The 24-hour New Year’s Eve planner

DAY 1

1pm-2pm: Bury your fingers in rice and curry

If you had the good sense to take the rest of the afternoon off, pack your stuff, log off your PC for the year and head to lunch. Save any fancy meal ideas for dinner and instead go low-key at these lesser-known banana leaf rice restaurants in the Klang Valley, because rice and curry were made for long, lazy lunches. For dessert, treat yourself to 2015’s unofficial dessert of the year – soft serve ice cream. More options: Have coffee, eat cake, or indulge in these chocolate-heavy desserts.

2pm-3pm: Embrace an #instatrend

If you haven’t stood on a chair in a café to get that perfect #flatlay, do it now before the last hours of the year slip by. These Instagram-worthy cafés should help you make your feed a prettier one (and the flood of ‘likes’ should help ease the embarrassment of being caught Instagramming). Fully embrace your Insta-loving self and get a terrarium for future photo-ops. It’ll be worth the pretty pictures in 2016.

3pm-4pm: Get pumped up for New Year

You still have time before the year ends to prove your mettle at Putrajaya’s latest attraction, Skyrides Festivals Park. Take on the SkyWarrior Rainforest Challenge and leap from platform to platform, cross spinning boulders, shimmy across metal bars and swing like a monkey, all in the name of end-of-year adrenaline. Looking for something more laidback and cutesy (because you had banana leaf rice earlier)? Say hello to Japan's iconic Hello Kitty  and her Sanrio buddies at the vintage, American-themed carnival. Make sure to take plenty of photos with the many Hello Kitty artworks available. If you prefer to hang out with cats IRL, head to 2015’s most purrfect new opening.

Okay, maybe you’re saving your energy for New Year’s Eve parties later. Call it an afternoon and watch ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens' instead.

4pm-5pm: Big primpin’ aka ‘How to Look Your Best on NYE’

Prep yourself for the night ahead – lucky for you, we have the full guide on where to primp yourself pretty. Read our guide to the best spas and salons to get party-ready. If you think you’re sorted for the night beauty-wise, then maybe go shop for a party frock. We’ve picked the season’s best party dresses for all possible case scenarios.

5pm-7pm: Drink 2015 fancy

It’s 5pm on New Year’s Eve – you deserve a pre-dinner drink and by that we mean fancy cocktails. For classic drinks with Asian twists, check out Mama San’s cocktail menu. If you’re more of a gin person, we have a list of the best bars for gin in KL, or get your money’s worth with a wine buffet at Mezza9. For designated drivers: We sort you out with a list of best mocktails in KL.

7pm-8pm: Fantastic feasts and where to find them

We don’t need to tell you that this will be your last dinner of the year, and that you should make every bite count. For a splurge-worthy option, have a juicy lamb shoulder at Bakar – one of the year’s best new openings – and don’t forget to order their grilled watermelon salad; it’s a mind-blowing starter we’ve become obsessed with, enough to give it an entry in our list of 15 best dishes of 2015. For dinner with a view, head to South American restaurant Fuego at Troika Sky Dining (winner for Best New Opening in this year’s reader-voted Time Out KL Food Awards),  or see our list of New Year’s Eve meals and buffets for more dinner options around town.

If you can’t decide between having a post-dinner drink and dessert, head to Inside Scoop for one of their boozy ice creams (if you're lucky, there may even be smoked cognac ice cream). Give yourself a pat on the back for efficiency.

8pm-11pm: A party is still a party, whether you’re a social butterfly or a wallflower

There are loads of New Year’s Eve parties happening in the city, but if you love dancing, here are the best clubs to move your feet. For a family-friendly option, head up to the Avenue K rooftop (and stick around for the midnight fireworks). If you hate blending in with the masses, book a spot for karaoke at one of the best karaoke joints in KL – we’ve also listed the 50 best karaoke songs for you to sing your heart out.

11pm-12.30am: Book a spot to catch the fireworks

It’s getting closer to 2016! If you didn’t book ahead (ah, so Malaysian), skip the fancy downtown restaurants and rooftop bars, which will most probably be fully booked at this hour. Instead, make your way to these spots in town for the best views of the fireworks. Best of all, they’re free!

12.30am-late: Have a post-party meal

If countdowns and fireworks have made you famished, give in to your post-party cravings. Decades-old nasi kandar institution Mohd Yaseen is where to go for sloppy plates of curry-drowned rice with Yaseen’s signature ayam kicap, or if there’s a chill in the air, head to Rosdet Tomyam in Kampung Baru for their fiery hot bowl of tom yam (although move fast because they close at 1.30am), or head to Suraya Seafood for a beef-heavy bihun sup, kerang bakar and pulut mangga. For more late-night options, see our list of KL’s best post-clubbing eats. Your next option for the night: Sleep. 

DAY 2

10am-11am: A morning toast to the New Year

No, we’re not actually telling you to drink champagne in the morning (although you can if you want to); we’re talking about toast of the bread kind, which gained popularity here in 2015 when it dropped its second piece and rebranded itself as the open-faced toast. We recommend heading to Bangsar's Pulp for classic mashed avocado on toast topped with egg mayo, or head South to THIRDWAVE for their grilled honeyed sea bass with leeks, poached egg, feta cheese and toasted nuts on toast (bonus point: these two places serve excellent coffee). For something a bit more indulgent, try Shucked’s croque madame with grilled salmon and cream cheese. For more toasts of the city, we’ve charted KL’s toast evolution for your enjoyment.

11am-12noon: Have the first lazy afternoon of 2016

It’s only the first day of 2016 so what’s the rush? Treat yoself and kick back at one of the city’s best spas for some ‘me’ time – Tommy and Donna would approve. Alternatively, do it the Japanese way by getting soothing cups of genmaicha at Tea Press. If you think you can find peace in gardening, get a box of seeds from Eats, Shoots & Roots and plant your first seed for 2016.

12noon-1pm: Do good and start the year right

Start the new year with a clear conscience by doing a good deed. Help the Kechara Soup Kitchen pack and distribute food from their headquarters (17 Jalan Barat, Off Jalan Imbi/03 2141 6046) and join them for food distribution on weekends (contact them first to book a spot). If you can't make the time to volunteer but still want to give back to those in need, sponsor a meal through Need to Feed the Need (NFN). Or better yet, make a monthly contribution of RM15 or more to the group and you're all set for the whole year. Contact any of the NFN members for details.

Now that you’re getting into the ‘new year, new me’ spirit, write your 2016 resolutions down in these pretty productivity-inducing notebooks and planners. That’s right, bask in the glow of taking charge of your life. While you’re at it, add #eatclean to your list and make your way to Raisin’ the Roof, Organica Lifestyle and Ashley’s by Living Food for clean meals with flavour.