If you want to go out for New Year’s Eve but don’t want to shell out the cash for something extravagant, you have many, many options. Below, we’ve rounded up concerts (like Freakout New Year’s Eve), DJ dance parties (like the STILL ILL Hiphop Throwback Party), places to watch the free Space Needle fireworks show (like El Chupacabra Alki), annual traditions (like the Moulin Rouge! New Year’s Eve Sing-Along), and more events that don’t require advance planning and won’t cost more than $20. See them all below, and check out our New Year’s Eve calendar for even more options.
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COMEDY
NYE with Jose Bolanos
Join stand-up comic Jose Bolanos—a regular on the local 92.5 radio show Brooke & Jubal in the Morning—for a lively last night of the year. DJ Henski will provide the jams.
(South Lake Union, free)
FAMILY
New Year’s Eve Nighttime Party
Young kids and families can wear their pajamas and celebrate New Year’s Eve a few hours early, with a ball drop at 9 p.m.
(Everett, $12)
NYE Centennial Celebration Kickoff w/ YYBB
Folks of all ages can start off the evening by bringing anything that makes noise to the Not So Silent Night Parade, which weaves through the neighborhood and ends back at the community club, where you can dance to live sets from the Yada Yada Blues Band and DJs Dr. Lehl and Evan.
(West Seattle, free)
FILM
‘Moulin Rouge!’ New Year’s Eve Sing-Along
SIFF will continue its tradition of ringing in the New Year with Baz Luhrmann’s ode to 19th-century Paris and 20th-century pop. You’ll get a “bling ring,” a drink, and the satisfaction of belting along with Nicole Kidman, Ewan McGregor, and company. As always, you’ll get out of the theater early enough to toddle over to Seattle Center for the fireworks show.
(Queen Anne, $15)
‘The Room’ NYE in Trivia-D!
What more appropriate way to end this year than with the famously stilted, poorly written, outlandishly delivered cinematic calamity known as The Room? Central Cinema promises a gateway to the realm of Trivia-D, where you can win prizes for knowing way more about Tommy Wiseau and his creation than you should.
(Central District, $14)
FIREWORKS
Space Needle New Year’s Eve Fireworks
You can always count on the Space Needle to produce a showy fireworks display on New Year’s Eve. Whether you’re watching from Seattle’ Center’s New Year’s Eve Celebration, T-Mobile New Year’s at the Needle, Indulgence at MoPOP, the Chihuly New Year’s Eve pARTy, or wherever else you can spot the flying saucer-shaped structure (Alki Beach and Kerry Park are other good spots), the spectacle will surely add some glitz to your night as you welcome 2019.
(Seattle Center, free)
FOOD & DRINK
The 5 Point New Year’s Eve
The 5 Point will offer a complimentary champagne toast at midnight to clink as you take in the Space Needle from their toasty heated patio. They’ll also have drink specials, like clementine cream mimosas and blood orange bourbon punch.
(Belltown, free admission)
Classy Trashy New Year’s Eve Bash
Whether you want your midnight toast to be trashy or classy, the Capitol Hill beer spot’s got you covered with a choice of the champagne of beers (Miller High Life) or Duchesse De Bourgogne ale. DJ NicFit will provide the tunes.
(Capitol Hill, free)
New Year’s At Machine House Brewery
Fill your glass with champagne, your cup with mulled wine, and your pint with beer on New Year’s Eve.
(Central District, free)
New Year’s Eve: Champagne & Cocktails
Hang out by POCO’s fireplace while you enjoy “festive music” and drink sparkling cocktails.
(Capitol Hill, free)
New Year’s Eve Party at Obec
Spend all day or just the last hours of the night relaxing at Obec. They promise lots of beers on tap and a champagne toast at midnight, plus fireworks on the big screen and games.
(Ballard, free)
MUSIC
Bread & Butter, Wild Powwers, the Rare Forms
You know what you’re getting with Bread & Butter right away: glammy power pop with smart, memorable hooks played with precision and concision, all in service to make you feel better than you did before you arrived at the club or hooked yourself up to a listening device. They’re pure pros whose music may not offer many surprises, but it delivers familiar pleasures with gusto and skill. You can—and will—surely drink to that. Wild Powwers conjure a slightly psychedelic strain of hard rock that emphasizes emotive songcraft amid their instrumental pyrotechnics. Powerful drummer Lupe Flores and robust-toned guitarist Lara Hilgemann add passionate vocals, and mass air-punching ensues. DAVE SEGAL
(Ballard, $15)
Candi Pop NYE: A Bubblegum Pop Dance Party
If you own several glitter chokers and routinely take Buzzfeed “Which Spice Girl Are You?” quizzes, the Candi Pop dance night is for you. The Candi Pop crew will be beefing up its usual party platter for the special New Year’s Eve occasion, with a stacked lineup of Top 40 DJs in a shiny disco setting. Feel free to embrace all your guilty pleasures and spread that unicorn rainbow girl power magic around town to kick off 2019 in style.
