The rooftop party scene at The Moon's Daughters
Courtesy The Moon's DaughtersThe rooftop party scene at The Moon's Daughters
Courtesy The Moon's Daughters

The 12 best New Year's Eve parties in Texas

Welcome 2025 with rooftop ragers, live music, lots of bubbly and fireworks shows

Kevin Gray
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Whether your 2024 was a year to remember or one to forget, it’s quickly coming to an end. So either way you look at it, that’s cause for celebration. Fortunately, there’s no shortage of ways to ring in the new year because bars, restaurants and other venues across Texas are gearing up to host the season’s biggest parties. We’re talking champagne-fueled rooftop soirees with fancy finger foods and DJs spinning records. We’re talking sprawling bacchanals with live music and fireworks. And, yes, we’re also talking about seated, multi-course dinners—because you’ve got to eat.

Revelers in Austin, Dallas, Houston and San Antonio have plenty to choose from, even getting a handful of fun themes to explore as the clock strikes midnight, from a New York-style disco to a party inspired by Spotify Wrapped. So there really is something for everyone. That means whether you're looking to dance the night away, enjoy an over-the-top meal or keep things a bit more low-key this year, Texas has a New Year’s Eve party to fit your vibe. 

We’ve done the legwork to round up a dozen of the best New Year’s Eve party options across the state, so all you have to do is put on your best party attire, gather your favorite people and score tickets to one of these champagne-popping experiences. That last part is key, lest you’re forced to stay home and scroll through your social feeds as everyone else has fun without you. You can try that “quiet night at home” thing next year.

The best New Year's Eve parties in Austin

  • Greater Austin

You’ve seen everyone’s Spotify Wrapped. Now here’s Austin Wrapped, a New Year’s Eve party inhabiting the fourth-floor pool deck at Thompson Austin’s Arriba Abajo Rooftop Cantina. Enjoy the views of the city skyline, then explore multiple themed rooms while the evening’s live performers take you through the musical decades and across a variety of genres, including reggaeton, jazz and rock. Food stations from The Royale Room, Fifth Street Diner and Arriba Abajo will keep you fed, and roaming champagne hosts and traveling martini carts will ensure you never go thirsty. Before you head out, stop by one of the activations to take home a souvenir, like a hand-rolled cigar, some self-spun vinyl art or a flash tattoo.

Hours: 9pm - 2am

Cost: $150+

  • Hotels
  • Spa hotels
  • Convention Center District
  • price 3 of 4
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • Recommended

Dancing and live music courtesy of the ‘80s-inspired Royal Dukes band? Check. An ugly sweater pop-up bar with a ‘90s DJ and signature cocktails? Yes. A raw bar, grill station, desserts and a midnight champagne toast? You know it. Throw in the Fairmont’s seventh-floor indoor/outdoor rooftop space, and you’ve got all the hallmarks of a successful New Year’s Eve party. 

Hours: 9pm - 2am

Cost: $125

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  • Attractions
  • Auditorium Shores

On a night dominated by pricey tickets and excessive entry fees, it’s nice to know there’s one big, blowout party that’s still free to attend. The annual and aptly titled Austin’s New Year is back at Auditorium Shores, the Town Lake-adjacent park and concert venue. Go for local food and drink vendors and a live performance slate headlined by Third Eye Blind, then stick around until midnight for the city’s best fireworks show.

Hours: 7pm - midnight 

Cost: free

The best New Year's Eve parties in Dallas

  • Things to do
  • West End

Crown Block restaurant and its Crown Room event space are situated atop Reunion Tower—you know, that big sphere floating on the edge of Downtown. With its floor-to-ceiling windows and 360-degree views, it’s already one of the most dramatic spots in the city. On December 31, the space is hosting a party with passed bites, a chilled seafood bar with sushi and oysters, a carving station, drinks, a DJ and dancing (lots of it). At midnight, your position about 500 feet in the air will be the perfect spot to watch the grand finale, an impressive combo of pyrotechnics, LED light displays and a drone show.

