Best Offbeat New Year's Eve Events In NY
Some say what you do to usher in the new year sets the tone for the days that follow. Here are five fun alternatives to dressing up and heading out, or staying in and counting down. Whatever you choose, have fun and stay warm!
Because of extremely cold temperatures this weekend, always check with event organizers to confirm details.
New Year's Eve Concert
Bargemusic
Brooklyn Bridge Blvd.
Brooklyn, NY 11201
(718) 624-4924
bargemusic.org
Bargemusic concerts take place, quite literally, on a barge, a big boat docked near the Brooklyn Bridge. To ring in the new year, Bargemusic offers a sampling of music by Bach and Vivaldi as played on the keyboard, violin, viola, double bass, and cello, including Four Seasons and the Concerto for Violin and Cello in B-flat. Let yourself be moved by the music and the waves of the East River. Sunday, December 31, concerts at 5 and 7 pm, $100, tickets required.
New Year's Eve Celebration and Fireworks
Coney Island Beach and Boardwalk
Brooklyn, NY 11224
(718) 594-7895
www.nycgovparks.org
Cold it may very well be, but the fourth annual Coney Island New Year's Eve event gives you the chance to enjoy some rides one last time in 2017. There'll be live music, dancing, fireworks, sideshows, and a fun countdown taking place on the Parachute Jump. Unlike some of the other stuff on this list, this event is suitable for kids. Warm up with a hot dog from Nathan's Famous. Due to temperatures reaching below 38 degrees, the Thunderbolt, Deno's Wonder Wheel, and Stop the Zombies 7D will no longer open for New Year's Eve. Sunday, December 31, fun starts at 6 pm, free.
New Year's Eve Bash
Videology
308 Bedford Ave.
Brooklyn, NY 11211
(718) 782-3468
videologybarandcinema.com
Celebrating "classic Hollywood leading ladies," Videology's New Year's Eve Bash includes screenings of Some Like It Hot (with the irrepressible Marilyn Monroe), All About Eve (with the incredible Bette Davis), and Casablanca (with the indomitable Ingrid Bergman). They will also be offering confetti poppers, vintage-inspired party hats, special cocktails, and champagne. Sunday, December 31, fun begins at 8:30 pm, free.
New Year's Eve Meditation
Kadampa Meditation Center
127 West 24th St.
New York, NY 10011
(212) 924-6706
meditationinnewyork.org
Welcome 2018 in an atmosphere of peace and contentedness at Kadampa Meditation Center's New Year's Eve Meditation. Open your heart, calm your mind, find inner strength—the benefits of meditation are legion. The night begins with some vegetarian hors d'oeuvres, desserts, and nonalcoholic drinks, then features a short intro to Buddhist meditation, and concludes with a guided meditation that extends into January 1. Sunday, December 31, 9 pm to midnight, $40 for nonmembers, registration required.
New Year's Eve Bike Ride
Multiple meet-up locations in Manhattan and Brooklyn
times-up.org
With three spots to join the ride, you won't be far from the fun, regardless of whether you're uptown or downtown. The organizer, Time's Up, strives to promote "a more sustainable, less toxic city." The ride ends at a Musical After-Party held at the Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space (and includes free valet bike parking). The theme of this year's ride is "Future Positive." Sounds about right to us. Sunday, December 31, first meet-up takes place at 9:30 pm, free.