(Capitol Hill, $20 general admission)
Freakout New Year’s Eve
Freakout Records hosts this mind-expansive NYE party headlined by its Brooklyn/Seattle garage outfit Acid Tongue, who purvey a heady-tasty mix of psych rock, experimental folk, and AM radio soul. Check out “Humpty Dumpty” off 2017 debut Babies—it uses the title of that old nursery rhyme as the inspiration for a “romantic” ode (“Can you crack me open / Drop me in the pan / Watch my insides sizzle / Hold me in your hand”). Also of note: the languorously lovely psychedelia of the Shivas from Portland. LEILANI POLK
(Belltown, $17)
Great Grandpa, Sloucher, Whitney Ballen, Salt Lick
It’s a New Year’s Eve lineup of righteous locals. Sean Nelson called Great Grandpa’s 2017 album Plastic Cough “one of the best releases by a Seattle band in recent memory. The lyrics are sharp, the loud guitar tone is the friendliest kind of distortion, the melodies stick in your brain like a pickax, and the influences are pleasingly familiar to ’90s indie rock adepts without going over.” Sloucher deliver a grungy, discordant mix of fuzz and reverb done perfectly right, à la Nirvana, but with less angst and different influences (they sound-checked Tom Petty before launching into their set at Bumbershoot). Whitney Ballen has a child-high, saccharine-sweet vocal quality, indie rock that feels elegant and lush, and darkly adult imaginings on full display on her 2018 debut LP, You’re a Shooting Star, I’m a Sinking Ship. Languid, dissonant, femme-led alt-rock five-piece Salt Lick round out the night.Leilani Polk
(University District, $15/$20)
The High Council New Year’s Eve Album Release Party
Local psych-rock band the High Council will celebrate their new album Chasing the Sun and the start of a new year with support from fellow trippy jammers Marshall Law and Tryin.
(Ballard, $15/$20)
Initiate, Dare, Lower Species, Mala Racha
Mosh into the new year with hardcore metal bands Initiate, Dare, Lower Species, and Mala Racha.
(Belltown, $10)
Irish New Year Celebration
Midnight in Ireland happens at 4 p.m. Pacific Standard Time, so that’s when this New Year’s Eve party with That Irish Guy will commence. Join him for live music from the Unoriginals, champagne toasts, and enthusiastic jigging.
(Wallingford, free)
Kame NYE! with Razor Clam, Velvet Q, AIAIA
Alaia of art-punk band Tres Leches will perform solo as AIAIA with support from Velvet Q and Razor Clam. In between their sets, you can play games and drink good ol’ Cooks.
(Central District, $5-$10)
Keys on Main Red Carpet New Years Eve
Ring in the new year red-carpet style with a Dueling Piano Show and champagne at midnight.
(Queen Anne, $20)
New Year’s Eve Black & White Ball with Massy Ferguson & DJ Indica Jones
Spend the last night of the year with alt-Americana rockers Massy Ferguson and DJ Indica Jones.
(Ballard, $15)
New Year’s Eve Revolution Dance Party
Spend New Year’s Eve with Tacocat members Emily Nokes, Lelah Maupin, and the ghost of Prince. Wear purple. There will be champagne and prizes.
(Beacon Hill, $12)
New Year’s Eve with Downtown & Guests
Electro synth-punks Downtown will help you kick 2018 into the past.
(Belltown, free)
New Year’s Rockin’ Evil with Kings of Cavalier, Stereo Creeps, KLAW, Uncle Lord
Get dragged into the new year by the thumping hard rock of Kings of Cavalier, Stereo Creeps, KLAW, and Uncle Lord.
(Greenwood, $7)
New Year’s Eve with Lucky Brown, Cecil Moses & the SGs, Lady Viveka
Wear red for good luck and boogie down to deep funk jams by Lucky Brown and his West Seattle musical buddies Cecil Moses and SGs. There’ll be a champagne toast at midnight and tarot readings by Lady Viveka.
(West Seattle, $11/$15)
NYE 2019 BOOM BAH BLUES with Mobius Jones
Dance to the blues with Mobius Jones and Boom Bah Blues, composed of Seattle mainstays Leif Totusek on guitar, Carl Edwards on guitar, and Leo LeBlanc on drums.
(Ballard, free)
NYE Balkan Bash!