Hours: 9pm - 1am

Cost: $335

  • Nightlife
  • LoMac

Hôtel Swexan’s swanky, subterranean cocktail lounge, Babou’s, is leaning into the iconic glamour of New York City’s disco era. Once you step through the velvet ropes, it’s all about pulsing music, dazzling lights and dancing beneath the disco ball. Wear your finest disco-inspired attire, then avail yourself of the premium open bar, passed hors d’oeuvres and midnight champagne toast as revelers gather to welcome 2025.

Hours: 9pm - 2am

Cost: $200

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  • Hotels
  • Dallas Market Center

This may not be your first rodeo, but this is your chance to enjoy one more ride before the year comes to an end. The Virgin Hotel in Dallas’s Design District is inviting you to eat, drink and dance at this glitzy event spanning its entire fourth floor indoor/outdoor venue. There will be food stations, an open bar, DJs and plenty of fun to go around. Packages are available should you want to secure a VIP table or continue that fun with a room for the night.

Hours: 9pm - 2am

Cost: $200+

The best New Year's Eve parties in Houston

  • Neartown

This stylish soiree is packing a lot into its seventh-floor restaurant and deck in Downtown Houston. Tickets grant guests access to champagne and premium spirits, a variety of canapes and culinary stations. A DJ will be spinning all night to keep the energy high and the dance floor full. If you want a more VIP experience, book one of the cabanas for groups of four to eight people, and you’ll get a dedicated spot to eat, drink and recharge before heading back out into the fray.

Hours: 9pm - 1am

Cost: $125+

  • Hotels
  • Greater Houston

First up, book a pre-party reservation at Bandista, the hotel’s gorgeous and festively decorated speakeasy bar, to score a couple incredible cocktails before hitting the main event. Then you’ll be ready for the party at Bayou and Bottle, the first-floor restaurant and bourbon bar. Dance to beats from the DJ, sip champagne and feast on late-night bites. Tables are available, and so are private Topgolf suites, just in case you want to dial in your swing and get bottle service with a group of friends. 

Hours: 10pm - 1am

Cost: $85+

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  • Briargrove

Anytime you find yourself eating crab beignets and bone-in rib eyes and drinking champagne and whiskey, you’re probably doing OK. Make plans to spend New Year’s at the Warwick—and that can be you. The restaurant is hosting a three-course dinner party with complimentary party favors, a photo booth, a DJ and drinks. It’s everything you need for a successful night, whether you’re eating early before a party, or taking the late reservation and making this your party. 

Hours: 5pm, 7:15pm or 9:15pm

Cost: $125

The best New Year's Eve parties in San Antonio

  • Downtown

Party through the decades at this nostalgia-packed bar and club, where you’ll be immersed in the best music and moments of the 1980s, ‘90s, and 2000s. Two DJs will spin across two rooms, so you’ll always have a retro rager or party anthem fueling your evening. Hit the bar, own the dance floor, and help yourself to the complimentary party favors and midnight champagne. The bar is giving away $2,025 over the course of the night, so you might even come away with a bit more cash than you started with.

Hours: 7pm - 2am

Cost: $20

  • River Bend District

The Moon’s Daughters is situated high above the River Walk on the 20th-floor terrace of Thompson San Antonio, offering one of the best views of the city. The restaurant and bar is inspired by the Greek Goddess of the Moon, and on New Year’s Eve, it promises a night of “intergalactic glamour.” Expect a premium open bar, passed hors d’oeuvres, live entertainment from DJ Catwalk and a champagne toast at midnight. When fireworks ring out over the city, you’ll have a prime perch to see the show.

Hours: 9pm - 2am

Cost: $299+

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  • Attractions

This iconic celebration is back for another round, filling downtown with a choose-your-own-adventure experience across multiple venues. There are stages for live music, a DJ dance party, food vendors, carnival games, photo booths and a life-size winter village. Do a little bit of everything, then look up come midnight, as the event culminates in a 14-minute fireworks show.

Hours: 6pm - midnight

Cost: free

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