New Year’s Eve events in Los Angeles

Getting out for New Year’s Eve can become one of the priciest dates of the year, but thankfully DTLA’s Grand Park continues to offer an affordable and family-friendly option for the holiday. Flanked by the Music Center and City Hall, every inch of this three-block greenspace and three other surrounding blocks will be covered in culture, including City Hall, which will be used as a 22-story canvas for countdown projection. Crowds will rock steady to a soundtrack of DJ-driven tunes and live bands across a pair of stages while hitting up a selection of food trucks (but do note: there’s no alcohol permitted or sold here). If you dare attempt to drive, you’ll find $10 parking at the Music Center, but taking Metro is a much better bet—especially since fares tend to be free for NYE.

Ring in 2025 aboard the Queen Mary. The 21-and-over, Gatsby-esque party has something for everyone on New Year’s Eve—whether you want a more mellow evening with food, drink and live musical performances or to dance the night away in a club-like atmosphere, they’ve got you covered. When the clock strikes midnight, share a New Year’s kiss under a dazzling fireworks display over the Pacific Ocean—cheesy, we know, but still romantic.

Ring in the New Year at Downtown’s timeless Clifton’s Republic, where you can welcome the future inside a timeless space. Don your futuristic finest (look to the 1927 German sci-fi classic Metropolis for inspiration) and head to the multistory space to party throughout four stories of themed “lands”: the Forest Glen, Monarch Lounge, Gothic Lounge and Pacific Seas tiki bar. There will be live music and performances that promise to “transport you from the world of yesterday to the world of tomorrow.” If you feel like splashing out, choose the champagne package, which will get you half a bottle of bubbly and expedited VIP admission.

Oh, this (not quite so) charming man! British national treasure Morrissey brings his Smiths and solo hits to L.A. for three nights (include a New Year’s Eve show at the Palladium) of tongue-in-cheeky crooning. Shoplifters of the world, unite!

Most New Year’s Eve parties in L.A. celebrate the stroke of midnight on the West Coast, and a bunch mark the ball drop on the East Coast, as well. But Big Bar celebrates the occasion with 10 countdowns. That’s nine themed cocktails (for purchase) and one complimentary champagne toast at midnight. This year’s Lord of the Rings theme takes you to Middle Earth and back again, starting at the Shire (with free Bilbo’s birthday cake shots for those who arrive before 3pm) and ending at Mount Doom, where they’ll literally ring in the new year by dropping the ring into a volcano.

Party like it’s 1999 at Angel City Brewery’s Y2K Edition of its annual New Year’s bash, where the soundtrack will range from Britney to Blink-182. Bust out your old butterfly clips and velour tracksuits, snap some shots at Myspace-worthy retro photo ops, then ring in the new year with a “midnight meltdown” countdown. Grab dinner from ACB’s House Made food truck to pair with some of the city’s best beer. As the name implies, there’s no cover to attend—just make sure to secure a spot early.

Go on rides during the day and stick around for DJ sets and a midnight fireworks display at Universal Studios Hollywood’s New Year’s Eve celebration. You’ll typically find multiple genre-themed party areas around the park (Universal Plaza, Springfield and near Jurassic World: The Ride) with desserts, beer, wine and champagne available for purchase at each.

What kid doesn’t love to go to Disneyland? And on New Year’s Eve, the theme park stays open late (to 2am) and has even more magical happenings. We all know Disneyland does fireworks nearly nightly, but on New Year’s Eve they have a special showing in honor of the new year. Many of the restaurants inside the park also have special events or menus for the holiday, so do your research and get a reservation. You’ll have two chances to watch the fireworks: at 9pm and midnight. Just make sure to book your park reservation ASAP.

Knott’s Berry Farm goes all out during the holiday season, turning the theme park into the annual Knott’s Merry Farm with holiday decorations, music and snow. For New Year’s Eve, they take it a step further with extended hours (9am on Dec 31 to 1am on Jan 1) and a countdown to midnight capped off with fireworks. Look out for live music throughout the evening, plus swing-dancing lessons and family-friendly comedy.

Dynasty Typewriter’s namesake comedy show brings stand-up and assorted entertainment to the theater, including for this NYE show with sets from Biniam Bizuneh, Ali Macofsky, Brent Weinbach, Aparna Nancherla, Ashley Ray and headliner Reggie Watts. Each ticket includes a champagne toast at midnight.