End the year with lively music from a jazzy Balkan brass band, which features “Trumpets! Saxophone! Bouzouki! Keytar!” and more. There will also be sets by the Roma-pop Melez Band and “retro-Greek surf-lounge” band Fetatones.
(Ballard, $10)
NYE Bash with Country Lips and Jet Dread Stone
Tap your boots to honky tonk jams from locals Country Lips on the last night of the year. They’ll be joined by special guests Jet Dread Stone.
(University District, $10)
NYE Funktion with Emerald City Soul Club & DUG
Worried about the umpteen ways your cherished version of Old Seattle will bite the dust in 2019? Then make your night out the Lo-Fi, where you can ogle the Dubai-like growth of South Lake Union from the endangered perch of a divey performance space with a damn fine soundtrack of funk, boogie, disco, and, of course, soul music full of stories about love and loss so you can drown your changing-city sorrows. GREG SCRUGGS
(Eastlake, $15/$20)
NYE Prince Tribute Show
Continue to grieve over the loss of Prince by dancing to his greatest hits covered live by F2D.
(Wallingford, $15)
NYE Show! Four Lights, Ol’ Doris, Burn Burn Burn
Indie rock group Four Lights will play tracks from their latest release Death to False Posi with support from Ol’ Doris and Burn Burn Burn.
(University District, $7)
NYE STILL ILL Hip Hop Throwback Party!
Still Ill DJs Paco and Chetbong will bring you ’90s and early-2000s throwbacks, plus some current hiphop and R&B hits.
(Capitol Hill, $10)
NYE 2018 With DJs Dan De Leon & Anthony Griego
DJs Dan De Leon and Anthony Griego will provide music for your moves, and you’ll be given complimentary champagne at midnight for a proper toast.
(Capitol Hill, $20)
NYE with Eric Blu & the Soul Revue, Snaccs, Spicy Tunas
Eric Blu’s sound is a return to classic soul with an emphasis on heavy bass lines, a turn at clever storytelling, and a full set of horns, flutes, strings, and percussion to back up his work.
(Pioneer Square, $8)
NYE with General Mojo’s and Hi Crime
Say goodbye to a weird year with local rockers Hi Crime and General Mojo’s. You can toast to 2019 with champagne at midnight.
(West Seattle, $10)
NYE: Tricknology, Why Won’t You Die, Foul
Welcome the new year with hiphop and metal from Tricknology and Portland’s Why Won’t You Die.
(Georgetown, free)
The Official Neumos & Barboza NYE Party
Show off your electro, house, and disco dance moves at the glow-in-the-dark Barboza (aka the “Bar-GLOW-za”) party, or opt for your guilty pleasures at Neumos with hits by Carly Rae Jepsen, Blink 182, Britney Spears, and other pop greats you shouldn’t be ashamed of loving.
(Capitol Hill, $10 general admission)
Pop the Cork
Dance to stoner metal band Wet Temple, dirty rockers Bigfoot Accelerator, punk rockers Greenriver Thrillers, and more stoner metal from Summoned by Giants (in that order) and clink champagne glasses at midnight.
(Shoreline, $8)
Puget Sound Concert Opera: Suor Angelica
Puget Sound Concert Opera will present their annual NYE blowout, which will feature a special performance of Puccini’s tragic one-act opera Suor Angelica on the 100th anniversary of its premiere with Karen Early Evans in the title role, and Gwen Trussler making her PSCO debut as “La Zia Principessa.”
(Greenwood, $17/$20)
Seattle Center New Year’s Eve Celebration
Winterfest will close out 2018 with not one but two dance parties at its annual New Year’s Eve celebration: Fountain of Light, where live electronic music will be synchronized to video projections at the International Fountain, and a live performance from local Top 40 cover band Sway inside the Armory. Stick around for an up-close view of the Space Needle fireworks show.
(Seattle Center, free)
Slim’s NYE with Boss Martians, Apache Pistol, Wildcat Rose
Slim’s will observe New Year’s Eve by roasting a whole pig care of Pig Iron Bar-B-Q and toasting to 2019 with moonshine. Wildcat Rose, Boss Martians, and Apache Pistol will provide live folk-rock music.
(Georgetown, $20)
PARTIES
Bright Lights, Big City!
Catch excellent views of the Space Needle’s fireworks show, enjoy live music by the Bruce Barnard Quartet, and clink glasses of champagne at midnight to ring in the new year.
(Capitol Hill, $15)
Dino’s First Annual World Famous NYE Party Featuring Amateur Hour
Brandon Pettit’s playful New Jersey-inspired pizzeria will host their “first annual world famous” New Year’s Eve dance party, with DJ Amateur Hour, pizza, booze, and Miller High Life champagne bottles.
