new year and possibilities to come. 2200 Marinship Way, Sausalito. 7:30pm. $40–$100. 415.332.1432.
New Year’s Eve Prix Fixe Dinner Show
San Rafael’s premier supper club Fenix knows how to cook up a good time. This year, Fenix mixes a delectable dinner with Danny Click & the Hell Yeahs! Click transformed from one of Austin’s best secret alternative country singers into a recognized phenomenon, topping Nashville’s Indie World Wide Country charts at No. 1. You’re going to want to grab tickets for this one! 919 Fourth St., San Rafael. 7pm. $50–$125. 415.813.5600.
Left Bank Brasserie
Who doesn’t love all food French? Celebrate this New Year’s Eve at Left Bank’s Bonne Année, open all day with an à la carte menu and a four-course prix fixe dinner. While it’s sure to be packed all day, the last seating may be the first to fill up, as those who book 11pm reservations can expect to enjoy a complimentary sparkling wine toast and party favors at the stroke of midnight. Au revoir, 2018! 507 Magnolia Ave., Larkspur. Opens at 11am. $75 for prix fixe dinner. 415.927.3331.
Best of the San Francisco Stand-Up Comedy Competition
This gut-busting comedy show at the Marin Center’s Showcase Theatre rings in the new year with the funniest alumni of the internationally recognized stand up competition. Several comedians will be on hand for this show, which always sells out well in advance. 10 Avenue of the Flags, San Rafael. 9pm. $40. 415.473.6800.
Boogie Under the Golden Gate New Year’s Eve
With panoramic views of the Bay as a backdrop, the Travis Marina Bar & Grill, formerly the Presidio Yacht Club, welcomes Western swing veterans the Lonestar Retrobates back for its seventh annual New Year’s Eve party. Boasting a boogie-woogie attitude, the ensemble welcomes popular vocalist Sylvia Herold to join in the harmonies, and complimentary Champagne at midnight toasts to the new year, all in the shadow of the Golden Gate Bridge. 1679 Sommerville Road, Sausalito. 9pm. $30–$40. 415.332.2319.
HopMonk Tavern New Year’s Eve Bash
Named for an Italian musical term meaning “with spirit,” Bay Area soul, psych-rock and R&B band Con Brio take over the Novato tavern’s Session Room with a dance party to ring in the new year. The band is recently back in the Bay Area after a long fall tour, and their annual New Year’s appearance in the North Bay also features San Francisco songwriter Roem Baur opening and a gratis Champagne or IPA toast at midnight. 224 Vintage Way, Novato. Doors, 8:30pm. $55–$65; limited number of VIP meet-and-greet tickets available, $80. 415.892.6200.
Tommy Odetto Rockin’ New Year Party
Fairfax guitarist extraordinaire Tommy Odetto pulls double duty for this rock-and-roll affair, celebrating the new year and releasing his new album, Curses and Revelations, in a massive blowout concert to count down to midnight in West Marin. Odetto’s sophomore release under his own name, the five-song EP touches on several eras of guitar-fronted rock, from ’60s pop to ’70s psychedelic to grunge, and the Marin native unveils all on New Year’s at the Papermill Creek Saloon, 1 Castro St., Forest Knolls. 9pm. $10. 415.488.9235.
Old Western Saloon
West Marin’s historic venue gets a New Year’s Eve takeover by West Marin favorite party band, El Radio Fantastique, for a special show to ring in 2019. The band, led by multi-faceted songwriter Giovanni Di Morente, is known for bombastic baroque rock and marching-band aesthetics. The band’s recent EP, Outside of Space and Time, is another satisfying collection of evolving pop gems, and the group promises this performance to be a mix of both new songs and old tunes that haven’t been heard live in years. 11201 Hwy. 1, Point Reyes Station. 9pm. $15. 415.663.1661.
By Aiyana Moya and Charlie Swanson