This seasonal Costa Mesa event is celebrating 10 years of turning Orange County into a winter wonderland. Expect a North Pole walk-through, snow play, ice tubing and photo ops, plus an all-new holiday light show twinkling with more than 2 million lights. Upgrade your experience with an expanded carnival, ice skating, VIP arctic cabanas, “polar putt putt” golf and fireside igloos. On New Year’s Eve, celebrate Swiftie-style with two countdowns, two fireworks shows and two performances by tribute band Taylor Nation, at 9pm and midnight.

We never thought we’d be in the same club as Michelle Obama and Rihanna until Club Quarantine came along. Alright, technically it was a virtual club streamed on Instagram, but that’s no matter: DJ D-Nice’s hours-long sets from his Downtown L.A. home became life-affirming in a real tough year. Now, he’s bringing those positive vibes IRL for this New Year’s Eve show at the Walt Disney Concert Hall.

Laugh your way into 2025 with this celebration at the renowned career-launching comedy theater, where the Groundlings family will be performing a night full of sketches and improv. Add hors d’oeuvres, specialty cocktails and a traditional Champagne toast at midnight, and you’ve got everything you need for the perfect New Year's Eve. And who knows? You might even catch a glimpse of the next Will Ferrell or Lisa Kudrow while you’re at it.

For New Year’s Eve, this Pioneertown-inspired rooftop bar with strong cocktails and excellent vibes is rolling out an evening that includes music from country singer Johnny Travis Jr. and sets by DJs Country Night and Corey Biggs. As for the honky tonk element, you can supplement your five-hour open bar and passed hors d’oeuvres experience with a midnight tequila toast—who needs champagne?

Ring in the New Year with confetti, pyro and 30,000 of your closest friends at Countdown. Marshmello, Zedd, Diplo, Alesso, Galantis, Chris Lake and about 40 other dance acts will invade San Bernardino’s NOS Events Center for this year-end fest.

Because just one New Year’s Eve music fest apparently wasn’t enough, Insomniac is staging another year-end concert, Forever Midnight. On December 31, Chris Lake, Diplo, Duke Dumont, Lilly Palmer, Tiësto, Odd Mob and about two dozen others will all play the L.A. Convention Center.

Marina del Rey rings in the new year with two pyro-filled countdowns. The waterfront city has fireworks at both 9pm and midnight (or a minute before, to be precise). While the fireworks are set off near Burton Chace Park (which hosts a family-friendly “glow party” from 7pm to midnight), all of the restaurants with harbor views should have visibility of the fireworks. Some of the restaurants host ticket dinners for a pricey cost, so we suggest finding a spot along the water and enjoying the fireworks for free.

Stake out a spot in downtown Long Beach to catch this waterfront fireworks show on New Year’s Eve. Though this year’s full details are still to come, past celebrations have included two chances to see fireworks: an early one at a more family-friendly time of 9pm, followed by another at midnight. You can catch the shows from pretty much anywhere near the water, like Shoreline Park and Village, and you can expect dinner specials and parties at plenty of local businesses nearby (including, yes, the Queen Mary, which has again revived its on-board party).

The L.A. Zoo is staying open after dark most nights through January during this delightful take on its light-up holiday tradition. Once again, the event’s “Animals Aglow” edition is going all in on oversized animal-shaped lanterns, and the result is a colorful, charming trail that celebrates the zoo’s natural inhabitants. You can relax on illuminated swings, walk through a crocodile’s mouth and dance inside a shell of kaleidoscopic mirrors. For New Year’s Eve, the zoo is adding on the option of a family-friendly celebration, with a buffet dinner, dessert, a live broadcast of the Times Square ball drop and a New Year’s toast at 9pm. Tickets are $79 for kids and $95 for adults.

Right down the hill from Universal Studios Hollywood, at the Hilton hotel, you’ll find this ice skating rink with views of the Hollywood Hills. Grown-ups can opt for the “date & skate” package, which includes two tickets and two themed cocktails from Jingle Bell Tavern, a holiday pop-up bar. The rink will be offer skating sessions through 9:30pm on New Year’s Eve, and the Hilton’s Cafe Sierra will be offering an all-you-can-eat seafood buffet with bottomless champagne for $159.

