Marin does New Year’s Eve the way Marin does most things—a little celebratory, a little contemplative and never too far from a cheese plate.
Below is a hand-curated roundup of celebrations, each offering its own interpretation of the annual cultural reboot.
Angel Island–Tiburon Ferry Fireworks Cruise, Tiburon
If one wants the San Francisco fireworks without surrendering their sanity to the Embarcadero crowds, Mt. Tamalpais offers the closest thing to teleportation. Aboard the Angel Island–Tiburon Ferry, the city lights feel cinematic, the Champagne tastes earned and, for a few hours, one can pretend the new year will be as smooth as the bay beneath.
10:15pm boarding, Wednesday, Dec. 31, Angel Island–Tiburon Ferry, 21 Main St., Tiburon. Tickets $151.51, angelislandferry.com.
New Year’s Eve Comedy Showcase, Marin Center, San Rafael
Marin’s annual laugh-into-the-void ritual returns with Don Friesen, Mike Baldwin and finalists from the San Francisco Comedy Competition. It’s three hours of jokes, catharsis and communal disbelief that we’ve made it through another year—the perfect palate cleanser before midnight.
9pm, Wednesday, Dec. 31, Showcase Theater, Marin Center, 20 Avenue of the Flags, San Rafael. Tickets $50, tickets.marincenter.org.
Monophonics at Sweetwater Music Hall, Mill Valley
If music is one’s spiritual practice, Sweetwater is the sanctuary. Monophonics ushers in the new year with psychedelic warmth, vintage swagger and the kind of horn-laced optimism that makes a fresh start seem plausible. Optional: a pre-show cocktail party to lubricate one’s belief in new beginnings.
7–9pm pre-party, 8pm doors, 9pm show, Wednesday, Dec. 31, Sweetwater Music Hall, 19 Corte Madera Ave., Mill Valley. Tickets vary, sweetwatermusichall.org.
Illeagles ‘Dinner & Show’ at Rancho Nicasio
A rustic roadhouse, a tribute band that knows its way around “Hotel California” and a dining room full of people who have decided to greet the new year with harmonies and a Champagne toast. It’s a very Marin kind of Americana—battered, beloved and unexpectedly tender.
6–8pm dinner, 8pm show, Wednesday, Dec. 31, Rancho Nicasio, 1 Old Rancheria Rd. Tickets $67, ranchonicasio.com.
Stu Allen & Mars Hotel at HopMonk Tavern, Novato
HopMonk’s New Year’s Eve gathering belongs to the Deadheads—or the Dead-adjacent, or the Dead-curious—with Stu Allen leading a night of improvisational wanderings, musical déjà vu and the subtle scent of cosmic dust. If one wants to dance their way into January, this is the portal.
7pm doors, 8pm show, Wednesday, Dec. 31, HopMonk Tavern Novato, 224 Vintage Way. Tickets $74.09, hopmonk.com/novato.
Holiday Light Spectacular, Marin Center, San Rafael
Not strictly a New Year’s Eve event, but the perfect pre-midnight field trip for families. Thousands of lights, glowing installations, craft tables and a vintage firetruck transform the Civic Center grounds into a winter diorama. A reminder that even bureaucracy can be festive under the right wattage.
4–9pm, Wednesday, Dec. 31 (ongoing through Jan. 4), Marin Center Fairgrounds, 10 Avenue of the Flags, San Rafael. Free, marincounty.gov.
Marin French Cheese Company Tastings, Nicasio
The oldest cheese company in the country grants one permission to spend the day sampling brie by a pond as ducks silently judge one’s resolutions. A perfect final stop before retreating indoors to greet the new year properly: with cheese.
9am–5pm, Wednesday, Dec. 31, Marin French Cheese Co., 7510 Red Hill Rd., Nicasio. Free tastings, marinfrenchcheese.com.