(Capitol Hill, free)
King’s Hardware New Year’s Eve
King’s Hardware promises lots of “the champagne of beers in champagne-sized bottles,” along with a DJ set by Lisa Prank.
(Ballard, free)
Linda’s Tavern New Year’s Eve
Dance to tunes from DJ Pretty Please and toast at midnight with the champagne of beers (Miller High Life).
(Capitol Hill, free)
Bearracuda NYE
Ring in the new year with your furriest friends (of the human variety) at a dance party staffed by DJ talents Nick Bertossi and Matt Sands.
(Capitol Hill, $12/$20)
Glitter and Gold NYE Party
Spend New Year’s Eve with the evening’s hostess, Aleksa Manila, as DJ Flow spins Top 40, Latin, and house.
(Capitol Hill, $20)
Midnyte II: A New Year’s Eve Party
Get wild by dancing between two rooms of music, ordering drinks from two different bars, and toasting to the future with a glass of champagne at midnight.
(Belltown, $10-$20)
Motown On Mondays Seattle | NYE 2019
Guest DJ Mike Illvester will hold down the fort and keep you dancing into the new year. You can also look forward to drink specials from Crown Royal and Modelo.
(Capitol Hill, free)
New Year’s Eve at the Palace with Sylvia and Arson Nicki
Celebrate the new year with beloved local avant-garde drag weirdos Arson Nicki and Sylvia.
(Georgetown, free)
New Year’s Eve at The Tin Lizzie
Party it up in Lower Queen Anne with live music from the Exquisite Duo and a live DJ.
(Queen Anne, free)
New Year’s Eve with The Swains
Admission to this NYE affair gets you party favors, music for dancing, and complimentary champagne.
(Green Lake, $10)
New Year’s Eve at the Red Door
Cheers to the welcomed end of 2018 with a complimentary glass of champagne and more holiday merriment.
(Fremont, free)
New Year’s Eve Celebration at Backyard
Go here for a DJ dance party, drink specials, and a complimentary champagne toast at midnight.
(Columbia City, free)
NYE 2019 at Chupacabra Alki
Bundle up and take in the New Year’s Eve fireworks show from Alki Beach.
(West Seattle, free)
NYE at The Lime
Pop/rock/R&B party band the Beat Project will keep you dancing into 2019 at this New Year’s Eve bash, where you’ll also enjoy party favors, a balloon drop, and champagne.
(Kirkland, free)
New Year’s at the Station
Live out your ’80s prom dreams by wearing a John Hughes-approved outfit and dancing with your crush to DJ Mad Max.
(Ballard, $5)
New Year’s Eve at Sam’s
Butt Naked will be your DJ as you wait for the Space Needle fireworks show and experience something called “champagne showers.”
(South Lake Union, free)
New Year’s Eve Party at Lumber Yard
Spend the last night of year in White Center drinking champagne and dancing until midnight.
(White Center, free)
NYE Irish Masquerade Party
Wear your most Irish-looking masquerade piece and dance away the last hours of 2018 to jams from DJ Doogie.
(Downtown, $10/$15)
NYE: Champagne Kisses
Seattle queens Strawberry Shartcake and Cannoli will host and perform throughout the evening with help from DJs Kirky and Cocteau Twinks. Dance, sip complimentary champagne (at midnight), and smooch your crush.
(Capitol Hill, free/$5)
NYE with Dolly & The DJ
Drag queen Dolly Madison and her DJ companion will keep you thoroughly entertained as you sip drinks specials. There’ll be a balloon drop and champagne toast at midnight.
(West Seattle, free)
NYE 2019 Slumber Party
Get your Coyote Ugly dance moves on at this New Year’s Eve party. They’ll be dropping pillows instead of balloons at midnight, so wear your silkiest sleepwear or lingerie.
(Pioneer Square, free)
Party for People
Proceeds from this musical New Year’s Eve showcase will benefit St. Francis House Seattle, an organization that provides amenities to homeless people. The lineup features Alex Olobia, Spence Hood, Olie.G, and Allan Louderback, plus live dancers and DJs.
(Renton, $20)
Prohibition New Year’s Eve Party
Aren’t you glad prohibition is no longer? Celebrate at a ’20s-style party with champagne flights, a sparkling wine toast, and swing tunes.
(Fremont, $10)
Ring in the New Year with Sitka & Spruce and Marseille
Dance and sip away 2018 at the Melrose Market, where live DJs, champagne, and beer and wine will abound.
(Capitol Hill, $10)
Shingletown’s NYE 2019 Honky Tonk Bonanza
Dance all night to hits from throughout the decades with DJ Nostalgia, and add some beer pong and karaoke for extra fun to round out the year.
(Ballard, free)