The annual L.A. Kings ice skating rink once again returns to L.A. Live. Skate around the dazzling Christmas tree that stands in the middle of the outdoor rink, and take in an LED holiday light show on the huge screens around the plaza. Choose from four nightly skating sessions. Note: Tickets, which include skate rental, are only sold on-site, and can’t be purchased online. You can skate your way into the new year, as the rink is open till midnight on December 31.

Located just blocks from the ocean, Ice in downtown Santa Monica brings a bit of winter to the comfortable coastal city. The 8,000-square-foot outdoor rink runs daily from November to mid-January on the corner of Fifth Street and Arizona Avenue. Tickets for an hourlong slot ($24) include skate rentals. On December 31, count down to East Coast midnight (a.k.a. 9pm) at a family-friendly New Year’s Eve celebration from 8:30–9:30pm.

Step back into the 1920s—when this swanky DTLA hotel was built—for the Biltmore’s New Year’s Eve celebration. The party in the lavish Crystal Ballroom includes live big bands, jazz, dancers, photo ops and themed cocktails—and, this year, some elaborate artistry from the folks at the Labyrinth Masquerade Ball. The Radio Lounge hosts a private VIP bar and retro-style live radio plays. With a general admission ticket, you’ll have to pay out of pocket for drinks, but Bootlegger or VIP tickets get you access to a hosted bar from 8–10pm. Elsewhere in the hotel, acclaimed close-up magician David Minkin will perform intimate shows at 4pm, 7pm and 10pm. 

Let the Mondrian’s Skybar handle your plans this New Year’s Eve at its swanky soiree. Each ticket includes access to a four-hour open bar, plus a midnight champagne toast. Take in the city lights as you overlook the L.A. skyline at the rooftop bar that started it all. The pool will be covered and transformed into a light-up dance floor, so you can groove to live DJ sets into the new year. Note: Cocktail attire is required.

Ring in 2025 with a dose of Old Hollywood glamour during this celebration at the classic Hollywood Roosevelt. Maxim and Teatro LA are taking over the historic hotel, transforming it into a glitzy winter wonderland for the night. Don your best semi-formal or cocktail attire and walk the red carpet before enjoying live entertainment, music, photo ops and festive party favors to take home.

The h.wood Group and David Arquette’s celebrity-favored nightclub promises its “most intense event yet” inside the chic Sunset Strip space that recalls Frank Sinatra-era Palm Springs. Enjoy a five-hour open bar and a complimentary champagne toast at midnight set to a soundtrack of top 40, hip-hop and house music spun by a live DJ. If you really want to make a night of it, you can snag an LA Ballers VIP All Access Party Pass ($99) to party-hop between Bootsy’s and Poppy Nightclub on La Cienega, where rapper BIA will be performing live.

Terranea’s seaside New Year’s Eve party combines cirque vibes and seafood for a classy, spendy celebration. Ticketholders can enjoy an open bar and dining stations including a seafood ice sculpture, taqueria table, pasta pavilion and more. Also on offer are an open bar, casino games and beats by DJ Ricky Rocks. In addition to this soiree in the Palos Verdes Ballroom, the resort will be hosting decadent dinners and celebrations throughout the property—including live music in the lobby bar, where you don’t need a reservation or ticket. 

The Freehand hotel will bring the house down New Year’s Eve at its rooftop oasis, Broken Shaker. Organizers Made to Move’s resident DJs, Akumen, Andy Oro and No Pressure, will be spinning bouncy, infectious house music all night long. Grab a tropical cocktail and dance with the DTLA skyline as your backdrop. Entry is free, and there will be a complimentary champagne toast at midnight.

Descanso Gardens’ light-up experience ditches the kitsch aesthetic typical at many venues in favor of a whimsical, wondrous, curiosity-driven display that’s among L.A.’s most stunning and, more importantly, most fun. The interactive, nighttime program sets up illuminated installations around the botanical garden grounds, from luminescent forests to free-standing hands-on art pieces. Check it out till 10pm on New Year’s Eve.

L.A. doesn’t typically seem like much of a winter wonderland, until, that is, you create an ice skating rink right in the midst of Downtown skyscrapers. Come glide around and pretend there’s snow on the ground at Pershing Square’s outdoor holiday skating rink. Skate rentals are included in admission, though lockers and skating aids costs a few dollars extra. The rink will stay open till 9:30pm on New Year’s Eve.